PEJMAN PAZOUKI

PhD Candidate in Conservation Science, School of Natural Sciences, University of Kent

Pejman Pazouki is a PhD candidate at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) within the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Kent, funded by The Leverhulme Trust. His research examines the critical intersection of nature restoration finance, institutional governance, and community livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a primary geographic focus on the drought-prone drylands of Ethiopia. He is particularly interested in how macro-level nature restoration finance can be structurally and institutionally designed to support grassroots smallholder farmers, pastoralists, and local land users facing acute land degradation and drought resilience challenges.

Pejman holds an MSc in Rural Development from the University of Tehran and an MSc in Conservation Science from the University of Kent, earning a distinction in both. Prior to starting his PhD, he spent nearly two decades working in sustainable development and conservation. This included project-based consultancies and project management work with UNDP, GEF, and SGP, specializing in rural livelihoods, job creation, socioeconomic analysis and participatory natural resource management. 

Research interests

Pejman’s research interests sit at the intersection of nature restoration finance, institutional governance, spatial planning, and community livelihoods at the landscape scale. His work explores how blended and innovative finance mechanisms can be designed to support landscape restoration in ways that optimize social-ecological outcomes, ensuring projects are inclusive, equitable, and effective for both local communities and ecosystem resilience.

Selected Publications

  • Book in Farsi: Pazouki, P. (Co-author) (2018) Livelihoods & Sustainable Management of Natural Resources. Sponsored by UNDP, GEF, and the Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Management Organization (FRWO).
  • Journal Article: Pazouki, P. (Co-author) (2020) 'Participatory Assessment Model (PAM) for the sustainability of rural livelihoods based on climate change', International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, 11(4), pp. 202-206.