LAURA Thomas-Walters

Research Fellow – ConFooBio

laura.thomas-walter@stir.ac.uk / @LauraThoWal

Autobiography: I joined the ConFooBio group in August 2020. Prior to this I was a member of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, completing a PhD on behaviour change for demand reduction in the wildlife trade. Throughout my PhD I have worked as a social science consultant for various international NGOs. My work in public engagement has earned multiple prizes.

I also have a BSc in Animal Science from the University of Kent, and a MRes in Biodiversity, Evolution and Conservation from the University College London.

Research interests: I am a conservation social scientist, currently investigating the use of games to resolve conservation stakeholder conflicts. My research has focussed on applying psychological insights into human behaviour to help tackle some of conservation’s most pressing problems. I have studied the design and evaluation of behaviour change interventions, drawing upon work across multiple disciplines and methodologies.

Publications: Selected journal articles below, and links to others on my Google Scholar profile.

Thomas-Walters, L., Cheung, H., Ming Lee, T., Wan, A. K. Y. and Wang, Y. (2020) Targeted values: The relevance of classical Chinese philosophy for illegal wildlife demand reduction campaigns. People & Nature.

Thomas-Walters, L., Hinsley, A., Bergin, D., Burgess, G., Doughty, H., Eppel, S., MacFarlane, D., Meijer, W., Lee, T. M., Phelps, J., Smith, R. J., Wan, A. K. Y., & Veríssimo, D. (2020) Motivations for the use and consumption of wildlife products. Conservation Biology.

Thomas-Walters, L., Veríssimo, D., Gadsby, E., Roberts, D. and Smith, R. J. (2020) Taking a more nuanced look at behaviour change for demand reduction in the illegal wildlife trade. Conservation Science and Practice.

Thomas-Walters, L., McNulty, C. and Veríssimo, D. (2019) A scoping review into the impact of animal imagery on pro-environmental outcomes. Ambio. doi: 10.1007/s13280-019-01271-1.

Jones, J., Thomas-Walters, L., Rust, N. & Veríssimo, D (2019) Nature documentaries and saving nature: Reflections on the new Netflix series Our Planet. People & Nature. 1: 420-425.

Thomas-Walters, L. & Raihani, N. J. (2016) Supporting Conservation: The roles of flagship species and identifiable victims. Conservation Letters. 10(5): 581–587.