Dr Kim Ward

Biography

Lecturer in Human Geography

Qualifications

Qualifications:

Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP), Plymouth University

PhD Human Geography, University of Exeter

MSc Nature, Rurality and Society, University of Exeter

BSc Zoology (Hons), University of Nottingham

Postdoctoral research:

Research Fellow on the DEFRA-funded, multidisciplinary project: 'Identifying RiskFactors that Affect the Spread of Bovine Tuberculosis at the Endemic Front'. School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University. (2013-2014)

Associate Research Fellow on the ESRC-funded project: 'Biosecurity-Borderlands'. Geography, University of Exeter (2012) seewww.biosecurity-borderlands.org

Professional membership

Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society with the Institute of British Geographers

Teaching

Teaching interests

I teach across a variety of modules within the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science (SoGEES) and am Senior Tutor for Geography. More specifically I lead and teach on the following modules:

Module lead

Nature and Society (GGH2203)

Environmental Knowledge, From Field to Stakeholder (GEES519)

Module teacher

Principles and Applications of Geography 1 (GGX2201)

Urban Coastal Regeneration (PLG508)

Principles and Applications of Geography 2 (GGX2202)

Undergraduate Dissertations in Geography (GGX3200)

Personal Tutor Stages 1, 2 and 4

Postgraduate supervision

Master Dissertations in Planning

Masters Dissertations in Sustainable Environmental Management

Master Dissertation in Human Geography

PhD Human Geography

Research

Research interests

Broad Research themes

Nature-society relationships
Animal management and governance
The socio-politics of biosecurity
Environmental-knowledge systems
Farming and agricultural change
Sustainable food

Overview

Broadly speaking my research explores relationships between societies and environments and seeks to identify and understand the values and meanings embedded within these relations. In particular my research has focused on two areas of interest: (1) exploring biosecurity, risk and the socio-politics of zoonotic disease within farming and conservation systems and (2) the socio-politics of nature conservation.

My research on the former has explored approaches to biosecurity by examining how farmer behaviours are linked to environmental knowledge(s) and perceptions in relation to the emergence of zoonotic disease in agri-food systems. More broadly this research asks questions of the value(s) placed on human and non-human health within food systems, and examines public and animal health narratives which frame risk and biosecurity at an agricultural and institutional level. My research on the later theme has focused on exploring the socio-politics of the emerging conservation practice of rewilding, in particular by examining the cultural and political influences that frame rewilding approaches and the environmental knowledges that are (re)produced for and through such conservation narratives.

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

Completed PhD students

Cara Clancy. 'Wild entanglements: exploring the visions and dilemmas of ‘renaturing’ urban Britain'. 2019. https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/14717 (DoS)

Current PhD students

Carlotta Molfese. Project title: 'The Back-To-The-Land movement and nature in the Anthropocene: a personal journey through anarchist geographies'. https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/carlotta-molfese Funded by the ESRC (DoS)

Dylan Beard. Project title: 'Glaciers as secondary sources of anthropogenic pollutants: an emerging socio-environmental challenge'. Funded by SoGEES (2nd supervisor)

Grants & contracts

Funded Research

‘Sowing the Seeds of Heritage: Examining bio-cultural knowledge and social memory of agricultural practices’

Small Research Grant, Royal Geographical Society (2018)

£3,000

‘Release of legacy fallout radionuclides from retreating glaciers: co-producing ‘risk maps’ with the Sami to inform adaptations to an emerging threat in Arctic Sweden’

Environment and Sustainability Research Grant (2018)

£15,000

Research Fellowship Providing Evidence and Analysis to Inform Policy Development on Key Elements of Biosecurity. DEFRA. (Project number SD0511)

£103,712

Exeter Open Innovation Platform Link Fund, University of Exeter (2012)

£1000

Wellcome Trust Undergraduate Research Scholarship Award, Nottingham University (2006)

£1500

Publications

Key publications

Key publications are highlighted

Journals

Articles

Beard DB, Clason CC, Rangecroft S, Poniecka E, Ward KJ & Blake WH (2022) 'Anthropogenic contaminants in glacial environments II: Release and downstream consequences' Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment , DOI Open access

Beard DB, Clason CC, Rangecroft S, Poniecka E, Ward KJ & Blake WH (2022) 'Anthropogenic contaminants in glacial environments I: Inputs and accumulation' Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment 46, (4) 630-648 , DOI Open access

Enticott G, Ward K, Ashton A, Brunton L & Broughan J (2021) 'Mapping the geography of disease: A comparison of epidemiologists' and field-level experts' disease maps' Applied Geography 126, 102356-102356 , DOI

