King's College London

Dr Maia King and Dr Rose Pinnington, from the Department of Political Economy, and Professor Kate Schreckenberg from the Department of Geography, are leading the project ‘Power dynamics and knowledge hierarchies in forest governance’.

The researchers highlight concerns that forest-based climate initiatives risk undermining their own effectiveness by excluding local actors and their knowledge. Through the project, the researchers hope to enable policy-makers to better recognise local priorities and knowledge in their work and involve diverse local actors in decision-making processes.

The researchers said: “There is growing evidence that investments in forest-based climate solutions can be disconnected from local needs and priorities, excluding women and indigenous knowledge from decision-making and risking undermining effectiveness, but also reversing past gains towards participatory forestry.

“This project will contribute to ensuring that externally-funded forest governance initiatives are effective in tackling climate change and sustainability, at the same time as being equitable and responsive to local communities.”

The project has received funding in the third round of the King’s Climate and Sustainability Seed Fund, which opened in early 2024.

It was among six research projects tackling a range of pressing issues relating to the climate crisis that were awarded more than £226,000 of total funding.

The project is connected with several research groups at King's, including: Political Ecology, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services, the Environment and Public Policy, and the Global South Research Group.