Walking with her mother in the forests of Pennsylvania, Rachael Garrett felt a purpose bloom. 

The purpose was formed of peace and meaning. It expanded on a school trip with her biology class to the rainforests of Costa Rica, and found fertile ground among the indigenous Bribri community. They pointed to what Rachael’s purpose could become: to help conserve forests and the cultures of the people who live there.

As Director of the Conservation Research Institute (CRI), Rachael is bringing those green shoots to maturity.

That branching purpose has taken Rachael to the Brazilian Amazon, Indonesia, Borneo, Sumatra, Ghana and the Côte d'Ivoire. She works with farmers around the world to conserve their remaining forests, and restore what has been cleared. To succeed, Rachael has to understand what makes people tick: why they cleared the forests, and what would make them change their behaviour.

Rachael describes herself as a ‘land scientist’ – landing somewhere between geographer, economist and psychologist. 

Her role as Director of the CRI takes her deep into Cambridge’s root network. She holds a position in Geography, but works closely with zoologists, plant scientists, land economists and computer scientists to bring insights to bear on our most pressing environmental issues.

The CRI is an Interdisciplinary Research Institute, uniting Cambridge academics around common sustainability causes. Their members’ sprawling interests have crystallised into clear missions, making CRI a unique force in the world of conservation. 

Rachael stands at a crucial juncture, where the University meets the Cambridge Conservation Initiative Council. The latter has 10 partner organisations, who put research into practice. 

“CRI is about combining our strength for a common good. If we work alone, we’re nowhere near as powerful as we could be together.”

The CRI team stretches across more than seven Cambridge departments. Active members include David Coomes, David Edwards and Adam Pellegrini from Plant Sciences; Emily Lines, Chris Sandbrook, Matthew Adeleye and Andrew Friend from Geography; Bill Sutherland, Andrew Balmford, Lynn Dicks and Rob Fletcher from Zoology; Anil Madhavapeddy and Srinivasan Keshav from Computer Sciences; and Laura Diaz Anadon and Andreas Kontoleon from Land Economy, among others. 

Rachael advises on several United Nations panels, including the Science Panel for the Amazon and the Forum on Sustainability Standards. Other CRI members have contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the seminal IPCC reports. This gives them a prominent role in science policy. They advise on everything from timber monitoring in Peru, to Rachael's own work on deforestation in Brazil.

Rachael is lucid on the value of forests. 

“Our remaining forests are the basis of climate stability and food security. Forests make rainfall, which is then distributed to the bread-baskets of the planet. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of food commodities. The rainfall in its agricultural areas comes from the Amazon.

“Local forests provide us with clean water. In many cases, restoring forests is cheaper and better than making a new water filtration plant.

“Lack of forest integrity contributes to more widespread fires. Fires are increasing in intensity around the world. They take a massive toll on human health and are catastrophic for biodiversity.”

So why do we destroy these linchpins of Earth’s life-support systems?

“We assumed people cleared forests for economic reasons. That’s certainly true for some. But when we looked deeper at the motivations, we realised that people have false expectations about the profitability of different activities. Besides, money wasn’t their only motivation. Self-efficacy and social norms are also an important part of the story.”

Rachael has a large grant from the European Research Council to assess, among other things, farmers’ decision-making in the real world. She conducts behavioural experiments in Indonesia and Côte d'Ivoire to test what will change people’s behaviour. 

“Showing people that they can make more money by improving their agricultural practices is essential. But it’s an insufficient motivator. 

“We do things because we want to be perceived as a good community member. If we can tie conservation actions with people’s sense of being respected, that might be more effective.

“We need to appeal to a wider sense of meaning and social values.”

This approach from social sciences provides another lever in the fight to conserve nature. It aligns with arguments from philosophers like Michael Sandel, who examines The Moral Limits of Markets. Profit – shock horror – is not the ultimate source of human meaning.

“Walking through an area of deforestation is devastating, and it makes me worried for the future. But generally, I have a huge amount of optimism about what we can achieve. I see progress all the time. Especially when it comes to new social enterprises that add value to forest products.”

Rachael points to three key movements as sources of climate hope. They focus on the improvements of rights and representation for maligned groups: indigenous people, women, and the youth. Progressive ideas of climate justice are already making a massive positive difference.

“The synergies between these improved rights and sustainable development goals are inspiring. I’ve seen it happening in the Amazon, where indigenous communities are gaining rights and representation. The more you invest in social equity and justice, the more sustained benefits you get for conservation. There are numerous examples of successful nature restoration in areas managed by indigenous people and supported by indigenous women especially.”

Rachael and her team at the CRI are facing down the biodiversity and climate crises. With cutting-edge science, branching expertise, and surprising sources of meaning, they are helping to preserve our planet and change our minds for the better.

Professor Rachael Garrett is a Fellow of Homerton, Moran Professor of Conservation and Development, and Director of the Conservation Research Institute.

Published: 21 October 2024

Interview and words: Liam Morgan
Design: Alison Fair
Photography: Nick Saffell
Editor: Louise Walsh

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