Professor Lois Mansfield
Tel: 07496 274494
Email: s3800919@glos.ac.uk / lois@environmentors.co.uk
Lois is a Visiting Professor at CCRI and Emeritus at the University of Cumbria with over 30 years of experience specialising in upland agriculture, multiple capitals and stakeholder partnerships.
Biography
Lois has always worked at the interface between academia and professional land management, where she has supported a range of organisations to make better upland management decisions through knowledge exchange. Her expertise centres around holistic integrated upland management enabling a better balance between agriculture and other resource users.
Previously she was the Director of the Centre for National Parks & Protected Areas based at the Ambleside campus of the University of Cumbria, where she was also the Site Director and taught undergraduates. She continues to conduct PhD supervision.
Lois now runs her own consultancy (Environmentors Ltd) that specialises in complex issue resolution for rural organisations, communities or individuals. Her current work focuses on developing and calculating a Multiple Capitals Account for a northern landscape charity along with publication of a book exploring this topic (June 2025).
In a voluntary capacity, Lois supports the Lake District World Heritage Site as the convenor of the Specialist Advisory Group and the cultural agricultural elements of the operation of the 2020-2026 management plan. She also sits on the Board of Europarc Atlantic Isles representing higher education interests.
Qualifications
PhD Agricultural Geography, Coventry University, 1996
MA Rural Studies, University of Guelph, Ontario, 1990
Membership to Professional Bodies
- Board member Europarc Atlantic Isles
- Fellow of Royal Geographical Society
- World Heritage UK
- Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy
Teaching and Research
As part of her role with CCRI, Lois is helping to manage and oversee the SATOCONN Reconnections project, a consortium of seven universities supported by the Japanese Research Institute for Humanities and Nature in Kyoto. This international project has six living labs located in the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal and Japan (2), which are exploring how to make upland cultural systems more resilient. The project involves participatory action-oriented research to help sustain and strengthen longstanding human-nature interactions in high-nature-value landscapes to benefit global biodiversity and climate goals.
Other research Lois is involved in focuses developing and testing a Multiple Capitals Accounting methodology for rural sites. This process values all the benefits society generates for rural land management beyond just natural capital to include human, social, cultural and financial capital.
Publications
Journal Articles
Mansfield L (2021) ‘Japanese Forests and diversification in a traditional place-based system’ Quarterly Journal of Forestry April, p25 to 27
Mansfield L (2020) ‘Natural Capital & Ecosystem Services.’ Cumbria Magazine July p20/21.
Mansfield L (2018) ‘Managing the Uplands: a need for a fresh approach.’ The Ecologist commentary 17th May
Mansfield L (2017) ‘Upland resource management in Britain.’ Geography Vol 102(3) p141 to 153
Mansfield L (2013) ‘Upland Farming & Wilding.’ Ecos Vol35(3/4) 15 to 22
Mansfield L & Peck F (2013) ‘Applying Fair trade to British Upland Agriculture’ Outlook on Agriculture Vol 42/3 p29 to 50
Mansfield L., Brown G. & Martin H (2006) ‘Sustainable An Upland Agricultural Labour Force in Cumbria: the Fell Farming Traineeship Scheme.’ Journal of Rural Enterprise & Enterprise Vol 2(2) p43 to 62
Mansfield L., Burton R., Schwarz G., Brown KM., Convery I. (2006) ‘The Heft: an Multifunctional Management’ The International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management Vol 2(3) p238 to 242
Monographs
Mansfield L (2025) ‘Multiple Capitals approach to resilience in upland agricultural systems’ Routledge: London
Mansfield L (2023) ‘ A critical review of the role of Natural History journals and field note books’ Charlotte Mason Institute: VA
Mansfield L (2018) ‘Managing Upland Resources: New Approaches for rural Environments Whittles Publishing: Dunbeath [collaborative elements with eight other authors – professionals and academics.] 652pp.
