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Stephen is a social scientist, trained as a social anthropologist. He specialises in qualitative, exploratory research. He joined Forest Research in October 2021. His current work focuses on land managers’ values in relation to woodland creation and public access to woodlands.

In 2016, he completed a PhD based on 15 months of fieldwork with subsistence farmers in rural Uganda exploring what it means to live a ‘good’ life.

Prior to Forest Research, Stephen worked as a social researcher in a transport and built environment innovation company at the intersection of government, academia, and industry; and as a social researcher for the Scottish Government at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. He completed a post-doctoral project funded by NERC with Social Life and University College London examining the social and cultural values people associate with small patches of urban nature, including street trees.

Stephen 600x600

Stephen McConnachie

MA, PhD
Social Scientist
Society and environment research group (SERG)

NRS

Northern Research Station

Bush Estate

Roslin

Scotland

Related Research

Research

Development of a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for Agroforestry Agri-Environment Schemes

Status current

Research

Social and Cultural Values and Trees on Farms in England 

This research involves working directly with farmers to better understand the barriers to and opportunities for increasing tree cover on farms. Specifically, it aims to explore how and where trees fit with farmers’ values – that is, where things matter to them for social, cultural, or moral reasons.

Status completed

Related Publications

Publication

Expanding tree cover on farms: what matters to farmers? A guide for advisors

This guide is intended to help advisors to think through what farmers value and consider how these values can inform conversations about increasing tree cover on farms.

Published

Publication

Supporting woodland managers in England to increase public access provision: Land manager perspectives

This Research Note shares findings from research exploring how woodland managers in England might be encouraged and supported to provide public access to woodlands.

Published
Further paths to embracing trees on farms: The role of social and cultural values

Overview What leads some farmers to dramatically increase the number of trees on their land? What role do social and cultural values play? And how do values and behaviour interact? This Research Note presents accounts from four farms which have substantially increased tree cover, foregrounding the farmers’ stories to focus on the role social and cultural values […]

In Brief: Increasing tree cover on cereal farms in England

Overview This In Brief summarises our recently published Research Report, which explored the issues that matter to cereal farmers in England in relation to trees and tree cover on their farms. The In Brief reports on the general findings of the research, outlines the findings to the research question ‘what matters to cereal farmers?’ and explains […]

Increasing tree cover on cereal farms in England: the role of farmers' values

Overview This Research Report explores the issues that matter to cereal farmers in England in relation to trees and tree cover on their farms. Looking beyond just financial considerations, this report explore which factors guide and shape farmer attitudes to and behaviours regarding trees and tree cover. If we can learn what farmers value in relation […]

In Brief: Increasing tree cover on dairy farms in England: The role of farmers' values

Understanding the range of values held by farmers in relation to trees allows us to learn how, when, and where farmers may embrace having trees on their land. Explicit consideration of these values will better enable those working to design policies, incentives, tools, advice, or other communications to do so in ways which are more […]

Paths to embracing trees on farms: The role of social and cultural values

What leads some farmers to dramatically increase the number of trees on their land? What role do social and cultural values play? And how do values and behaviour interact? Increasing tree cover across England is a key priority for the UK government, driven by the benefits that trees and woodlands offer, such as climate change mitigation […]

Increasing tree cover on dairy farms in England: The role of farmers' values

This Research Report explores the issues that matter to dairy farmers in England regarding trees and increasing tree cover on farms. It looks beyond financial considerations to explore the other factors which guide and shape farmer attitudes and behaviours in this area. Understanding the range of values held by farmers in relation to trees allows […]

Tenanted farms and woodland creation – Evidence review and expert interview insights

This paper summarises the social science evidence relating to tenanted farms and woodland creation in Great Britain. It draws on a literature review and a series of nine interviews with key stakeholders to sense check and build on the findings. It focuses on the barriers, opportunities, and questions which relate specifically to tenant farming.

Peer reviewed journal articles

O’Brien, L., McConnachie, S., Hall, C., Forster, J., Dyke, A., Saraev, V., & Jones, G. (2024). ‘Exploring the social and cultural values of trees and woodlands in England: A new composite measure’. People and Nature (online first). https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10644

Petrokofsky G, Dunn M, Edwards D, Harvey WJ, Hemery GE, Marshall H, McConnachie S, Petrokofsky L, Watts K, Ambrose-Oji B. (2024). ‘Development of a Tool for Navigating the Evidence concerning Land Managers and Woodland Creation in the United Kingdom’. Forests. 15(2):299. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15020299

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