Armed urban conflict and biodiversity preservation

Late-modern armed conflict is increasingly asymmetric and urbanised. Biodiversity and crop heritage infrastructures such as agricultural seed collection banks become vulnerable. How does late-modern warfare impact biodiversity heritage infrastructure? What are the political geographies of risk to global seed collections and who/what ensures the mechanisms of their protection? Which powers, knowledges, and human or nonhuman agencies are mobilised around the issue of seed bank protection during war and in peace transitions, and how, in turn, do seed banks shape those agents and wider events? This project develops a more-than-human understanding of late-modern war and related notions of futurity and resilience.

This project is *not* associated with funding from the University of Birmingham. Applicants will need to obtain their own scholarship or other financial support to cover tuition fees and living costs. All interested candidates MUST contact the lead supervisor of this project by email, including a current CV and statement of interest BEFORE submitting a formal application.

Please note this research topic is also available for students applying for a research masters course, should they wish to focus their Masters dissertation on this topic: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/subjects/geography-earth-and-environmental-sciences-courses/research-in-human-geography-msc