Steven Orchard
Research student
Steven's project title is 'NGO mangrove restoration interventions and their influence on social capital: implications for climate change adaptation in coastal villages of Vietnam'.
There is growing recognition of the advantages mangrove forests provide in protecting coastal areas against the impacts of natural hazards, events that are projected to increase with climate change. This issue is particularly important in the highly exposed coastal areas of Vietnam.
However, the success of mangrove restoration projects is disappointing when compared to the quantity of mangroves that have been planted. A reason could be that conventional mangrove intervention efforts tend to focus on disaster mitigation and livelihood aspects of mangrove restoration. Little research has studied the influence such interventions have on social capital, and specifically the role of NGOs in establishing the necessary social networks for interventions to be sustainable.
Background
Following an initial interest in international development issues while studying an undergraduate economics degree, Steven became interested in climate change adaptation while studying a climate change module during a masters degree in development anthropology.
Steven has an MRes in Sustainability from the University of Leeds, an MSc in Development Anthropology from Durham University, and a BA (Hons) in Business & Economics (Northumbria University).
Research interests
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Climate change adaptation and natural resource management;
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Strengthing adaptive capacity through social capital in developing countries;
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The role of social networks and institutions in community level adaptation
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