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.
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 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.