Research Journal

Field Notes, Reflections and the Continuing Journey of Discovery

"Research is not merely the accumulation of knowledge; it is a continuing dialogue between people, place, culture and the living world."

Welcome

Welcome to my Research Journal.

This journal accompanies a research journey that has now spanned more than four decades. During that time I have sought to understand the complex relationships between human societies, culture, spirituality and the natural world. That journey has taken me from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal and the high mountains of southwest China to the landscapes and communities of Wales, where my current work focuses on Rights of Nature, Spiritual Governance and Nature Recovery.

Unlike my books, journal articles and formal reports, which present completed research, this journal provides a space for ideas that are still evolving. It records observations from the field, reflections arising from conversations with local communities, responses to contemporary environmental challenges and the gradual development of concepts that may eventually find their way into more formal publications.

Research is rarely a straight line. It grows through experience, dialogue and reflection. It is shaped by unexpected encounters, by landscapes that challenge our assumptions and by the generosity of people willing to share their knowledge, beliefs and stories. This journal seeks to capture something of that continuing process.

It is therefore both a research diary and an invitation—an invitation to think differently about humanity's relationship with the living world and to explore how ancient wisdom, contemporary science and practical conservation might together contribute to a more sustainable future.

Four Decades of Research

My academic journey began with an interest in Environmental Anthropology, seeking to understand how indigenous peoples interact with, manage and sustain their environments. Living and working in remote communities revealed that many traditional societies possessed sophisticated ecological knowledge developed over countless generations. Far from being primitive, these systems represented highly adaptive and sustainable ways of living within ecological limits.

This naturally led me towards the study of Sacred Natural Sites. Across Asia I encountered mountains, forests, rivers and springs that were protected not through government legislation but through deeply held spiritual beliefs and customary institutions. These places demonstrated that culture, religion and ecology need not be separated; together they formed integrated systems of environmental stewardship.

As my research progressed, I became increasingly interested in the concept of Spiritual Governance. Rather than viewing governance solely through political or legal institutions, I began exploring how many indigenous societies understand governance as a reciprocal relationship involving human communities, ancestral traditions, spiritual beings and the natural world itself. This perspective challenged many assumptions within conventional environmental management and suggested alternative ways of thinking about responsibility, authority and ecological care.

More recently, these ideas have converged with the international movement recognising the Rights of Nature. The growing recognition that rivers, forests and ecosystems may possess intrinsic rights represents, in many respects, a rediscovery of principles that indigenous peoples have maintained for centuries. My current work explores how these ideas can contribute to environmental governance, community participation and nature recovery within Wales and beyond.

Alongside academic research, increasing emphasis has been placed upon practical conservation. Through collaboration with local communities, voluntary organisations and public bodies, my work now includes habitat restoration, citizen science, biodiversity enhancement, environmental mapping and the development of community-based approaches to caring for the natural world.

Throughout this journey one question has remained constant:

How can humanity rediscover a respectful, reciprocal and sustainable relationship with the living Earth?

What You Will Find Here

The Research Journal complements my formal publications by documenting the research process itself. Here you will find:

• reflections arising from fieldwork and site visits;

• observations from landscapes that continue to shape my thinking;

• reports on current research projects;

• commentary on Rights of Nature and environmental governance;

• developments in Sacred Natural Sites and Spiritual Governance;

• updates on Nature Recovery and biodiversity initiatives in Wales;

• conference reports and reviews of recent publications;

• reflections on theology, creation care and environmental stewardship;

• practical experiences from citizen science, mapping and community engagement.

Some entries will be brief observations; others may develop into substantial essays exploring new ideas in greater depth. Together they form a record of research in progress rather than simply a catalogue of completed achievements.

Why Keep a Research Journal?

Academic publications necessarily present conclusions. They are carefully argued, thoroughly referenced and subject to rigorous review. Yet they rarely reveal the process through which ideas develop.

This journal seeks to fill that gap.

It records the questions that precede the answers, the experiences that reshape understanding and the conversations that open new directions of enquiry. It recognises that research is a living process rather than a series of isolated publications.

In many respects, the journal returns to the traditions of the naturalists, explorers and anthropologists whose notebooks became as valuable as their published works. Field observations, personal reflections and emerging ideas often provide insights that formal academic writing cannot easily capture.

An Invitation

Whether you are a researcher, student, conservation practitioner, policy maker or someone who simply cares deeply about the future of the natural world, I hope these pages offer both information and inspiration.

The environmental challenges of the twenty-first century demand not only scientific understanding but also cultural wisdom, ethical reflection and practical action. Throughout my career I have become increasingly convinced that lasting solutions will emerge through dialogue between different knowledge traditions rather than through any single discipline acting alone.

If my publications represent milestones along that journey, this Research Journal records the paths between them—the discoveries, questions, encounters and reflections that continue to shape my understanding of people, place and the living world.

Thank you for visiting.

I hope you will return often as new research, new projects and new ideas are added, and that together we may continue exploring how humanity can live more justly, more wisely and more harmoniously within the community of life that sustains us all.