Tanya O'Garra

I am an environmental socio-economist with over twenty years' experience researching sustainable and equitable ways to manage our shared natural resources. My aim is to identify transformative solutions that guide society toward a sustainable, equitable and healthy future.

At the heart of my research is causal inference - involving counterfactual methods and path analysis to evaluate what works in environmental and conservation programmes. I collaborate closely with practitioners and organisations to ensure that insights inform real-world decision-making. Recent projects include a national evaluation of Locally Managed Marine Areas in Fiji and an ongoing assessment of Rare’s Fish Forever initiative in the Philippines (see Grants).

I also research the potential of community-based management of natural spaces - forests, coasts, urban gardens - as a governance model for nature. I see this as a pathway to more resilient, connected and healthy communities, and a vital policy tool for conservation.

My work extends to urban environments, where I explore strategies to address pressing environmental challenges, including overconsumption. Through surveys and experiments, I examine behavioural and economic interventions that promote more sustainable consumption at the individual and household level.

Prior to moving to Singapore, I was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Middlesex University in London. I have also been an Earth Institute Fellow at Columbia University, and a researcher at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji and the University of the Basque Country in Spain. I completed my PhD in Environmental Economics at Imperial College London in 2005.