Katrina Brown

Researcher
Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences
T: +44 (0)344 928 5428 (*)

Katrina Brown is a human geographer with 20 years of experience researching practices of rural and environmental governance and innovating audiovisual methods for engaging, understanding and managing multiple, competing claims to land.  Her particular research expertise is understanding how geographically situated, in-person and digitally-mediated encounters between human and non-human species shape the formal and informal decision-making and regulatory practices vital for addressing land management challenges.  She is based in the interdisciplinary James Hutton Institute, in the Socio-Economics and Geographical Sciences Group (SEGS) has held a Research Associate position at RURALIS in Trondheim, Norway.  

Biography

Katrina is passionate about finding new ways to bridge science, policy and practice and is an experienced innovator of mobile video and participatory documentary techniques (e.g. work she led in developing novel video ‘go-along’ methods using wearable cameras received the Sage prize for most innovative contribution to Sociological Research Online in 2009).  Her background in qualitative methods and training in digital facilitation and evaluation, film production and sound design has allowed her to be at the forefront of the cross-fertilisation between film and academia, with past projects exploring the bounds of collaborative documentary (e.g. ‘Grazing on the Edge’) and Participatory Video (e.g. ‘Dogs & Outdoor Access’ Participatory Video and current projects exploring the interactive and co-creative dimensions of digital storytelling and storymapping.

Her projects have explored a range of governance issues, often involving the sharing of space or forms of environmental co-management in England, Scotland and Norway, and include: wildlife and conservation conflicts; outdoor access, recreation and wellbeing; delivering multiple benefits from grazing land and marine resources, and; the co-creation of animal-human health and wellbeing, biosecurity, and antimicrobial resistance in agriculture.

Research

Katrina’s overall aim is to do research that allows a deeper understanding of how people relate to each other with regard to land and environment, and innovate engaging methods to enable a more constructive dialogue around this process, especially around the role of scientific ways of knowing.  This is informed by detailed work on the following themes:

Understanding and managing rural and land-use conflicts

This research examines how institutional practices mediate and balance objectives relating to land and environmental management on one hand, and participation, health, social inclusion and wider ecosystem benefits on the other. It centres on understanding and resolving conflicts, such as those concerning: woodland expansion; outdoor leisure and reindeer herding; mountain biking in upland environments; and, dogs and disturbance of ground-nesting birds.  Here is a video of a recent talk given at the Outdoor Recreation Network ‘People and Dogs in the Outdoors’ conference on managing dogwalking in the outdoors for the mutual benefit of people, dogs and wildlife.

Twitter: For updates on research and happenings relating to outdoor access issues and the governance of rural conflicts follow (@outdooraccess)

Human-animal-landscape relations

This theme examines how human-animal relations shape landscapes and ecologies, focussing on two main types of cross-species dynamics:

  1. the relational practices required between land managers, sheep and dogs in upland grasslands to generate and maintain particular spatial patterns of grazing pressure and, in turn, desired assemblages of vegetation and landscape;
  2. how responsible human-animal relationships are achieved in practice in key cross-species contact zones, whether achieving livestock health and biosecurity in practice (e.g. reducing antimicrobial use in livestock, eradicating cattle disease), minimising wildlife disturbance and harm to livestock by outdoor recreation, or addressing justice in reindeer herding conflicts.  Here particular attention is paid to the mutual capacities of animals, humans and environments to enable their thriving.

Outdoor environments, health & wellbeing

Current research examines the relationship between health and wellbeing on one hand, and access to – and experiences of – outdoor environments, landscapes and ‘greenspace’ on the other.  We focus on deepening understanding of the social, cultural and institutional mechanisms through which people’s engagements with environments influence their health; for example, how meanings and emotional and sensory experiences of environments (which can produce wellbeing) are shaped by multiple and contested social orderings.  This informs knowledge of how we can better enable and manage participation in outdoor activity and recreation to deliver wellbeing benefits.

