My work is situated within environmental anthropology and political ecology. I analyze the implementation and impact of biodiversity-focused conservation policies in the Colombian Amazon. My research integrates social-ecological systems theory, ethnoecology, and multi-species ethnography to work towards conservation policies that recognize and protect entanglements of biodiversity, natural resource dependent livelihoods, and cultural practices. My interest in political ecology and community-led conservation arose from ethnographic fieldwork in Belize in 2018 that explored the motivating factors of conch piracy. Other research projects have included analysis of the connections between land-use change and food insecurity in Laos, and spatial analysis of narco-trafficking through Central America. Research Research Areas: Cultural Anthropology Selected Publications Selected Publications: Pitts, A.K. Trost, B, Trost, N, Hand, B & Margulies, J. (2022, 5 16). Learning with the seedbomb: on a classroom encounter with abolition ecology. Journal of Political Ecology 29(1):302–308. doi:10.2458/jpe.4715 LaFevor, M.C.; Pitts, A.K. Irrigation Increases Crop Species Diversity in Low-Diversity Farm Regions of Mexico. Agriculture 2022, 12, 911. https://doi.org/10.3390/ agriculture12070911 Grants Grants: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) ($159,000) (2024-2029) Robert Rhoades Pre-Dissertation Travel Award ($2,250) Spring 2024 Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, Graduate Research Award ($1000) Spring 2024 Center for Integrative Conservation Research Travel Award ($400) Spring 2024 University of Georgia Graduate School NSF Incentive Award ($250) Spring 2024 University of Georgia, Department of Anthropology Travel Award ($300) Fall 2023 Center for Integrative Conservation Research Conference Support ($400) Fall 2023 Center for Integrative Conservation Research Travel Award ($300) Summer 2023 Robert Rhoades Pre-dissertation Travel Award ($2,000) Summer 2023 University of Alabama, New College Conference Travel Support ($500) Spring 2020 TOTAL: $166,400 Education Education: B.A. in Anthropology, University of Alabama 2021 B.S. in Conservation Ecology, University of Alabama 2021
