I am an environmental economist with expertise in counterfactual impact evaluation, behavioural science, and economic valuation of ecosystem services. My research seeks to shape effective and resilient approaches to conservation and environmental management, by identifying the causal effects of different interventions, their alignment with human behaviour, scalability, and resilience to shocks. My research approach is deeply interdisciplinary and collaborative, involving close partnerships across geographies and cultures with conservation practitioners, academics, and local communities.

I am President of the Society for Conservation Biology  Impact Evaluation Working Group and Associate Editor at Conservation Science and Practice. At the E-SEAL Lab, I am leading an evaluation of impacts and mechanisms associated with a community-managed fisheries initiative (Fish Forever by Rare) in the Philippines.

 

Selected relevant publications:

O’Garra, T., Mangubhai, S., Jagadish, A., Vakalalabure-Tabunakawai, M., Tawake, A., Govan, H. and Mills, M. (2023) National-level evaluation of a community-based marine management initiative. Nature Sustainability, 6, 908–918 [available here]

Jagadish, A., Gecchele, L., He, Y., O’Garra, T., Sterrantino, A.F., Manghubai, S., Tawake, A., Govan, H., Vakalalabure, M., Mascia, M. & Mills, M. (2024) Scaling community-based management of marine resources. Global Environmental Change, Volume 84, 102799 [Open Access: download paper here]

O’Garra, T. and Mangubhai, S. (2023) Evaluating the impacts and mechanisms of locally managed marine areas. Research Briefing. Nature Sustainability. [available here]

O’Garra, T. (2017) Economic value of ecosystem services, minerals and oil in a melting Arctic: a preliminary assessment. Ecosystem Services, 24. pp. 180-186. [available here]

O’Garra, T. and Mourato, S. (2016) Are we willing to give what it takes? Willingness to pay for climate change adaptation in developing countries. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, 5 (3). pp. 249-264. [available here]

O’Garra, T. (2012). Economic valuation of a traditional fishing ground on the Coral Coast of Fiji. Ocean and Coastal Management, 56, 44-55 [available here]

O’Garra, T. (2009). Bequest values for marine resources: how important for Indigenous communities in less-developed economies. Environmental and Resource Economics, 44(2), 179-202 [available here]