Personal profile
Personal profile
Academic Summary and Research Interests: As a researcher in land-use change and biodiversity conservation, my work examines how people, policy, and ecological systems interact across changing landscapes. I focus on how agricultural practices, fire use, and governance shape biodiversity and livelihoods in tropical and temperate environments. With experience spanning research, NGOs, and farming, I combine ecological and social perspectives to understand how landscapes can be managed sustainably for both people and nature. My goal is to support evidence-based, locally grounded approaches that foster resilient socio-ecological systems.
Education/Academic qualification
Biodiversity Management, PhD, University of Kent
Conservation Biology, MSc, University of Kent
External positions
Researcher, Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 15 Life on Land -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
- 7 Article
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The Kananaskis Wildfire Charter: a good start
Yadav, K., Croker, A., Ford, A., Hayes, W., Kountouris, Y., Millington, J., Mistry, J., Moreu Vicente , M., Perkins, O., Schreckenberg, K., Smith, C., Stiefel, M. & Valette, M., 17 Mar 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Nature Communications. 17, 2623.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Assessing the livelihood vulnerability of rural Guyanese communities due to accelerating environmental change
Hayes, W., Davies, Z. G., Chan-A-Sue, M., Bicknell, J. E. & Robinson, J. E., 7 Nov 2025, In: Regional Environmental Change. 25, 136.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Bird communities across different levels of human settlement: A comparative analysis from two northern Amazonian ecoregions
Hayes, W., O'Shea, B., Pierre, M., Wilson, A. & Bicknell, J. E., 10 Dec 2023, In: Science of The Total Environment. 903, 166535.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Predicting the loss of forests, carbon stocks and biodiversity driven by a neotropical ‘gold rush’
Hayes, W., Voigt, M., Rosa, I., Anne Cort, K., Kotlinski, N., Kalamandeen, M. & Georgina Davies, Z., Oct 2023, In: Biological Conservation. 286, 110312.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Bird diversity and psychological wellbeing: A comparison of green and coastal blue space in a neotropical city
Fisher, J., Bicknell, J. E., Irvine, K. N., Hayes, W., Fernandes, D., Mistry, J. & Davies, Z. G., 1 Nov 2021, In: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. 793, 148653.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Projects
- 1 Active
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Social Science Impact Accelerator: Documenting common grazings management in the 21st century through film and photography
Smith, C. (PI), Hayes, W. (PI) & Mistry, J. (PI)
1/06/26 → 1/06/27
Project: Knowledge Exchange and Impact