On-going projects

  • Leader of digital storytelling WP in BIOSHARE (‘Funding Future Welfare: Bioeconomy as the «New Oil» and the Sharing of Benefits from Natural Resources), led by RURALIS, funded by the Norwegian Research Council, 2019-2022
  • Leading video ethnography in ROADMAP (‘Rethinking Of Antimicrobial Decision-systems in the Management of Animal Production’), led by INRA, Funded by EU Horizon 2020, 2019-2023
  • Leading digital storymapping on Adaptive Management of land use trade-offs as part of ‘Reconciliation of woodland expansion with other land use priorities’ in the Natural Assets theme, Scottish Government Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment Strategic Research Programme, 2016-202
  • Contributor to ‘The Future for Common Grazing’ (FUTGRAZE), led by the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) and funded by the Norwegian Research Council, 2018-2021

Past research

  • PI of TRANSGRASS ‘A transdisciplinary platform and toolkit for understanding and managing grasslands as socio-ecological systems’ in which a collaborative documentary (‘Grazing on the Edge’) was made with land managers, Macaulay Development Trust.
  • EPIC: The Scottish Government’s Centre for Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks. ST2.4.1 Understanding attitudes to biosecurity: Exploring the challenges of bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) detection and response, 2018-2020
  • ‘Managing ecosystem services in low alpine cultural landscapes through livestock grazing’, Norwegian Research Council, 2012-2014
  • ‘Understanding the linkages and interdependencies between rural and urban areas’ within Scottish Government Research Programme – Part II ‘Food, Land and People (Optimising the Potential of Scotland’s natural assets)’, 2011-2016
  • Investigating the operationalization of the ecosystem approach for Scotland, as part of Scottish Government Research Programme – Theme 1: Ecosystem Services, 2011-2016
  • ‘The contribution of greenspace to health and wellbeing’, Scottish Government Commissioned research project, 2008-2012
  • ‘Reindeer herding and commodification of the outfields and commons in Southern-Sámi areas: challenging established rights and practices’, Norwegian Research Council, 2010-2012
  • ‘Structural Change in Rural Areas’, Norwegian Research Council, 2010-2013
  • ‘Assessing future recreation demand’ Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned (ROAME No. F05AC701) 2010.
  • ‘Moral landscapes of public access rights: the role of government agencies in negotiating social inclusion and outdoor citizenship’, Norwegian Research Council, 2009 –2010
  • ‘Monitoring and Evaluating Effects of Land Reform’, for Scottish Executive (May 2007-Sept 2007)
  • ‘Understanding and influencing positive environmental behaviour among farmers’, for DEFRA, 2007.
  • ‘Examining the commercial potential of recreation on national forest estates in Scotland’ for Forestry Commission Scotland, 2007
  • ‘Social capital in hill farming’, for the International Centre for the Uplands, 2004-2005
  • ‘Challenges in creating local agri-environmental cooperation action amongst farmers and other stakeholders’ for SEERAD Flexible Fund, Nov 2003-March 2004.
  • ‘Communal ownership and management and their implications for rural development in peripheral zones’ EU FAIR 98-4111, 1999-2002

Publications

The following Publications have not yet been migrated to the James Hutton Institute's Pure service and relate to the research outputs from the two legacy organisations: The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and The Scottish Crop Research Institute.

