Esther Marijnen

Esther Marijnen is an Assistant Professor at the SDC group, Wageningen University, Netherlands. A political ecologist, her work focuses on nature-society relations in conflict zones, particularly the militarization of conservation and environmental change in violent contexts.

• Key expertise: conservation, environment, conflict, war, violence, DRC, Central Africa
• Current Veni-funded project (NWO): "Wounded landscapes" (2021-2024)
• Active in CPAID since 2017, previously as postdoc at Ghent University
• Fieldwork experience: Democratic Republic of Congo (since 2013), with planned expansion to Uganda and Burundi

Her research critically examines how colonial legacies, slow violence, and armed conflict reshape socio-environmental landscapes, focusing on the intersection of geography, authority, and war. International conservation organizations' interventions in these 'wounded landscapes' are a central analytical focus.

Scientific Awards:

• Veni project grant (NWO) - 2021-2024

Esther has coordinated CPAID's work on environment-conflict-public authority intersections since 2017. Her field research spans three Central African countries, with ongoing analysis of conflict's enduring environmental impacts.