Kate Pitts
Broadly speaking, I study the intersections between biodiversity conservation, protected areas, and livelihoods in Latin America. My interest in political ecology and community-led conservation arose in 2018 during ethnographic fieldwork in Belize that explored the motivating factors of conch piracy. My interest in studying community-led conservation was cemented during fieldwork that analyzed the food-water-energy nexus in Costa Rica. Other research projects have included analysis of the connections between land-use change and food insecurity in Laos, and spatial analysis of narco-trafficking through Central America. I utilize mixed methods such as GIS, ethnography, and botanical studies.
Outside of academia, I have worked at zoos, greenhouses, on farms, and forestry crews, all of which have shown me the diverse ways people understand, interact with, and utilize their environments. In my current work, I analyze the implementation and impact of biodiversity-focused conservation policies in the Colombian Amazon. My research integrates social-ecological systems theory, ethnoecology, and multi-species ethnography to work towards conservation policies that recognize and protect entanglements of biodiversity, natural resource dependent livelihoods, and cultural practices. |