Journals

Books / chapters

  • Flemsaeter, F.; Brown K.M.; Setten, G. (2011) Friluftslivets moralske landskap – trender og tradisjoner (Moral landscapes of outdoor recreation: trends and traditions)., In: Haugen, M.S. & Straete, E.P. (eds.). Rurale Brytninger (Rural Conflicts). Tapir Akademisk Forlag, Trondheim, 245-265.
  • Flemsaeter, F.; Brown, K.M.; Holm, F.E. (2011) Friluftslivets moralske landskap – trender og tradisjoner., In: Stræthe, E.P. & Haugen, M. Rurale Brytninger, (Rural Conflicts). Tapir, Trondheim, pp234-251.
  • Brown, K.M.; Spinney, J. (2010) Catching a glimpse: the value of video in evoking, understanding and representing the practice of cycling., In: Fincham, B., McGuinness, M. & Murray, L. (eds.). Mobile Methodologies. Polity, Cambridge, pp130-151.
  • Burton, R.J.F.; Schwarz, G.; Brown, K.M.; Convery, I.T.; Mansfield, L. (2009) The future of public goods provision in upland regions: learning from hefted commons in the Lake District, UK., In: Bonn, A., Allot, T., Hubacek, K. & Stewart, J. (eds.). Drivers of Change in Upland Environments. Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, Chapter 17, pp309-322.
  • Setten, G.; Brown, K.M. (2009) Moral landscapes., In: Kitchin, R. & Thrift, N. (eds.). International Encyclopedia of Human Geography. Elsevier, Oxford, Volume 7, 191-195.
  • Brown, K.M. (2007) The challenge of maintaining the salience of common property rights with increasing cultural and socio-economic heterogeneity., In: Adapting Rules for Sustainable Resource Use (eds. A. Smaigl and S. Larson). CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Townsville, Queensland, pp58-75.
  • Blackstock, K.L.; Brown, K.M.; Davies, B.B.; Shannon, P. (2006) Individualism, cooperation and conservation in Scottish farming communities., Rural Governance: International Perspectives (eds. L. Cheshire, V. Higgins and G. Lawrence). Routledge Studies in Human Geography, Routledge, UK. ISBN: 978-0-415-39959-3
  • Brown, K.M. (2005) Implications of post-productivist rural change for common property enactment., In: Landscape, Law and Justice, (eds. M. Jones and T. Peil). Tapir, Oslo.

