"Georgina is interested in linked social-ecological systems, and much of her research focuses on the human dimensions of natural resource management. Georgina believes that successful ecosystem management is as much about understanding people and their behaviour, as it is about understanding ecosystems. She has worked on various aspects of co-management of common pool resources in the Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Northern Cape Provinces of South Africa. She has also worked on governance questions related to small-scale fisheries in Chile, and on participatory research methodologies in Peru. Georgina has a keen interest in collaborative governance and research processes. Georgina is the co-leader of the Collaborative Governance and Management working group of the Program for Ecosystem Change and Society, is also a co-lead of the transdisciplinarity working group of the Southern African Program for Ecosystem Change and Society. Georgina sits on the science committee of ecoSERVICES, a research project of Future Earth/DIVERSITAS investigating the links between ecosystem services, biodiversity and human well-being. In recent years she has spent time trying to unpack and deepen our understanding of the potential contribution of social learning theory and practice to the fields of ecosystem management and climate change adaptation at community level. Georgina's main research focus at present is on questions related to land rights, social justice and protected areas. Together with colleagues in the department and her students, Georgina is assessing the experiences of co-management processes in the context of land claims across South Africa, from the perspective of both state agencies and communities."

Social-ecological systems, human dimensions of natural resource management