Francisco Javier Lacosta García is a PhD candidate in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Zaragoza. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Zaragoza in 2021, followed by a Master’s in Spatial Planning and Environment in 2024. His work has focused on the study of ecosystem services and the governance of the agricultural commons. Javier co-authored the Ten-Year Report of the Scientific Council for the Spanish MaB Programme Committee regarding the Ordesa-Viñamala Biosphere Reserve. His research focuses on analysing the global issues affecting small-scale local farming communities, such as climate change, globalisation, and rural depopulation. His thesis is part of the RESILIENT RULES Project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC).
Project title: Structural patterns of institutional diversity in the governance of agricultural systems
Brief description: The governance of common-pool natural resources is key to sustainability of agrarian socio-ecological systems and to ensuring global food security. In this context, this doctoral thesis analyses the diversity of rules and norms (institutional diversity) employed by agricultural and livestock communities in different regions of the world, and their structural characteristics. To this end, network analysis are applied to study how rules are connected (within the same institutional system) and to compare these structural configurations between different systems. In addition, the relationship between institutional diversity and biogeographical factors is explored at the spatial level.
Student: Fco. Javier Lacosta García
Supervisors: Irene Perez Ibarra & Alicia Tenza Peral