Research Interests:

Community-led conservation, ecological restoration, human-wildlife coexistence, environmental governance, political ecology, mountain systems, community forestry, human dimensions of biodiversity conservation, community-engaged research methods, knowledge co-production, qualitative research methods

 

Bio:

Madison (Maddi) Stevens is an environmental social scientist interested in how local and Tribal communities relate to wildlife in the landscapes they call home. As an NSF SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellow at MSU (2024-2026), her current project (with co-PI Julia Haggerty) applies qualitative methods to examine how rural and Tribal communities in Montana are re-learning to live with buffalo (bison) returning after over a century of absence. The project will engage practitioners and community leaders, as well as undergraduate student researchers, to help identify practical solutions for restoring human-wildlife coexistence in working landscapes in Montana and beyond. This work builds on her previous position as a Postdoctoral Scholar on the NSF-funded Indigenous Led Ecological Restoration project at Boise State University, a project conducted in partnership with Blackfeet Community College that aims to support Blackfoot-led buffalo restoration efforts. Her doctoral research focused on environmental decision-making in community forests in the Indian Himalayas as well as evidence use in nonprofit conservation planning in Canada. She also brings expertise in collaborative research methodologies and research ethics, including as a co-author and key team member on the Canadian Mountain Assessment, co-produced by 73 Indigenous and non-Indigenous co-authors. Dr. Stevens is based in Bozeman, MT, where she was raised with a passion for wildlife and wild places.

 

Education:

Ph.D. (2023) Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia

 

B.A. (2015) Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, Franklin University Switzerland

 

Publications:

Maddi’s publications are available on her Google Scholar profile.