Scaling nature-based solutions for climate resilient infrastructure

Role: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Republic of Congo
Project:  Republic of Congo peatlands sustainable management and conservation assessment
Affiliation: School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2564-0043
Email: S.J.Jenkins@sms.ed.ac.uk 

Shona Jenkins has a background in the governance of natural resources and international development. She has worked across academia, civil society and the private sector on these themes. She is currently completing her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. She is also a Research Fellow in at the University of St Andrews. In 2022, Shona led a 5-month visit to DRC’s Equateur province to spend time living in local peatland communities. This research seeks to characterise the Congo peatlands as an inter-connected social-ecological system; explore how different interconnections influence livelihoods and peatland forest impacts, as well as draw out recommendations for conservation and sustainable management of peatlands in the central Congo Basin.

In January and February of 2025, Shona travelled to the Likouala Department in the Republic of Congo to conduct participatory scenario planning with local communities living on the edge of the Lac Tele Community Reserve. The aim of this work is to identify sustainable use and protection options for peatlands in the Republic of Congo. Shona is particularly interested in participatory research to elevate local voices and priorities to support sustainable management of forest and water resources.