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Alicia May Donnellan Barraclough

Alicia May Donnellan Barraclough

Position

Researcher, Researcher

Affiliation

E-mail
alicia.barraclough@uib.no
Visitor address
Thormøhlens gate 53 A/B
5006 Bergen
Postal address
P.O. Box 7803
NO-5020 Bergen
Norway

Alicia May Donnellan Barraclough

Position

Researcher, Researcher

Affiliation

Research groups

Research

Alicia Donnellan Barraclough is a researcher and scholar associated to the University of Bergen UNESCO Chair. Her work focuses on the power of collective action to catalyze collaboration for sustainability and earth stewardship. She is particularly interested in generating actionable knowledge on sustainable and regenerative land-use and the joint conservation of biological and cultural diversity. 

She was trained as a terrestrial ecologist, and now works as a sustainability scientist at the intersection between the natural and social sciences, interested in progressing inter- and transdisciplinary research which is fair and equitable for people and land. 

Her research areas include biocultural and decolonial approaches to conservation, participatory and just approaches to conservation, nature's multiple values, social-ecological networks, and land-use change. She has worked extensively with the implementation of international agendas such as the sustainable development goals (SDG) and the Convention on Biological Diversity agreements. Her work is informed by complex adaptive system thinking, and she has a strong interest in group process work, young stakeholder concerns and political ecology.

Alicia is an appreciated speaker and facilitator. She was named spokesperson for UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme's 50th anniversary by Dr. Jane Goodall in 2021. 

Some of her flagship work has been in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, which she studies as social-ecological systems which are testing sites for sustainability and earth stewardship. Alicia is currently the coordinator of a Biodiversa+ Consortia, Become, looking at effectiveness and equity in Biosphere Reserves. Additional to an academic background she has worked across the globe in the non-profit sector and in grassroots organizations. These experiences have given her rich understanding of the importance of connecting diverse fields if we are to rise to the challenges and opportunities presented by our times. 

 

Outreach

Six insights for enhancing global knowledge-action networks to stop the biodiversity crisis.

 

Opinion: If we work together, 2020 can be a true “super year” for biodiversity - 7 ways researchers and policymakers can make the start of this new decade a turning point for protecting the future of life on Earth. 

Teaching

Alicia led and taught the following courses during 2021-2022:

SDG215 - Life on Land

SDG110 - Perspectives on Sustainable Development

 

She is currently taking a break from teaching in Autumn 2022 and Spring 2023, but she occasionally guest lectures at SDG215, SDG110, SDG207 and CET201.

Publications
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Projects

Alicia is currently leading the following projects:

BECOME - a Biodiversa+ Consortia invertigating the effectiveness of Biosphere Reserves as measures for inclusive conservation. 

ACTIONABLE  - and NFR-Samarbeidsprosjekt in arealer under press. A collaboration to understand the role of sustainability designations in helping collaboration and management of coastal areas and conflicts. 

 

Other projects I have also been a key researcher in are

Nature's Contributions to People in Nordhordland Biosfære 

Global Survey on Biosphere Reserves: participation, performance and land-use change in a longitudinal 10 year study of the MAB BR World Network 

Stewardship and youth - young peoples perspectives and roles within environmental governance and sustainable development initiatives.