Gretchen Walters

Gretchen Walters is a commoner, researcher and practitioner who has been working on common lands issues for more than 20 years. First in Central Africa and now also back home in France, she works directly with commoners, commoners associations, and applied research partnerships to address issues related to the recognition (social and environmental aspects) of the commons at the local, national and international levels. She also works on restoration, governance, and biodiversity policy debates including Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures and how commoners can be recognized for their environmental contributions. Her dual perspective as a commons rights-holder and researcher significantly informs her work. She is a an assistant professor at the University of Lausanne, associated with the VALCOM Chaire in France, member of the IASC, and an honorary member of the ICCA consortium.