Dr Rosamund Portus

Personal statement:

I am a lecturer and co-programme Lead for the Environment and Sustainability degree UWE Bristol with a background in social anthropology. I have significant experience working in interdisciplinary teams, and have a particular interest in using both narrative and ethnographic approaches.

My PhD considered the social and cultural dimensions of the decline of bee populations, contributing to work in the field of extinction studies. Other key areas of interests include environmental emotions, communication, storytelling and education, and children and young people.

Complementing my academic pursuits, I have a keen interest in public engagement work and actively look for opportunities to work with communities.

Key topic areas of research or interest:

My research interests span a number of areas, including extinction studies, environmental emotions, communicaton and education, and the lives of children and young people. I am attached to a number of projects which cover these areas of research. For example, I am currently an ACCESS Flex Fund Fellow leading on a project examining environmental education strategies:
https://accessnetwork.uk/buzzing-about-bees-exploring-active-storytelling-for-transforming-childrens-environmental-agency/.

Other projects I am linked to include:

Challenging the Climate Crisis: Children’s Agency to Tackle Policy Underpinned by Learning for Transformation:
https://ccc-catapult.org/

Reading for Climate:
https://www.thisiswhyweread.com/about/

Nature Connections and Parental Perspectives:
https://alternativenaturetoolkit.wordpress.com/

Further updates and project links can be found here:
https://rosamundportusart.wordpress.com/

Collaboration opportunities:

As a social scientist, I aim to connect with both science and arts scholars working across environmental studies. I am keen to work on bids which span my key areas of interest, as well as ones which take participatory approaches. I also work as a portrait artist and illustrator and am happy to take commissions.

Publications:

Peer-reviewed or notable edited publications include:

Portus, R., Barnes, S., and WIlliams, S. (2025). Interrogating the ‘when I was young’ trope: Supporting children’s play for nature connection and resilience through the development of an alternative nature toolkit. Children, Youth and Environments, 35(2). https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/579/article/967825

Portus, R., Williams, S., Peklanska, E., Portus, R. and Walmsley, T. (2025). Buzzing about Bees: Exploring action-based storytelling as a tool for children’s environmental engagement and agency. Environmental Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2025.2478430.

Portus, R. & Williams, S. J. (2025). Connecting Environment and Community: Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future. In L. Ahmed, and M. Sarso (eds.). Teaching Design for Sustainable Futures: Community, Construction, and Creativity. Routledge. (pp. 9-25).

Portus, R., Aarnio-Linnanvuori, E., Dillon, B., Fahy, F., Gopinath, D., Mansikka-Aho, A., Williams, S., Reilly, K. & McEwen, L. (2024) Exploring environmental value action gap and education research: a semi-systematic literature review, Environmental Education Research, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2024.2314060

Portus, R., Williams, S., Mansikka-aho, A., Reilly, K., Aarnio-Linnanvuori, E., de Vito, L., Dillon, B., Fahy, F., Gnecco, I., Palla, A., Sposito, S. and. McEwen, L. (2024 [Accepted]). Reflections on co-productive research in a youth-focused climate education project. Geographical Research.

Reilly, K., Dillon, B., Fahy, F., Phelan, D., Aarnio-Linnanvuori, E., De Vito, L., Gnecco, I., Gopinath, D., Holmes, A., Laggan, S., Mansikka-aho, A., Palla, A., Portus, R., Rissanen, R., Sposito, S., Williams, S. & McEwen, L. (2024). Learning from young people’s experiences of climate change education, Geography, 109(1), 44-48, DOI: 10.1080/00167487.2024.2297616

Portus, R. (2023). Rachel Carson – searching for wonder. In J. McKendrick (Ed.), Inspirationally Playful: People, papers and practices that have inspired play practitioners and researchers (23). The Child and Adolescent Health Research Group.
https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10860761

Portus, R. (2022). Performing Extinction Stories: Exploring Creative Responses to Bee Decline. Text and Performance Quarterly. DOI: 10.1080/10462937.2022.2134583.

Portus, R. (2022). The Stories We Tell: Exploring the Folklore of Bees in an Age of Extinction. NiCHE Canada.
https://niche-canada.org/2022/11/04/the-stories-we-tell-exploring-the-folklore-of-bees-in-an-age-of-extinction/

Williams, S and Portus, R. (2022). ‘Through their Eyes and Ears’: Creating New Knowledge for Climate Education through Co-productive Practices. Challenges for Environmental and Sustainability Education Research in Times of Climate Crisis. https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8768733/file/8768735.pdf

Portus, R., Williams, S., Roberston, M., Preston, H., Reynolds, O., Griffiths, I., Pykett, E., Currie, M., Stranger, R. and McEwen, L. (2022). Co-production and Youth Action Partnerships: Introducing the ‘Challenging the Climate Crisis’ project. NAEE.
https://naee.org.uk/co-production-and-youth-action-partnerships-introducing-the-challenging-the-climate-crisis-project/

Portus, R. (2020). An Ecological Whodunit: The Story of Colony Collapse Disorder. Society and Animals. DOI: 10.1163/15685306-BJA10026.

Portus, R and McGinn, C. (2019). Bees, Extinction and Ambient Soundscapes: An Exploratory Environmental Communication Workshop. Humanities. 8 (3), 1-16. DOI: 10.3390/h8030153.

Portus, R. (2018). Resistance and Rewilding: The Return of Beavers to Knapdale Forest. Acardia. DOI: 10.5282/rcc/8317

Portus, R. (2018). Where are the Bees Now? Exploring Loss in an Age of Extinction. The Dark Mountain Project.
https://dark-mountain.net/where-are-the-bees-now/

Portus, R. (2018). The Heart of the Ecosystem: Taking Responsibility for the Extinction of Bees. Seeing the Woods, The Rachel Carson Center.
https://seeingthewoods.org/2018/12/20/make-meadows-not-lawns/