Technical / contract reports

  • Jones, G.; Huband, S.; Brown, K.M. (2011) Trends in common grazing: first steps towards an integrated needs-based strategy ., Report for the the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism.
  • Brown, K.M. (2011) Advice for Scottish outdoor access code – off-road cycling., Scottish Mountain Biking Development Consortium.
  • Miller, D.R.; Morrice, J.G.; Aspinall, P.; Brown, K.; Cummins, R.; Dinnie, E.; Gilbert, A.; Hester, A.; Horne, P.; Mitchell, R.; Morris, S.; Roe, J.; Ward Thompson, C. (2011) Contribution of green and open space in public health and well-being., RERAD, Scottish Government, Progress Report 2010/11. Project no. MLU/ECA/UGW/847/08.
  • Miller, D.R.; Morrice, J.G.; Aspinall, P.; Brown, K.; Cummins, R.; Dinnie, E.; Gilbert, A.; Hester, A.J.; Horne, P.L.; Mitchell, R.; Morris, S.; Roe, J.; Ward Thompson, C. (2011) GreenHealth., RERAD, Scottish Government, Progress Report, 2010/11.
  • Miller, D.R.; Towers, W.; Blackstock, K.L.; Munoz-Rojas, J.; Kenyon, W.; Brown, K.M.; Waylen, K.; Morrice, J. (2010) MLURI response to the consultation on the draft Land Use Strategy., Scottish Government Draft Land Use Strategy Classification, Scottish Government, Edinburgh.
  • Brown, K.M.; Curry, N.; Dilley, R.; Taylor, K.; Clark, M. (2010) Assessing future recreation demand., Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No.404, 135p. ISBN: 978-1-85397-680-3
  • Miller, D.R.; Morrice, J.G.; Aspinall, P.; Brown, K.; Cummins, R.P.; Dilley, R.; Gilbert, A.; Hester, A.J.; Harthill, P.L.; Mitchell, R.; Roe, J.; Ward Thompson, C. (2009) Contribution of green and open space in public health and well-being., 1st Annual Report to Scottish Government, June 2009. Project MLU/ECA/UGW/847/08.
  • Miller, D.R.; Morrice, J.G.; Aspinall, P.; Brown, K.; Cummins, R.P.; Dilley, R.; Gilbert, A.; Hester, A.J.; Harthill, P.L.; Mitchell, R.; Roe, J.; Ward Thompson, C. (2009) Scontribution of green and open space in public health and well-being., 2nd Progress Report to Scottish Government, November 2009. Project No. MLU/ECA/UGW/847/08.
  • Slee, B.; Blackstock, K.L.; Brown, K.M.; Dilley, R.; Cook, P.; Grieve, J.; Moxey, A. (2008) Monitoring and evaluating the effects of land reform on rural Scotland – a scoping study and impact assessment., Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Affairs. Social Research Findings, No 1, 6pp.
  • Blackstock, K.L.; Brown, K.M.; Burton, R.; Dilley, R.; Slee, B.; Dwyer, J.; Mills, J.; Ingram, J.; Taylor, J. (2008) Good practice guide: influencing environmental behaviour using advice., Final report submitted to DEFRA.
  • Dwyer, J.; Mills, J.; Ingram, J.; Taylor, J.; Burton, R.; Blackstock, K.L.; Slee, B.; Brown, K.M.; Schwarz, G.; Matthews, K.B.; Dilley, R. (2008) Understanding and influencing positive behaviour change in farmers and land managers – a project for Defra., In: Houck, M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences, Volume 2. Third Edition. Science Direct pp. 688-699
  • Slee, B.; Blackstock, K.L.; Brown, K.M.; Moxey, A.; Cook, P.; Greive, J. (2007) Monitoring and evaluating the impacts of land reform., Report for the Scottish Government, September 2007.
  • Gelan, A.; Slee, B.; Brown, K.M.; Shannon, P. (2007) Examining the commercial potential of recreation on the National Forest Estate in Scotland, Phase 1 Report., Forestry Commission.
  • Burton, R.J.F.; Dwyer, J.; Blackstock, K.; Ingram, J.; Brown, K.; Mills, J.; Schwarz, G.; Mathews, K.; Slee, B. (2007) Influencing positive environmental behaviour among farmers and landowners – a literature review., Report to DEFRA.
  • Brown, C. and Brown, K.M. (2005) Scoping EIA report for a proposed wind farm at Lairg., The Red Group.
  • Burton, R.; Mansfield, L.; Schwarz, G.; Brown, K.M. and Convery, I. (2005) Social capital in hill farming., Report for the International Centre for the Uplands, Penrith, Cumbria.
  • Davies, B.B.; Blackstock, K.; Brown, K. and Shannon, P. (2004) Challenges in creating local agri-environmental cooperation action amongst farmers and other stakeholders., SEERAD Final Report, Reference MLU/927/03.
  • Brown, K.M. (2003) New challenges for old commons: the implications of rural change for the institutional arrangements of crofting common grazings., In: Commons: Old and New, Proceedings from a Workshop, Oslo, March 11-13 2003, NTNU ISS Rapport Nr. 70., Centre for Advanced Study, Oslo, pp143-166.
  • Davies, B.B.; Sherlock, K.L.; Brown, K.M.; Shannon, P. (2003) Challenges in creating local agri-environmental cooperation action amongst farmers and other stakeholders., Final Draft Report to SEERAD. Flexible Fund FF 11/03., The Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen.
  • Brown, K.M.; Slee, R.W. (2002) Communal ownership and management and their implications for rural development in peripheral zones., Final Report to European Commission, FAIR 98-4111, MLURI, IDEGA and ISA, December 2002.
  • Brown, K.M. (2001) Communal ownership and management and their implications for rural development in peripheral zones – interim report June 2001., Report to the European Commission.
  • Brown, K. (2000) Communal ownership and management and their implications for rural development in peripheral zones: interim report., Report to European Commission.

