Beatrice Crona

Beatrice Crona received her PhD in Systems Ecology in 2006, and the first decade of her academic career included various aspects of fisheries governance in small-scale fisheries in developing countries, ranging from East Africa to Philippines. Her academic focus then was on understanding barriers to the development of institutions that promote both sustainable resource governance and equitable resource distribution and poverty alleviation. This involved examining the role of trade and traders for perpetuating unsustainable dynamics in small and larger-scale fisheries. Throughout her career, Crona has combined her background in marine ecology with methods from sociology, political science, political ecology and economics; ranging from social network analysis, to value chain analysis and purely qualitative analysis, such as ethnography. Her recent work emphasizes the need to integrate sustainability requirements into traditional financial services and she investigates how (primarily private) capital can be leveraged to promote sustainability through various types of investment mechanisms. She has explored connections between institutional investors and non-linear changes in the climate and Earth system, while also identifying leverage points within the financial sector that can redirect capital towards more sustainable practices. Most recently her work is directed towards critically evaluating and developing scientifically robust sustainability impact assessment methodologies and pathways for companies and investors. This includes examining corporate reporting frameworks and standards. She has also co-developed an “Earth System Impact” (ESI) score that captures corporate and investment impacts on the earth system, and which goes beyond carbon emissions to include land use change and water consumption. Crona's work also spans the food system, examining how dietary changes affect greenhouse gas emissions, water use, chemical use and nutrient cycles, but also broader impacts on biodiversity. She contributed to the EAT Lancet report and together with Professor Roz Naylor at Stanford, co-led the follow-up report focusing specifically on the role of aquatic foods in achieving sustainable and healthy diets for all – aka the Blue Food Assessment. As in all her work, Crona applies a systems lens to identify key levers for change and her work attempts to examine many food value chain segments. Her research interests also touch on food system governance and finance, with particular focus on the role of private investments in shaping food production and consumption and the importance of integrating sustainability considerations into traditional financial services and food-related investment decisions. Professor Crona was part of the initial secretariat of the SeaBOS initative, aiming to bridge the gap between science and seafood business for improved corporate practice, and she led the initial SeaBOS Taskforce on Transparency and Traceability.