Niak Sian Koh

Background

I am an interdisciplinary researcher in sustainability science, focusing on global environmental governance, climate and biodiversity policy, biodiversity finance, biodiversity offsets, and human rights. My research interests are centred around achieving global biodiversity goals through a rights-based approach, an equity lens, and a recognition of indigenous and local knowledge.

I have worked on case studies ranging from hydropower in the Mekong region to biodiversity offset policies in several countries, including the US, Germany, Sweden, and Madagascar, as well as policy processes such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. I situate my work within the science-policy interface and am passionate about engaging with sustainability through research, policy, and education. I contribute to ongoing policy processes as a fellow of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Business and Biodiversity assessment and a member of the Indigenous and Local Knowledge Liaison Group.

My postdoctoral research is funded by the EU Horizon 2020 project ‘GoNaturePositive!,’ which aims to facilitate transformative action towards a nature-positive economy among policymakers, businesses, and society at large.

Research Interests

My research interests are rooted in bridging diverse perspectives and bringing stakeholders together for an equitable transition towards sustainability. My doctoral work focused on integrating economics, politics, and human rights perspectives into biodiversity policies and governance for more effective and equitable outcomes.

These interests include climate and biodiversity policy, biodiversity finance, social equity, rights-based approaches, indigenous and local knowledge, power structures, social and environmental justice.

Current Research

My postdoctoral research is funded by the EU Horizon 2020 project ‘GoNaturePositive!,’ which aims to facilitate transformative action towards a nature-positive economy among policymakers, businesses, and society at large. The research project conceptualises the Nature-Positive Economy from a multi-stakeholder perspective and then operationalises it through partnerships with businesses across five industry sectors (agri-food, blue economy, forestry, built environment, and tourism) to demonstrate how nature-positive practices can generate multiple benefits for both people and the planet.

Brief CV

Work experience

2024: Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) fellow on the Business and Biodiversity Assessment, Member of the Indigenous and Local Knowledge Liaison Group

2022-2024: Postdoctoral researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre

2023: Climate theme advisor at SwedBio

2022: Consultant at The Biodiversity Consultancy

2016-2017: Pricing Analyst at Procter & Gamble Nordic

2016: Research Assistant at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Education

2017-2022: PhD in Sustainability Science, Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, Sweden

2013-2015: MSc in Sustainable Development, Uppsala University, Sweden

2009-2012: BSc in Business and Commerce, Monash University, Malaysia/Australia

Publications

Peer reviewed

Koh, N. S., Wong, G. Y., & Hahn, T. (2024). Radical incrementalism: hydropolitics and environmental discourses in Laos. Environmental Politics, 1-23.

Ochieng, A., Koh, N.S., & Koot, S. (2022). Compatible with Conviviality? Exploring African Ecotourism and Sport Hunting for Transformative Conservation. Conservation & Society.

Hahn, T., Koh, N.S., & Elmqvist, T. (2022). No net loss of biodiversity, green growth, and the need to address drivers. One Earth, 5 (6), 612–614.

Koh, N.S. (2022). Safeguarding nature and people: Integrating economics, politics, and human rights to transform biodiversity policies and governance (PhD dissertation) Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University.

Koh, N.S., Ituarte-Lima, C., & Hahn, T. (2021). Mind the compliance gap: How insights from international human rights law can help implement the Convention on Biological Diversity. Transnational Environmental Law.

Koh, N.S. (2020). Unravelling the social and ecological implications of policy instruments for biodiversity governance (Licentiate thesis) Stockholm University.

Koh, N. S., Hahn, T., & Boonstra, W. J. (2019). How much of a market is involved in a biodiversity offset? A typology of biodiversity offset policies. Journal of Environmental Management, 232, 679–691.

Koh, N.S., Hahn, T., & Ituarte-Lima, C. (2017). Safeguards for Enhancing Ecological Compensation in Sweden. Journal of Land Use Policy. 64, 186-189.

Technical reports and popular science communication

McDermott, C., et al. (2024). A Political Ecology and Economy of Key Trends in International Forest Governance. In Kleinschmit et al. (Eds)., International Forests Governance: A critical review of trends, drawbacks, and new approaches. International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Series Volume 43. Vienna.

Hertz, A., Masako Goossens-Ishii, A., & Koh, N.S. (2023). Adopting a human rights-based approach to biodiversity and climate action. SwedBio.

Pietarinen, N., Koh, N.S., Ville, A., Brockhaus, M., & Wong, G. (2023). Can REDD+ finance compete with established and emerging land investments? The case of Mai-Ndombe, Democratic Republic of Congo. CIFOR Brief, 1-8.

Koh, N.S., & Ituarte-Lima, C. (2023). Biodiversity: one way to help countries stick to their commitments to restore nature. World Economic Forum.

The Biodiversity Consultancy. (2022). Exploring design principles for high integrity and scalable voluntary biodiversity credits. The Biodiversity Consultancy Ltd, Cambridge, U.K.