Mark Hirons

Mark is a post-doctoral researcher working on the Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) ECOLIMITS project. This interdisciplinary project will be investigating the linkages between ecosystem service provision and the multiple dimensions of poverty in coffee- and cocoa-dominated agricultural settings, focusing on Ethiopia and Ghana respectively. The project will use a range of methods to develop a holistic understanding of how ecosystems influence, and are influenced by, socio-economic, political and cultural conditions across various scales. This understanding will feed into the identification of poverty alleviation strategies which account for the complexity of ecosystems and the lives they support. Previously, Mark completed his PhD at the University of Reading which examined land-use conflicts between mining and forests in Ghana.