Title: Professor, Environmental Studies
Institution: Boise State University
Address: 1910 W University Dr, Boise, Idaho 83725
Email: libbylunstrum@boisestate.edu
Phone: (208) 426-1368
Visit Libby’s Research Website
Research Interests: (1) human dimensions of biodiversity conservation; (2) human dimensions of wildlife restoration (especially of large mammals); (3) Indigenous-led restoration and conservation; (4) collaborative research with Indigenous partners; (5) ecological fragmentation and connectivity; (6) illegal wildlife trade; (7) environmental displacement; (8) conservation and restoration across international borders (including the USA-Canada and South Africa-Mozambique borders)
Biographical Sketch:
I am a Professor of Environmental Studies and Global Studies at Boise State University and the Principal Investigator of the Indigenous Led Ecological Restoration (ILER) project (https://iler-project.com/). A geographer by training, I am a political ecologist and conservation social scientist with a passionate interest in how we can protect biodiversity in ways that also protect the rights and interests of local and Indigenous communities, especially those most at risk of being harmed by conservation. At the broadest level, my work examines the human dimensions and complexities of biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration, with my interests coming together around several focal points: Indigenous-led approaches to restoration, restoration in post-conflict contexts, green militarization, the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), environmental displacement, and more theoretical debates around jurisdiction and landscape fragmentation. I have conducted extensive work across the Mozambique-South Africa borderlands, have an emerging project on Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, and have an ongoing collaborative project with Blackfoot partners, which is the ILER project. ILER supports the Blackfoot-led reintroduction of iinnii, or buffalo, on the Blackfeet Reservation and into Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks across the US-Canada border. ILER also includes new NSF-funding to support ethical co-authorship across our team of Blackfoot and non-Tribal authors. Here, we reflect on our experiences of working together to consider best practices in co-authorship, and doing so while co-producing work that supports buffalo restoration! Teaching and outreach are equally core to my work. Please learn more at https://libbylunstrum.com/.
Education:
PhD in Geography from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities), granted 2007