Dr Deborah Benham explores how we can all learn from nature to create innovative solutions to local and societal challenges. By collaborating with Dorset’s landscapes, ecosystems, and communities, we can find unique solutions to challenges like climate resilience and well-being. Deborah shares practical lessons from nature’s 3.8 billion years of innovation to help us reconnect with and improve our local environment for stronger communities.

As co-lead for the Transition towns movement, (of which Bridport is a part) over the last 5 years Deborah has worked part-time in community-led climate resilience and place-based regeneration, exploring theories and practices of positive eco-social change, applying story-based impact evaluation methods for community-led actions, and supporting a global network of trainers. She has previously managed the Newbold Trust and holds a PhD in wildlife conservation and ecotourism. Almost 20 years after her doctoral work on responsible interactions with sea otters, the outcomes are still being used by tour operators in Monterey Bay, California.

Since then, she has coordinated an award-winning accreditation scheme for dolphin-watching tours in Scotland; consulted on international multi-stakeholder wildlife ecotourism projects; run her own eco-holiday business, developed and led interpretive training courses for nature guides, and become a practitioner and leader in deep nature connection practices and nature-based community building. 

A Biomimicry Educator and accredited Gaia Education trainer, and trainer of trainers, Deborah is passionate about living systems-based solutions, helping communities and organisations move toward ecological citizenship and a net-positive future. To find out more about Deborah, go to https://www.deborahbenham.com