معرفی
Dr. Christopher Coggins is a Professor of Geography and Asian Studies at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. His academic focus spans rural land use, biodiversity conservation, and the intersection of cultural practices with environmental management, particularly in China. He holds a PhD and MS from Louisiana State University and a BA from Wesleyan University.
Dr. Coggins’s research centers on southern China’s fengshui forests—sacred groves managed communally for ecological and spiritual purposes. Since 2011, he has led interdisciplinary projects funded by the Luce Foundation, ASIANetwork, and others, involving students in fieldwork analyzing these forests’ ecological roles and sociocultural significance. His work bridges political ecology, history, and anthropology, with notable publications including Sacred Forests of Asia (2023) and The Tiger and the Pangolin (2003), which received the Julian Steward Award.
His teaching emphasizes critical geography, Asian philosophies, and environmental policy. Media appearances include BBC documentaries and interviews on China’s ecological civilization. Coggins has organized student research conferences and collaborated internationally, fostering connections between academia, policy, and local communities.
Key achievements include securing a $400,000 Luce Foundation grant to expand environmental studies in Asia, and co-editing volumes that explore fengshui forests’ roles in biodiversity conservation and cultural resilience. His research underscores the global relevance of traditional ecological knowledge in addressing contemporary environmental challenges.
