About Karen's Work
I am an assistant professor of Sustainability Science at Furman University, and my training is in Anthropology and Integrative Conservation. I research social-ecological systems, using mixed-methods to understand stakeholder responses to conservation-oriented policies and incentives, as well as the values associated with conservation and ecosystem services. I use spatial analysis, surveys, workshops, interviews, and behavioral experiments to understand the resilience of social-ecological systems, in particular the interaction between ecosystem services production (protection), access, and use. I am bilingual and work primarily in Costa Rica and the Upstate, South Carolina, USA.