Dr Matthew Ashley

Research Fellow

University of Plymouth, UK

Matthew’s research takes a multidisciplinary approach, applying research methods from natural, social and behavioral sciences to investigate the effect of policy, management and anthropogenic activities on social-ecological systems. Matthew has conducted research projects funded by: NERC, UKERC, Defra, EU Horizon 2020 and Interreg Europe and various NGOs, on the effectiveness of ocean literacy initiatives as well as social and economic effects of planning and management decisions in the marine environment.

Projects in this area have included using ecological and social and economic research methods to understand the environmental and economic impacts of marine renewable energy. Developing pioneering marine natural capital assessments and monitoring risk to ecosystem service provision from the marine environment. Matthew has also developed the design and completion of research that applied behavioral science methods to track indicators of behavior change in participants involved in ocean literacy initiatives across Europe in the Horizon 2020 project ‘ResponSEAble’.
 

Key research interests and experience:

Social Science, studying human interaction with the ocean. Ecology, studying effects of human activities on the ocean. Ecosystem services and natural capital, studying the benefits healthy oceans provide to people.