MPhil (Cantab), MSS & BSS (University of Dhaka)
Commonwealth & Cambridge Trust Scholar 2022/23
Alumnus of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge
Commonwealth & Cambridge Trust Scholar 2022/23
Alumnus of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge
Hi there, welcome to my website! I am Tanjila Afrin, a faculty member in Development Studies. My academic journey began at the University of Dhaka and continued at the University of Cambridge, where my MPhil research examined the outcomes of environmental protests in Bangladesh. Over the past seven years, I have taught courses on environment, climate change, sustainable development, and environmental economics, while pursuing research that bridges theory, policy, and practice.
My passion for environmental research stems from growing up in a disaster-prone region of Bangladesh, where I witnessed firsthand the devastation of floods and cyclones. Those experiences shaped my determination to understand the human–nature relationship and to contribute to sustainable solutions. Today, my work focuses on community-based conservation, traditional knowledge, collective action, and the environment–migration nexus, with a particular emphasis on Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS).
I have conducted extensive fieldwork in the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem, documenting how indigenous and local communities use traditional knowledge to conserve biodiversity. This research has been published in edited volumes and culminated in my co-authored book, Natural Resource Degradation and Human-Nature Wellbeing (Springer, 2023). My current doctoral research interest investigates how migrants and native communities differ in conservation behaviors due to varying sense of place, situating comparative studies in Bangladesh and California.
Please click here to see my CV.