Nicola McGunnigle
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics
Nicola is a Higher Degree by Research candidate, having just completed cross-disciplinary research on the benefits and challenges of regenerating forest on abandoned agricultural land for sustainable development in the middle hills of Nepal. This research has brought together over twenty years’ professional environmental science experience and her understanding of community development in Nepal. Through interviews and community surveys her research provides farmers’ perceptions to policy makers as well as observations of transition in the socio-ecological landscape.
Nicola is a Higher Degree by Research candidate, having just completed cross-disciplinary research on the benefits and challenges of regenerating forest on abandoned agricultural land for sustainable development in the middle hills of Nepal. This research has brought together over twenty years’ professional environmental science experience and her understanding of community development in Nepal. Through interviews and community surveys her research provides farmers’ perceptions to policy makers as well as observations of transition in the socio-ecological landscape.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2022 - 2023 Lecturer, tutor University of Adelaide 2016 - ongoing Principal Environmental Geologist AECOM Australia Pty Ltd 2015 - 2016 Funding Advisor International Nepal Fellowship 2006 - 2015 Associate Environmental Geologist URS Australia Pty Ltd 2003 - 2005 Consents Officer Hawkes' Bay Regional Council 2002 - 2003 Compliance Officer Otago Regional Council 2000 - 2002 Environmental Geologist Tonkin & Taylor 1999 - 1999 Volunteer teacher World Youth International 1997 - 1998 Geologist Pasminco 1995 - 1997 Geologist Pasminco -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 1993 - 1995 University of Waikato New Zealand MSc (first class hons) 1990 - 1992 University of Waikato New Zealand BSc -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2025 McGunnigle, N., Bardsley, D., Nuberg, I., & Pandit, B. H. (2025). Is rewilding too wild? Assessing the benefits and challenges of forest succession on abandoned land in the mid-hills of Nepal. People and Nature, 7(2), 415-433.
2025 McGunnigle, N., Bardsley, D., Nuberg, I., Cedamon, E., & Pandit, B. H. (2025). Intermediate levels of socio-ecological disturbance drive higher biodiversity in naturally regenerating forests: A case study from Nepal. Journal of Rural Studies, 115, 14 pages.
2025 McGunnigle, N. K., Bardsley, D. K., & Nuberg, I. K. (2025). Rewilding in the developing world as an alternative development pathway: the example of forest regeneration in the middle hills of Nepal. Environmental Development, 101225.
2023 McGunnigle, N., Bardsley, D., Nuberg, I., Cedamon, E., & Pandit, B. H. (2023). The Succession of Farmers' Perceptions of Transitioning Landscapes - A Case Study of Agroforestry in the Middle Hills of Nepal. Human Ecology, 51(4), 699-717.
Scopus6 WoS12023 McGunnigle, N., Bardsley, D., Nuberg, I., Cedamon, E., & Pandit, B. H. (2023). Correction to: The Succession of Farmers’ Perceptions of Transitioning Landscapes – A Case Study of Agroforestry in the Middle Hills of Nepal. Human Ecology, 51(4), 719.
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research project, ACIAR FST/2017/037, “Enhancing livelihoods from improved forest management in Nepal – EnLiFT2".
The Crawford Fund Student Travel Award
GEOG 1104 Sustainability and Society
GEOG 2142 - Climate Change
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