Department of Geography & Environment
London School of Economics & Political Science
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
Research interests
A conservation zoologist at heart, my experience conducting research in developing countries has led to the personal pursuit of a more multidisciplinary understanding of natural resource use. My interests lie in demonstrating the economic value provided by environmental goods and services and understanding the economic incentives of resource use. From this information can emerge opportunities for sustainable financing and profitable exchange, thus incentivising more prudent resource management and contributing to long-term financing of conservation efforts.
Current research
My PhD research focuses on whether forest conservation can lead to both carbon and community benefits in the Bale Mountains Eco-Region in south-east Ethiopia. Part of the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot in the Ethiopian Highlands, the Bale Mountains Eco-Region provides a substantial array of ecosystem goods and services. Without awareness of the magnitude of contribution that ecosystem goods and services make to the local economy, regional policy and management strategies have not adequately represented their value. Combined with a growing population and political instability, this lack of investment has led to the degradation of the Bale Mountains’ Ecosystem. This includes ongoing deforestation in the second largest stand of moist forest in Ethiopia.
Environmental valuation of the forest resource will draw attention to the economic losses of continued deforestation in the Bale Mountains Eco-Region. It will inform efforts to improve resource management and encourage support from government and donors. In addition, this research aims to identify sources of sustainable financing for biodiversity conservation, specifically through forest carbon finance. Investigating whether an avoided deforestation project is a feasible climate change mitigation option, my PhD explores both forest carbon accounting issues and the costs of the potential project that would be borne by local communities.
A forest carbon project has the potential to provide much needed financial incentives to bring unsustainable resource use under control in the Bale Mountains Eco-Region. However, there are many challenges to be overcome in order to reconcile the needs of the global community, national government and local community ambitions. It is hoped that this research will highlight these challenges and add to the global forest carbon debate.
Supervision and funding
This PhD research is jointly supervised by Dr Susana Mourato and Professor E.J. Milner-Gulland. The research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ,the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Bale Eco-Region Sustainable Management Programme, a Farm Africa SOS Sahel partnership. The Bale Mountains National Park and national authorities have also been supportive of my research in Ethiopia.
Brief CV
2007 – present PhD Researcher, London School of Economics and Politics (Forestry conservation for carbon and communities in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia)
2007 MSc Environmental Technology (Environmental Economics and Policy), Imperial College London. Including: a socio-economic evaluation of dry-land livelihood strategies: equity and resource reliance in relation to the proposed Sengwe wildlife corridor, Zimbabwe (group project); and a direct consumptive use valuation of ecosystem goods and services in the Bale Mountains eco-region in south-eastern Ethiopia (thesis).
2005 Assistant Research Co-ordinator with a conservation, research and development NGO, organising biodiversity surveys, logistics and training research assistants in northwest Nicaragua.
2004 BA Natural Sciences (Zoology), Cambridge University, including an investigation of social knowledge in juvenile rooks.
Publications
Watson, C. (2010) Rapid Guide to REDD. FARM-Africa/SOS-Sahel BERSMP. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (pdf)
Nicholson, E. et al., (2009) Priority research areas for ecosystem services in a changing world. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46:1139-1144. (pdf)
Watson, C., Milner-Gulland, E.J., and Mourato, S. (in press) Direct Consumptive Use Value of Ecosystem Goods and Services in the Bale Mountains Eco-region, Ethiopia. Walia Special Edition, Ethiopia.
UNDP (2009) Forest Carbon Accounting: Overview and Principles. UNDP-UNEP CDM Capacity Development Project for Eastern & Southern Africa. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Watson, C. and Fankhauser, S. (2009) The Clean Development Mechanism: sustainable development benefits. World Development Report 2010, World Bank Background paper.
Watson, C. (2009) Public Good Provision through Forestry. Farm Africa/SOS-Sahel BERSM Programme. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (pdf)
Parpia, A. and Watson, C (2009) Global Kyoto Research Note: The impact of forestry on the global carbon market. New Carbon Finance, UK
Watson, C. (2008) Counting the Costs of Conservation. TREES: Journal of the International Tree Foundation, 68: 15-17. (pdf)
Watson, C., Milner-Gulland, E.J., and Mourato, S. (in press) Direct Consumptive Use Value of Ecosystem Goods and Services in the Bale Mountains Eco-region, Ethiopia. Walia Special Edition, Ethiopia.
Watson, C. (2007): Direct consumptive use valuation of ecosystem goods and services in the Bale Mountains Eco-region, Ethiopia. MSc Thesis. Imperial College London, Centre for Environmental Policy.
