Annabelle Bladon

Senior researcher (inclusive blue economy), Shaping Sustainable Markets

Annabelle works on social and economic solutions for effective and equitable management and governance of aquatic resources, with a focus on small-scale artisanal fisheries and the communities they support.

Much of her research has tackled the design, implementation and evaluation of incentive-based management systems in data-poor small-scale fisheries. Currently, she is using this learning to promote better alignment of social protection and labour systems with fisheries management for more sustainable outcomes.

She is also interested in testing solutions to fill the gap in finance required for an inclusive blue economy, including fiscal tools and sustainable business models.

Annabelle has experience working in Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Caribbean and the Western Indian Ocean.

Expertise

Small-scale and artisanal fisheries; compensation and incentives; social protection; marine protected and conserved areas; payments for ecosystem services; economic valuation; conservation finance.

Before IIED

  • Independent consultant and associate at Innovations in Conservation, LLC (ICONS), New York
  • Visiting researcher at New York University, University of Oxford, and IIED.
  • Worked with a range of public and private organisations including UNDP and FAO, Conservation Finance Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bahamas Protected Area Fund, WorldFish, the Zoological Society of London, and the Bangladesh and Cayman Islands governments.

Education

  • PhD in Marine Conservation Science, Imperial College London
  • MRes in Ecology and Environmental Management, and BSc (Hons) Biology, University of York

Current work

Promoting economic incentives for sustainable fisheries; linking social protection systems to sustainable fisheries management; assessing how fiscal tools can be used to support sustainable and inclusive fisheries; exploring innovative financing mechanisms for marine protected and conserved areas.