Research Team

Vanessa Masterson, PhD
Stockholm Resilience Centre, Rhodes University
Project Leader
Vanessa is the Principal Investigator and is responsible for leading the South African discourse analysis and photovoice exercises, co-developing the synthesis paper, as well as project administration and coordination. She is currently the Stewardship Transformation Theme Leader at Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) and an Honorary Associate at Rhodes University, SA. She has used participatory and interpretive methodologies to examine community conservation conflicts in South Africa and has expertise in inclusive approaches to navigating power inequalities and cultural differences in decolonising conservation partnerships.

Simon West, PhD
Stockholm Resilience Centre, Australian National University
Co-Project Leader
Simon is the co-project leader responsible for leading the Australian discourse analysis and photovoice exercise, and co-developing the conceptual synthesis. He is a researcher at the SRC, an Honorary Lecturer at the Fenner School of Environment and Society (ANU), and a Visiting Researcher at the Northern Institute (Charles Darwin University). He has expertise in applying interpretive methodologies in Australian and South African conservation. The project builds on Simon’s PhD research on conservation meanings and practices in the Greater Kruger region, and current work with conservation organizations in the Top End, Australia.

Frida Lamberth Wallensteen, MSc Stockholm Resilience Centre, Research Assistant
Frida Lamberth supports the project by focusing on exploring the complexities of social-ecological systems, emphasizing embodied human-nature relations and multispecies methodologies. For her master’s thesis, Frida conducted fieldwork in the Top End, northern Australia. Her project explored the affective, multisensory experiences of conservationists on the frontline of rapid social-ecological change, and the contextual links to colonial and patriarchal structures. The research also aims to increase understanding of how affective experiences such as distress and hope can catalyze transformation within conservation field in the Top End.

Carlotta Schäfer, MSc Stockholm Resilience Centre, Research Assistant
Carlotta Schäfer contributed to the project by conducting fieldwork in Kruger National Park, South Africa, for her master’s thesis, Gender, Game and Guns: Gendered perceptions and lived experiences of militarised conservation in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Her research explored how militarised approaches to conservation shape and are shaped by gendered performances, revealing how intertwined dynamics of masculinity and militarisation influence both the experiences of conservationists and the possibilities for more inclusive conservation practices. Carlotta previously completed a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Business Development at Jönköping University in Sweden, where her thesis examined the challenges faced by the indigenous Sami reindeer industry in northern Sweden. She has since completed her master’s degree and is now working as a research assistant within the project.