Mansfield L (2011) ‘Upland Agriculture and the Environment’ Badger Press: Windermere sponsored by The Nineveh Trust 360pp
Book Chapters
Mansfield L (in prep) ‘Agri-food and Upland Landscapes’ in: Jones RL & Thomas Lane E (Eds) ‘Local Geographies of Food: People, Place & Provenance’ Boydell.
Mansfield L (2021) ‘The Isle of Rum, Scotland: a physical geography fieldtrip for second year undergraduates studying outdoor environment, education and/or leadership’ in Wessell J (ed) ‘Experiential Learning in Geography: Experience, Evaluation, and Encounters’ Springer verlag: London
Mansfield, L. (2019). Scientific investigations in outdoor environments. In: Prince, Heather and Humberstone, Barbara, (eds.) Research methods in outdoor studies. Routledge Advances in Outdoor Studies series. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis.
Mansfield L (2016) ‘Land Management and Outdoor Recreation in UK’ Chapter 30 in: Humberstone B et al ‘International Handbook of Outdoor Studies’ Routledge: London
Mansfield L (2012) ‘Hill farming identities and connections to place’ in: Convery I, Corsane G & Davis P (eds) (2012) ‘Making Sense of Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives‘ The Boydell Press: Woodbridge
Burton R, Mansfield L, Schwarz G, Brown K. & Convery, I (2009) ‘Social Capital in Upland Farming Systems’ in: Bonn et al. ‘Drivers for Environmental change in uplands’ Routledge: London
Mansfield, L (2008) ‘The Cumbria Hill Sheep Initiative: a solution to the decline in the Upland Hill Farming Community in England?’ p161 to 184 in: Robinson G ‘Sustainable Rural Systems – Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Communities’ Ashgate: Aldershot
Professional Reports
Mansfield L & Morgan O. (2024) ‘The Contribution of Wasdale Farming to Social and Cultural Capital of Wasdale and the Lake District’ On behalf of West Lakeland CIC
Mansfield L & Locke M (2023) ‘Lake District World Heritage Farm Baseline Survey 2022’ A report prepared for the Lake District World Heritage site Technical Advisory Group
Mansfield L, Partington L, Darrall J. (2023) ‘A multiple capitals valuation of Little Asby Common’ for Friends of the Lake District & Natural England.
Mansfield L & Banford A. (2023) ‘Land-based Skills training for Cumbria LSIP’ on behalf of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce.
Mansfield L [main author] (2021)’ Multi capitals conceptual framework development for landscape change monitoring ‘ Key findings and proof of concept. with Motmot Consulting on behalf of Natural England: Peterborough
Mansfield L (2021) ‘‘Lake District National Park & WHS Research Framework’ LDNPA October and related chapters in Lake District Management plan on Research and Monitoring (see:
Mansfield L (2020) ‘State of the Park Report for the Lake District: Critical Review’ LDNPA
Mansfield L (2019) ‘The efficacy of sisal for soil stabilisation on slopes: High Borrowdale, Cumbria’ A Research Report for Friends of the Lake District. CNPPA: University of Cumbria
Mansfield L (2019) ‘Valuing Cultural Capital: Place-based Rural Development for Upland Farming Opportunities from Japan’ Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, London
Mansfield L (2019) ‘Gap Analysis for Hill Farming Support Post Brexit’ on behalf of the Royal Society of Arts Food, Farming & Countryside Commission
Mansfield L (2010) ‘Farmers’ Views on Vital Uplands, Bassenthwaite Catchment, Cumbria.’ Prepared for: Natural England
Mansfield L (2010) ‘HNV Farmland in the Mountains of England’ Box 7.7 in: ‘Europe’s ecological backbone: recognising the true value of our mountains.’ European Environment Agency; Copenhagen.
Burton R., Mansfield L., Schwarz G, Brown K. & Convery I. (2004) ‘Social Capital in Hill’ Farming’ A report for the International Centre for the Uplands (DEFRA website)
Mansfield L & Martin H (2004) ‘Evaluation of the Fell Farming Traineeship Scheme’ A report for Cumbria Fells & Dales LEADER+
