On 3 October 2022, Fergus Simpson successfully defended his PhD thesis on 'The political ecology of conservation at a violent frontier constellation in South Kivu, Eastern DR Congo.
He examined environmental conservation in a context of violent conflict, missing state capacity and infrastructure, and a number non-state armed groups which fragment control of the landscape.
For his case studies, he took a close look at two areas in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo:
- Kahuzi-Biega National Park in as representative of a militarized ‘fortress’ conservation area
- Itombwe Nature Reserve as an example of a more consensual ‘community’ conservation area
Rewatch Fergus' defence introduction
Photos of the defence
Take a look at some photos taken during the defence.
Read the thesis
The full thesis will shortly be available for download from the ISS Library.
Downloads
In the meantime you can download the abstracts.
- Related links
- Find out more about the ISS PhD programme