Phuc Xuan To

Phuc Xuan To is an Honorary Lecturer at the Resources, Environment and Development Department within the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. His research focuses on resource governance, environmental change, and development studies, with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asia. He leads projects funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), examining forest carbon markets and nature-society ruptures. His work also involves policy analysis on land governance, illegal logging, and global commodity trade dynamics.

Phuc holds a PhD in resource governance and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto (2007–2009). He collaborates with organizations such as Forest Trends, advising governments and international bodies like the EU and Asian Development Bank. His recent work includes analyzing the impact of the pandemic on Vietnam’s timber sector, revealing supply chain disruptions and policy responses.

Teaching interests include rural property relations, payment for ecosystem services, and illegal logging. His interdisciplinary research bridges anthropology, political ecology, and policy studies, addressing issues of state legitimacy, market-based instruments, and socioenvironmental justice.

He has authored/co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles and policy papers, contributing to journals like Political Geography and Conservation & Society. His book Forest Property in the Vietnamese Uplands (2007) remains a seminal work on forest tenure systems. Current projects explore resilience in post-pandemic commodity sectors and the geopolitical shifts in global supply chains.