Profile
Constance McDermott chairs the ECI's Land, Society & Governance Programme (formerly the Forest Governance Group).
Her research addresses the linkages among diverse local, regional and global priorities for sustainable forest and land management. It examines both "new" and "old" governance institutions, from market-based initiatives such as forest and carbon certification to sovereign state-based and traditional community-based approaches, to better understand how dynamics of trust and power shape equity and effectiveness. Her methods range from in-depth local case studies to large-scale comparative research examining cross-institutional and cross-boundary interactions.
McDermott's work at ECI and the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery includes examining the effectiveness and equity of intergovernmental processes such as the CBD, EUDR, EU FLEGT, and REDD+, and Paris Article 6 carbon projects, and the intersection of these international processes with national and local governance. Recent research directions include the development of a Reverse Gaze programme and knowledge network. The Reverse Gaze recognizes that how we ‘see’ and measure nature shapes how we govern it, and explores the use of new technologies to integrate a greater diversity of voices and knowledge into forest and land use governance
Watch McDermott's TEDxOxbridge talk: The forests behind the label - Why standards are not enough
Research
Within the theme of comparative governmental and inter-governmental policy, McDermott addresses the effects of market globalization on domestic forest policy, and the conflicts and synergies between trade and conservation oriented objectives within inter-governmental processes. For example, McDermott is lead author of the book, Global Environmental Forest Policy, together with co-authors Professors Benjamin Cashore (Yale University) and Peter Kanowski (Australian National University). The book compares environmental forest policies in twenty countries worldwide, and serves as a launching point for research on the role of government regulation in addressing REDD-related climate objectives.
McDermott's work on trade-based initiatives includes the study of the impacts of wood products trade with the US and China on forests of the Amazon, Borneo, Chile, Congo, Mekong, and Russian Far East. Outputs from this work include a framework for establishing a "results-based" approach to prioritize the engagement of producers and traders in wood product sourcing initiatives.
The certification of forests and forest products, and related initiatives (for example, green building, forest carbon certification) are another focal point as new forms of non-state governance designed to balance stakeholder interests both "vertically" (i.e. from the local to global level) and "horizontally" (i.e. across diverse interest groups). McDermott's research in this area includes the study of trust and distrust among stakeholders in shaping certification standards and uptake. Outputs include the development of policy tools for evaluating the use of certified wood in green building.