Prof Douglas MacMillan of DICE in the School of Anthropology and Conservation has been awarded £13, 016 from the ESRC to develop an international research group involving the University of Kent and 2 of China’s leading Universities; Beijing Forestry University and Peking University. The aim is to promote innovative interdisciplinary doctoral research by enabling doctoral students to participate alongside staff in new and developing global alliances and collaborations that enhance quality and deliver mutual benefit.
The partnership focus is on economics and wildlife conservation, an established theme in the Durrell Institute of Conservation & Ecology’s research programme. Peking University is a leading university in China with particular strength in the social sciences and in work that is relevant to the development of national policy. Prof Zhu’s Centre for Nature and Society has several current conservation biology projects relevant to doctoral research on human/wildlife conflict. Prof Guangchun Lei is the Dean of Nature Conservation at Beijing Forestry University, which has a declared interest in economic policy mechanisms such as ecosystem service payments.