Charlie Gardner

Charlie is a conservationist and interdisciplinary conservation scientist, as well as a writer and activist. He was based in Madagascar from 2005-2015 where he worked with WWF, Blue Ventures and other NGOs to help implement the country’s ambitious ‘Durban Vision’ to triple the extent of the protected area network. This work informed his PhD at the University of Kent, which focused on Madagascar's protected area system and was completed in 2015. He co-authored the book ‘Life Amongst the Thorns – Biodiversity and Conservation of Madagascar’s Spiny Forest’ (John Beaufoy Publishing, 2015), and has published widely on both biodiversity and our efforts to conserve it. His principle research interests include protected areas, small-scale fisheries management, and spanning the researcher-practitioner divide in conservation. He was a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Conservation Science at the Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology in the University of Kent's School of Anthropology and Conservation from 2016 to 2021, and retains an Associate role.

Charlie is also an activist with, and spokesperson for, Scientists for Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion, and has published academic and popular articles on the role of academics in popular civil disobedience movements.