Francesca Booker

Researcher (biodiversity), Natural Resources

Francesca's work focuses on the social dimensions of natural resource governance and management. She works on a variety of issues related to biodiversity conservation and human well-being, including integrated conservation and development and social and governance assessment.

Full biography

Francesca has used systematic maps and reviews to interrogate the evidence base on gender and natural resource governance and the effectiveness of alternative livelihoods.

Her interests are climate change, biodiversity conservation, human well-being and social justice. She is also interested in methodologies for evaluation and learning and has recently worked on applying process tracing.

Expertise

Linkages between conservation and human well-being, and natural resource governance.
Experience in Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Laos), Africa (Tanzania) and the Caribbean (Barbados, Belize, St Kitts and Nevis)

Before IIED

Research consultant at IMM Ltd, working as part of the social science team for the European Union-funded Future of Reefs in a Changing Environment (FORCE) project.

Education
MSc Climate Change and International Development, University of East Anglia, UK.

Current work

Social and governance assessment
Using systematic maps and reviews to interrogate evidence
Coordinating the Poverty and Conservation Learning Group

Francesca Booker's projects

A volunteer health and conservation trainer gives a group talk to her community (Photo: Conservation Through Public Health)

Can improving health reduce threats to nature conservation?

Project, Apr 2019

Community members at Mgahinga National Park, Uganda discuss the Social Assessment for Protected and Conserved Areas methodology (Photo: Rob Small)

Enhancing the equity and effectiveness of protected area conservation

Project, Nov 2018

Pastoralists discuss strengths and challenges of governance at a conservancy in Kenya. (Photo: Francesca Booker/IIED)

Assessing governance at protected and conserved areas (GAPA)

Project, Apr 2018

A beekeeper in Guatemala finds an alternative source of income. Photo: Todd Post/Bread for the World Institute

Judging the effectiveness of alternative livelihoods projects

Project, Aug 2013

Identifying social impacts at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya (Photo: Phil Franks/IIED)

Assessing social impacts of protected and conserved areas (SAPA)

Project, Aug 2013

Gorilla tourism in Uganda's Bwindi national park generates money for conservation, but not much for locals. Uganda PCLG is working to grow community income from tourism (Photo: Matthias Neuhaus, Creative Commons via Flickr)

PCLG: an international learning network on the links between people and nature conservation

Project, Aug 2013

Recent publications

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Tackling the illegal wildlife trade: promises made, progress reported

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Engaging local communities in tackling illegal wildlife trade: a synthesis of approaches and lessons for best practice

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Governance Assessment for Protected and Conserved Areas (GAPA) Early experience of a multi-stakeholder methodology for enhancing equity and effectiveness

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Social Assessment for Protected and Conserved Areas (SAPA) Methodology manual for SAPA facilitators

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Governance, equity and the greenlist

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Understanding and assessing equity in protected area conservation: a matter of governance, rights, social impacts and human wellbeing

Francesca Booker's blog posts

Maria Lourdes Alvarez is a warden monitoring fishing activity at Decalve Marine Sanctuary, a Marine Protected Area in the Calamianes Islands in the Philippines (Photo: Asuncion Sia/USAID, Creative Commons via Flickr)

Gender and biodiversity conservation – progress and future directions

Blog, Nov 2018

Women from around Lake Mburo National Park participate in a focus group discussion as part of a multi-stakeholder governance assessment (Photo: Francesca Booker/ IIED)

Understanding governance and equity in conservation

Blog, Apr 2018

Mitunu, a female of the Mubare gorilla group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, is one of the few remaining critically endangered mountain gorillas left in the wild. CTPH programs promote health and conservation to save Mitunu and her family (Photo: Ryoma Otsuka)

Are health investments paying off for endangered wildlife?

Blog, Mar 2017

Signs welcome visitors to the Sunderban Tiger Reserve in India. Wandering tigers still kill humans in the region, but this reserve generates employment and ecosystem benefits and other income for local people (Rick Hobson, Creative Commons via Flickr)

Tackling the illegal wildlife trade through community-based approaches: building evidence on what works

Blog, Jan 2017

The voices of women involved in farming and fisheries, such as these in Bangladesh, are often lost in decision-making (Photo: CBFM-Fem Com Bangladesh/WorldFish, Creative Commons, via Flickr)

Does gender balance improve forestry and fishery management?

Blog, Jul 2015