Conference papers

  • Brown, K.M.; Dilley, R. (2011) Negotiating gendered subjectivities in mobile video ethnography., Royal Geographical Society-Institute of British Geographers Conference, London, 31 August – 2 September 2011.
  • Flemsaeter, F.; Brown K.M.; Setten, G. (2011) Reconfiguring outdoor citizenship in Norway., Royal Geographical Society – Institute of British Geographers Conference, London, 31 August – 2 September 2011.
  • Brown, K.M.; Dilley, R. (2011) The role of mobile video methods in the (re)production and disruption of gendered subjectivities in cycling., 8th Cycling and Society Symposium, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, 5 September 2011.
  • Brown, K.M. (2011) Picturing living across difference with participatory video: the contested problematisation of human-animal encounters., Second International Visual Methods Conference, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK, 13-15 September 2011.
  • Macleod, C.J.A.; Black, H.I.J.; Brown, K.; Blackstock, K.L.; Dawson, J.J.C.; Holmes, B.; Langan, S.J.; Marshall, K.; Martin-Ortega, J.; Munoz-Rojas, J.; Morris, S.; Prager, K.; Rivington, M.; Waylen, K.; Vinten, A.J.A.; Gordon, I.J. (2011) What is required for greater levels of interdisciplinary science in a research institute?, 6th International Conference on Environmental Future: Interdisciplinary Progress in Environmental Science and Management, Newcastle, UK, 18-22 July 2011.
  • Brown, K.M. (2010) Enacting mobile claims to space: the choreography of encounters between cyclists and non-cyclists., Cycling and Society Symposium, Oxford University, 6 September 2010.
  • Dinnie, E.; Galan-Diaz, C.; Brown, K.M.; Kriel, A. (2010) Ethical considerations in using visual methods: intersections between power relations, social contexts and visual cultures., Vital Signs 2 Conference, Engaging Research Imaginations, University of Manchester, Manchester, 7-9 September 2010.
  • Brown, K.M. (2008) Enacting rights to rural space: To walk or not to walk?, Paper presented at ‘Peripatetic Practices: A workshop on walking’, 31 March 2008.
  • Mills, J.; Blackstock, K.L.; Dwyer, J.; Ingram, J.; Slee, B.; Burton, R.; Taylor, J.; Brown, K.M.; Dilley, R. (2008) Principles for use in designing and implementing advisory initiatives to stimulate positive environmental behavior by farmers., Rural Futures: Dreams, Dilemmas, Dangers, Conference, University of Plymouth, 1-4 April 2008.
  • Sutherland, L.A.; Brown, K.M. (2007) Strength in numbers? The neighbourhood effect in English organic farms., European Society for Rural Sociology Conference, XXII, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 20-24 August 2007.
  • Brown, K.M.; White, V.; Carter, C.; Scott, A. (2007) Disturbing the geographies of recreation: Employing the `ride-along? to investigate how mountain bikers perform and re-work rural space., AHRC Seminar Series: Landscapes Beyond Land: new ethnographies of landscape and environment, Seminar 2: Routes, boundaries, journeys, University of Aberdeen, 9-10 January 2007.
  • Brown, K.M. (2006) Landscapes and geographies of practice: the case of mountain biking., Paper given at workshop ‘Exploring Landscape Values’, 2 March 2006.
  • Brown, K.M. (2006) Common land in Western Europe: anachronism or opportunity for sustainable rural development?, European Regional Meeting of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Brescia, Italy, 23-25 March 2006.
  • Brown, K.M. (2005) The work of landscapes in the moral geographies of common property enactment., The Inaugural Nordic Geographers Meeting: power over time-space, Lund, Sweden, 10-14 May 2005.
  • Brown, K.M.; Sherlock, K.L; Davies, B.B.; Shannon, P. (2004) Cross-boundary co-operation in agriculture: identifying the opportunities and constraints in a Scottish context., IGU Land Use and Rural Sustainability Conference, Aberdeen, 11 August 2004.
  • Brown, K.M. (2004) Common property in Western Europe: anachronism or rural development opportunity?, International Geographical Congress, Glasgow, August 16-20, 2004.
  • Brown, K.M. (2004) Implications of rural change for the enactment of common property: changing salience, unsettling moralities. post-productivist rural change for common property enactment., Conceptualising Property Rights, Noragric, Oslo, 10-11 June 2004.
  • Sherlock, K.L.; Brown, K.; Davies, B.; Shannon, P. (2004) Individualism, cooperation and conservation in Scottish farming communities., Rural Sociological World Congress, XI, Trondheim, Norway, 25-30 July 2004.
  • Brown, K.M. (2003) Common grazings or common grazings: the actualisation of common property rights in post-productivist rural spaces., International Conference of Landscape, Law and Justice, Oslo, 16-19 June 2003.
  • Brown, K.M. (2002) The opportunities and constraints of common property regimes: the casze of crofting common grazings and the implications for policy., Society Knowledge and Justice, Annual Conference for Law and the Social Sciences, Aberdeen, 27-28 June 2002.
  • Slee, R.W.; Brown, K.M. (2002) Common pool resources and rural development forestry in Scotland., Agricultural Economics Society Annual Conference, 76th, Aberystwyth, 8-11 April 2002.
  • Brown, K.M.; Slee, R.W. (2002) Salience and its implications for common-pool resource management in Scotland: a tragedy of a different kind?, Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property (IASCP), “The Commons in the Age of Globalisation”, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 17-20 June, 2002.
  • Brown, K.M.; Slee, R.W. (2001) Common property and rural development., Proceedings of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Research Foundation Rural Research Conference ROOTS, London, 13 November 2001. ISBN: 18421908507.

