Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI)
Bio
Author Biography
Professor Melissa Leach was a co-founder of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Environment Group in 1990. With a background as an anthropologist and geographer, her interdisciplinary, policy-engaged research in West Africa and beyond in subsequent decades has linked environment, health, and social change, with particular interests in knowledge, power, and the politics of science and policy processes. In 2006 she co-founded and co-directed the ESRC STEPS (Economic and Social Research Council Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) Centre and from 2014–24 was overall Director of IDS. She is now Executive Director of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI) – a partnership between the university and ten organisations linking research with practical action for people and nature. She is also Professor in Social Anthropology, Cambridge and remains connected with IDS as an Emeritus Fellow.
The World Bank
Bio
Author Biography
Robin Mearns is Global Director for Social Development at the World Bank. Since joining the Bank in 1997, he has led operations, policy dialogue, and analytics in various regions, served as global lead on the social dimensions of climate change, as Programme Leader for sustainable development in Southern Africa, and as Regional Manager for Social Development in South Asia and Africa regions. Robin was previously a Fellow of the Institute of Development Studies (where he co-founded the Environment Group with Melissa Leach in 1990) and a research associate with the International Institute for Environment Development (IIED) in London. He holds MA, PhD (Geography) University of Cambridge and MPhil (Development Studies) University of Sussex.
Volume 56
Number 1A
Published: February 3, 2025
The late 1980s saw a phenomenal growth of international concern over the global environment. It has begun to influence politics both in industrially advanced countries and in the newly democratising countries of Eastern Europe. Recognising that the roots of this concern are not new, this IDS Bulletin addresses its twin aspects in the context of developing countries and at different scale levels. On the one hand, environmental change poses significant challenges for development policy and practice. On the other, the development process itself presents challenges for sound environmental management.
Leach, M. and Mearns, R. (2025) 'Editorial: Environmental Change, Development Challenges', IDS Bulletin 56.1A: 17–20, DOI: 10.19088/1968-2025.103
