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Dr Phil James

Director

Dr Phil James is an environmental economist with over 20 yrs experience in policy and economics in 25 countries. Phil's research now focuses on economic & social science aspects of ocean accounts, biodiversity & the blue economy.

Faculty of Law / Faculty of Science
Global and Public Law / Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
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Dr Philip James is a natural resources economist and social scientist with substantial international development experience in the UK and international public sector, working in more than 25 countries. His work is characterized by deep commitment to community engagement and participatory research, consistently ensuring that small-scale fishers and coastal communities are appropriately represented in conservation and economic development decisions while building local analytical capacity.

Phil has been involved in the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) since 2018 and has served as Co-Director to the GOAP Secretariat since 2023. In this role, Phil is supporting work to integrate social data into the Ocean Accounts framework, as a coordinator of the Social Accounts Working Group. Phil also works with governments, universities and institutions in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean to support the compilation and implementation of Ocean Accounts for sustainable ocean development.

Prior to joining CSDR, Phil served as expert advisor to the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, and the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework.  Phil also previously worked as lead fisheries economist at the Pacific Community (SPC), and economist in the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change where he provided economic and policy advice for overseas development projects in agriculture, forestry and climate change mitigation.

Publications
    1. Shellock, R.J., Thoms, R.E., James, P.A.S., Loureiro, T.G., Rosado, C., Swaleh, M., Kurniati, E., Lecuyer, O., Contreras, C., Arinda, R., Oleson, K.L.L., Buchary, E.A., Rosdiana, A., Grimsrud, K.M., Chen, W., Finau, G., Chambo, J.J., Alarcon Blazquez, M.G., Wolf, N.D., Quijozaca Quijosaca, J.A., Hidayat, R.H.M., Carter, J., Driscoll, S., McLeod, R., Ahmad, M., Sulaiman, A.M., Murunga, M., Hill, A.L., Agung, F., Teoh, M. and Cappabianca, R. (2025) , Environmental Science & Policy, 173, p. 104221.
    2. Shellock, R.J., Spillias, S., James, P.A.S.  Bridgland, J., Fernandez-Abila, C.J., Alarcon Blazquez, M.,  Gacutan, J., and Thoms, R. (in prep). Putting people at the heart of ocean decision-making: the integration of social considerations in ocean accounting
    3. Shellock, R.J., Fernandez-Abila, C.J., Spillias, S., James, P.A.S.  Bridgland, J., Alarcon Blazquez, M.,  Gacutan, J., Thoms, R., Bezabih, M., and  Schramm, A. (in prep). Making communities visible: integrating social dimensions in land and freshwater accounting.
    4. Siddons, B., Hedley, C., Schramm, A., James, P.A.S., and Greenhill. L. (Forthcoming) Commonwealth Guide to Blue Bond Issuance. Part 1: An Introduction to Blue Bonds Commonwealth Secretariat. 
    5. van der Veeren, R., James, P.A.S., Alarcon Blazquez, M.G., and Keijser, X. (2024) . Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article 2.
    6. Alarcon Blazquez M.G., van der Veeren R., Gacutan J., and James P.A.S. (2023) . One Ecosystem 8: e108030.
    1. Guidance. A leading author of the (October 2025) developed by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.
    2. Guidance. Co-author of (August 2025) developed by the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership and UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).
    3. Briefing paper. Shellock, R.J., James, P.A.S. (2025). . Briefing Paper by the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership / ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Centre for Sustainable Development Reform.
    4. Briefing paper. Shellock, R.J., James, P.A.S. (2024). . Briefing Paper by the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership / ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Centre for Sustainable Development Reform.
    5. Guidance. Contributing author of the Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting (2019) from the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP).
    6. Report. Yunwen, B., Barquet, K., … James, P.A.S.,… Zhou, Z. (2025) . Friends of Ocean Action/AVPN.
    7. Blue paper. Hassen, L.B., Colgan, C.S., Spalding, M.J.,…James, P.A.S.,…Smanis T. (2025) . High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.
    8. Guidance. augan, P., Rhodes, A., Hollaway, L., James, P.A.S., … and Thiele, T. (2024). Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 4: Develop a Sustainable and Equitable Ocean Economy. UNESCO-IOC. https://doi.org/10.25607/2452-1r10Graphic design: (IOC/2024/ODS/51.4)
    9. Guidance. Porras, I., Mohammed, E.Y., Milligan, B., James, P., Harper, S., Pochet, G., Vargas, R., Merayo, E., Steele, P. (2019). , prepared by IIED.
    • Member of the  Expert Group advising the Heads of Government, via the Secretariat (2025 - Present).
    • Representative for ocean accounts and statistics in the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) Area-D Expert Group, providing technical guidance on environmental accounting frameworks, international statistical standards, and methodological development for environmental-economic accounting of marine resources (2025 – Present).
    • Strategic advisor to the Government of Costa Rica for the UN Ocean Conference co-chair role, developing national ocean commitments (2024 – 2025).
    • Led the design of the on Sustainable Ocean Planning, establishing programmatic frameworks, strategic objectives, and implementation pathways. Served as member of the interim advisory panel, providing ongoing strategic guidance on programme delivery and evolution and projects (2023-2025).
    • Trustee and Board Director of  (2023 - Present).
    • Affiliate Faculty at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, (2021 - Present).
    • Advisor to OSPAR () on natural capital accounting and ocean accounting frameworks, providing strategic guidance on integrating economic and environmental accounts into marine decision-making processes. Provide advice and support on funding strategies and work programme design to effectively advance the ocean accounting agenda across the North-East Atlantic region (2020 – Present).
    1. °Â±ð²ú¾±²Ô²¹°ù.ÌýIntegrating social data into ocean accounts (30 October 2025). .
    2. °Â±ð²ú¾±²Ô²¹°ù.Ìý (May 2025). .
    3. Webinar. (July 2025). .
    4.  | 1-5 July 2024 | Bali, Indonesia