Sarah Jane Wilson

Sarah is Co-Founder and Research Manager at Pilot Projects with a background in ecology (MSc, BSc), human geography and tropical forests (PhD). Her research and practice connect socio-cultural dynamics with sustainable forest landscapes urban and rural, including conservation and restoration strategies, education, and community engagement. She has worked with community-based forest restoration and conservation enterprises in montane cloud forests in Andean Ecuador and the Nepalese Himalaya, and in the lowland jungle in Guatemala’s Peten. Recent postdoc work with the University of Michigan and with the PARTNERS reforestation network focused on understanding and assessing the social and ecological drivers and outcomes of community forestry and restoration – and on crafting action-oriented research for the field. She has also served as a consultant and reviewer for many organizations, including the IUCN, International Tropical Timber Organization, IPBES, and multiple academic publications.  A recipient of the prestigious L’Oreal Women in Science Mentorship Award, she is also dedicated to teaching and developing communities of practice around pressing social and environmental challenges.