Conference posters / abstracts

  • Brown, K.M. (2009) Access and recreation: Cultures of access., Knowledge Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Inverness, 25 March 2009.
  • Marshall, K.; Myrvang-Brown, K. (2009) Back to the future? “New” local governance and the implementation of outdoor access legislation in Scotland., European Society for Rural Sociology Congress (ESRS), XXIII, Vassa Finland, 17-21 August 2009.
  • Brown, K.M.; Dilley, R. (2008) The role of cultural practices in co-producing health and green/open space., Aberdeen Research Consortium (ARC) Environment and Human Health Awareness Day, Aberdeen University, 22 September 2008.
  • Brown, K.M.; Marshall, K.; Dilley, R. (2008) Claiming rights to rural space through off-road cycling., Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Boston, Massachusetts, 15-19 April 2008.
  • Brown, K.M.; Marshall, K. (2007) Landscapes of practice: experiences and values of countryside recreation., Landscape and Health Conference, Edinburgh, 19-21 September 2007. (Poster)
  • Schwarz, G.; Burton, R.; Brown, K.; Mansfield, L.; Convery, I. (2007) Upland farming in Cumbria and public good provision., Making Scotland’s Rural Environment More Sustainable, Royal Society of Edinburgh, 25 June 2007.
  • Brown, K.M.; Marshall, K. (2007) Experiences and values of recreational landscapes., Making Scotland’s Rural Environment More Sustainable, Royal Society of Edinburgh, 25 June 2007.
  • Brown, K.M.; Marshall, K. (2007) Access Rights: Putting law into practice., Project flyer for SEERAD WP3.8.5.
  • Schwarz, G.; Burton, R.; Mansfield, L.; Brown, K.; Convery, I. (2006) The impacts of changes in farm structures on rural communities and environmental management in the Cumbria uplands in the UK and potential implications for the English Rural Development Plan., European Association of Agricultural Economics, 96th Seminar, Tanikon, Switzerland, 10-11 January 2006.
  • Davies, B.B.; Brown, K.M.; Blackstock, K.L. and Shannon, P. (2005) Developing collective management of agri-environmental resources under private property regimes: the next challenge for EU farm policy?, European Society for Ecological Economics Biennial Conference, Lisbon, 15-17June 2005.
  • Davies, B.B.; Brown, K.M.; Blackstock, K.L. and Shannon, P. (2005) Cooperative management of environmental resources in UK agriculture: the next challenge for agri-environmental policy?, Agricultural Economics Society Annual Conference, 79th, University of Nottingham, 4-6 April 2005.
  • Brown, K.M. (2000) Commons around Europe., National Conference on Common Land, 2nd, Cheltenham, 14 September 2000.

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