Professor Jay Mistry | Professor of Environmental Geography

"My why is…. taking theoretical and conceptual ideas on sustainability and turning them into practical actions and interventions."

My research explores how to integrate traditional knowledge into environmental governance, with a particular focus on protected areas and fi re management in South America. I am Associate Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society, the first in the world to address wildfire challenges from a global and transdisciplinary perspective. I’m steering the work on Fire in the Tropics and it’s exciting to be leading cutting-edge research that will produce new data, tools and models to inform predictions and policy that will equip future generations to live sustainably with fi re. We aim to develop better informed policies on wildfires and associated issues of air quality, climate, insurance, agriculture and biodiversity, to name a few! Underpinning all my research is the idea of bringing together different forms of knowledge for environmental governance. I have a project funded by the Darwin Initiative (DEFRA) that integrates traditional knowledge into conservation policy within Guyana. This involves Indigenous groups contributing their knowledge to the conservation of protected areas and biodiversity, with the aim of producing a Traditional Knowledge National Action Plan for the country. I actively bring my research on environmental systems, sustainability and community participation into my teaching. Interacting with my students reminds me that learning never stops and I strive to continuously improve the way I approach teaching and research to address real-world challenges.