Caitlin Hafferty

Caitlin researches the governance, politics, and democratic participation aspects of nature recovery and Nature-based Solutions. She conducts transdisciplinary research that is theoretically-informed and has real-world impact, working in collaboration with government, private business, charities, social enterprises and community organisations.

Her postdoctoral research, funded by the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and NERC-funded Agile Initiative, focuses on the governance of nature recovery for transformative change in the UK, drawing primarily on case study landscapes and partnerships in the Scottish Highlands. She developed the Recipe for Engagement (RfE) guidance which has since informed strategies for participatory governance in private rewilding companies, including Highlands Rewilding and Nattergal, as well as local nature recovery partnerships, and landscape recovery schemes.

Caitlin’s background spans conceptual and applied social science research combining public participation and democracy, participatory geographies, digital engagement, environmental policy and practice. Her work has focused on a range of environmental decision-making contexts across the UK, from small-scale community projects, to landscape-scale partnerships, government departments and agencies. She is is currently an expert advisor and consultant on a range of projects for best practice engagement in restoration and rewilding, community benefits standards for nature finance, and the implications of private finance for high-integrity nature-based solutions.