Anna Hughes

Embedding Community in Oyster Habitat Restoration: A Socio-Ecological Approach

Anna’s research looks to understand the social dimensions of native oyster habitat restoration in Scotland. Restoration projects are more likely to succeed if community members engage and participate. Throughout a project’s lifespan, communities can share valuable local knowledge that restoration practitioners and researchers may not hold. Crucially, communities are often relied upon to become custodians of their local restoration projects, “future-proofing” these habitats beyond project lifespan. In addition to supporting ecological goals, effective community engagement and participation can foster local empowerment and wider social justice. Despite the recognised need for local communities in restoration, engagement is often undertaken inadequately or not at all. We also lack clear and consistent pathways for integration of local knowledge into project planning and wider decision-making. This project will use social science methodologies to elevate community voices and support policy improvement for best-practice community engagement in oyster habitat restoration projects.