Research Interests

Sophie is a human geographer working on rural landscape change and governance. This includes research on:

1) Human-nature relations and environmental governance: ambitions for rewilding, innovative governance mechanisms - e.g payments for ecosystem services, community-led and participatory management - and the implications these approaches have.

2) Farming and agricultural change: farmer decision-making, learning and practise; impacts of policy transitions (e.g. Brexit); adoption of environmental management; co-operative behaviours.

3) Knowledge controversies: understanding different knowledge systems, and how stakeholders interact and negotiate strategies for rural and landscape futures.

Current/Recent Projects

Human-Nature Relations

Working with rewilding practitioners and stakeholders in Wales to evaluate current projects, assessing values, wellbeing, and processes of change.

https://www.cambrianwildwood.org/

http://www.summit2sea.wales/

Rewilding in a Changing Europe: Opportunities, Threats and Shifting Geographies of Land-Use https://rewildinglandscapes.wordpress.com/

Audio of me discussing a social-science perspective on rewilding, as part of the Zoological Society of London's podcast of rewilidng in a changing climate https://www.zsl.org/zsl-wild-science-podcast

Farming and Agricultural Change

Breaking-STEP - Breaking the Barriers to Soil Testing on Pastures, SARIC funded.

Fferm Ifan & Conwy Catchment North Wales funded through Defra SIP2 project http://www.siplatform.org.uk/farming-collaboration

Pontbren Project in Mid Wales, funded through Welsh Government http://gov.wales/funding/eu-funds/previous/programme-evaluation/pontbren-project/?lang=en

Food Values exploring innovate approaches to food education and communications https://foodvaluesblog.wordpress.com/ funded through Wales Rural Development Programme Supply Chain Efficiencies & ESRC Impact Accelerator Award

New directions in agri-environmental governance - Wales advisor on https://agrienvironmentalgovernance.wordpress.com/ 

Previous evaluations of agri-environmental development in Wales funded through:

Wales Nature Fund

Transatlantic Rural Research Network & Imperial College London http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/lifesciences/grandchallengesinecosystemsandtheenvironment/eventssummary/event_9-4-2015-14-45-14

Wales Rural Observatory http://www.walesruralobservatory.org.uk

Qualifications

2015 PGCTHE. Aberystwyth University
2011 PhD Geography: 'Negotiating Neoliberalism: Engaging Ecosystem Services'; University of Wales Aberystwyth, ESRC 1+3 funded.
2006 Practising Human Geography MA, University of Wales Aberystwyth, ESRC 1+3 funded.
2005 Geography BA, University of Wales Aberystwyth, UWA full scholarship.

s.wynne-jones@bangor.ac.uk

01248 382639

Room F24 Thoday Building

http://bangoruniversity.academia.edu/SophieWynneJones

twitter @SWynneJ