Using the WWT London Wetland Centre (LWC) to develop skills in assessing the individual and societal health and wellbeing benefits of urban wetlands
This placement situates Jonathan Reeves (WWT) with the Knight Research group at Imperial College London (ICL). The Knight group has research and teaching expertise in quantitative and qualitative social science methods applied to conservation projects. They will provide instruction on social science research techniques (Andrew T. Knight), the collection and statistical analysis of psychometric and psychophysiological data (Ans Vercammen) and approaches to understanding meaningful nature experiences (Matthew Zylstra).
The candidate will gain a practical and theoretical understanding of techniques for developing and analysing robust survey instruments to assess people’s perceptions and experiences during wetland visits. The candidate will combine these new skills with his existing knowledge of wetland conservation and ecosystem services to develop and test practical management activities and tools for advocacy, specifically applied to wetland conservation. In addition, the candidate will develop skills in preparing funding proposals to secure further funding for long-term ICL/WWT collaborative research.
Outputs will include a survey instrument to measure self-reported health and wellbeing benefits of visiting wetlands, a methodology for biometric measurements of meaningful nature experiences and a report detailing pilot data collected using these two methods. The placement will contribute to increasing awareness of the benefits of wetlands and their conservation.
Introduction to placement - presentation
Link to Paper: The Application of Wearable Technology to Quantify Health and Wellbeing Co-benefits From Urban Wetlands