Isabelle Cardinal

Personal statement:

I am the Principal Specialist for Social Science in Natural England, working alongside a team of 14 social scientists to embed social science evidence led approaches for nature recovery. I previously spent 25 years working on social issues in international development for Social Development Direct, the Department for International Development and international NGOs. Highlights include research on women’s economic empowerment and climate change showcased at COP26; Whitehall lead on poverty and inequality UN Sustainability Goals 2015 and support for the UN High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment. I lived and worked in Tanzania, Malawi and Rwanda for 15 years.

Key topic areas of research or interest:

My current key area of interest is on governance and accountability for nature recovery at the local level. The team conducts research across the following topics:

• Cultures of conservation
• Measuring adult and children’s use and enjoyment of nature; impact on wellbeing; and pro-environmental behaviours.
• Access to nature and inclusion outside
• Responsible recreation
• Governance and accountability
• Evidence-led engagement
• Human wildlife co-existence
• Fishers, coastal resilience and nature recovery
• Farmers, land managers and nature recovery