Elizabeth Carabine

Impacts of Climate Change on Semi-Arid Grasslands: Scales of Interaction and Livelihood Security
Supervisors: Dr Chasca Twyman, Professor John Wainwright (Durham University) and Dr Colin Osborne (Animal and Plant Sciences)

Current Research

My PhD research explores the combined impacts of climate change and land-use change on social-ecological systems, focussing particularly on the semi-arid grasslands of East Africa. Using an interdisciplinary conceptual and methodological approach, I aim to investigate the scales of interaction and feedbacks between the social and biophysical components of these systems, and how resilient or vulnerable they are to change. I will use modelling as an integrating tool to explore a social-ecological system in Kenya, coupling an existing vegetation model with an agent-based model of human decision-making to explore the impacts of climate change and land-use change.

Academic Background

MSc Environmental Technology (Ecological Management Option), Imperial College London, 2004 BSc (Hons) Biology, University College London, 2003

Career Background

I have spent over three years working as an environmental consultant, specialising in the environmental and social impact assessment of development projects and land management plans. I also have several years of research experience in East Africa where I have worked on a range of community development and conservation research projects.

Funding

ESRC/NERC Interdisciplinary Studentship, 2010-13 Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Germany (BiK-F). BiK-Net: Incoming grant

Collaborators

Dr Simon Scheiter and Professor Steve Higgins, Institute of Physical Geography, Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main.

Contact Details

Address: Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
Email: e.carabine@sheffield.ac.uk
Other Links: http://web.me.com/colin.osborne/lab/home.html