Clancy C & Ward K (2020) 'Auto-rewilding in post-industrial cities: the case of inland cormorants in urban Britain' Conservation and Society , DOI Open access

Ward K & Prior J (2020) 'The Reintroduction of Beavers to Scotland: Rewilding, Biopolitics, and the Affordance of Non-human Autonomy' Conservation and Society , DOI Open access

Wynne-Jones S, Clancy C, Holmes G, O’Mahony K & Ward K (2020) 'Feral Political Ecologies?: The Biopolitics, Temporalities and Spatialities of Rewilding' Conservation and Society 18, (2) 71-71 , DOI Open access

Enticott G & Ward K (2019) 'Mapping Careful Epidemiology: Spatialities, Materialities and Subjectivities in the Management of Animal Disease' The Geographical Journal , DOI Open access

Broughan JM, Maye D, Carmody P, Brunton LA, Ashton A, Wint W, Alexander N, Naylor R, Ward K & Goodchild AV (2016) 'Farm characteristics and farmer perceptions associated with bovine tuberculosis incidents in areas of emerging endemic spread' Preventive Veterinary Medicine 129, 88-98 , DOI Open access

Prior J & Ward KJ (2016) 'Rethinking rewilding: A response to Jørgensen' Geoforum 69, 132-135 , DOI

Enticott G, Maye D, Carmody P, Naylor R, Ward K, Hinchliffe S, Wint W, Alexander N, Elgin R & Ashton A (2015) 'Farming on the edge: farmer attitudes to bovine tuberculosis in newly endemic areas' Veterinary Record 177, (17) 439-439 , DOI

Brunton, L, Nicholson, R, Ashton, A, Alexander, N, Wint, W, Enticott, G, Ward KJ, Brougham, J, Goodchild, A &V (2015) 'A Novel Approach to Mapping and Calculating the Rate of Spread of Endemic Bovine Tuberculosis in England and Wales' Spatial and Spatio-temporal Epidemiology 13, 41-50 , DOI

Ward KJ (2015) 'Geographies of Exclusion: seaside towns and Houses in Multiple Occupancy' Journal of Rural Studies 37, 98-107 , DOI

Hinchliffe S & Ward KJ (2014) 'Geographies of folded life: How immunity reframes biosecurity' Geoforum 53, 136-144 , DOI

Ward KJ (2014) 'Biosocial Becomings: Integrating Social and Biological Anthropology. Ingold, Tim and Gisli Palsson (eds).[Book review]' Environment and Planning D: Society and Space Publisher Site

Chapters

Ward K (2019) 'For Wilderness or Wildness? Decolonising Rewilding' Rewilding 34-54 , DOI Open access

Personal

Reports & invited lectures

Invited expert discussant, 'How wild is wild? Rewilding the island of Ireland', British Ecological Society (BES) with the Irish Ecological Society (IES), Belfast, November 2019.

Invited talk, 'An environmental ethic for rewilding'. The Zoological Society of London, September, 2019.

'Invited expert discussant, 'Gender and rewilding' workshop, University of Exeter, December, 2018.

Invited talk, ‘Understanding risk perceptions and the social impacts of Avian Influenza (AI)’. Social Research on Exotic Disease and Biosecurity workshop, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, London. June, 2015.

Invited talk, ‘Managing the breakdown: forms and calculations in the administration of bovine Tuberculosis, a UK case study’. PAN Seminar series at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Paris. November, 2013.

Invited expert discussant ‘Making Life Safe’. Animal Exchanges Workshop: Anthropologies Beyond Species, Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, University of Oxford. May 24th, 2013.

Links

Media

"Rewilding: Reintroduction extinct species back to Britain will be 'enormous' challenge".

The Independent on Sunday features research conducted by social scientists,including Dr Kim Ward from the School of Geography, Earth and EnvironmentalSciences, on dwindling beaver populations in Britain.

Read the full article in 'The Independent' -http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rewilding-reintroduction-extinct-species-back-to-britain-will-be-enormous-challenge-study-finds-10478370.html

"First official mammal reintroduction to UK"

Online news site TheCanary features research conducted by scientists, including Dr Kim Ward from the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, on dwindling beaver populations in Britain. The Eurasian beaver has been officially reintroduced to Scotland after being extinct in Britain for over 400years. This also makes them the first official mammal reintroduction in the UK.

Read the full article in ‘The Canary’ – http://www.thecanary.co/2016/11/27/beaver-reintroduction-could-be-good-news-for-the-uks-natural-diversity/

Profiles