Conservation of Land & Biodiversity
Applied Conservation Research & Engagement
I am a conservation biologist interested in research, education, and action that informs conservation planning, policy and wildlife management.
Check out recent news and postings below!
Mediterranean Natura 2000 Biogeographical Seminar
Given the great opportunity to participate and present preliminary Pan-European connectivity results at the 4th Mediterranean Biogeographical Seminar in Larnaca, Cyprus. It was very enlightening to have conversations and receive feedback from practitioners from the different EU Mediterranean countries.
Bioscience Publication and CNN Feature
Our recent article in Bioscience on the use of an advanced AI camera system for rapid tiger identification and ranger notification has garnered a lot of media attention including an awesome video feature by CNN’s Mission Tiger! The video highlights some of the great ways forest rangers and community members are rapidly developing their own local methods for how best to use these data to inform residents and prevent poaching.
TEDx on Tech in Wildlife Biology and Tiger Conservation!
My first foray into giving a TEDx talk! Presented on seeing the use of camera trap tech expanding from my experiences in Alaska to now using AI cameras for the conservation of tigers and other endangered species.
Revised Conservation Plan for the Congaree Biosphere Region
We have uploaded our finalized systematic conservation plan for the Congaree Biosphere Region on our project’s ArcGIS Experience. After hosting an interactive webinar to present our methods and draft plan we allowed four months for stakeholder feedback. This first of its kind integration of ecosystem services, freshwater and terrestrial biodiversity data, and connectivity model output will provide guidance for local conservation collaborations on the priority lands in the biosphere for protection.
One Earth article on our first captures of tigers using TrailGuard AI
For the first time this breakthrough technology has been used to capture and send images of tigers in near real time!
New paper in GECO on how important working lands are for neotropical birds!
We sampled for birds from the center of an urban core through the exurban/rural matrix to the designated wilderness of Congaree National Park. The highest community diversity of insectivores, specialist birds, and the overall bird community was highest on working lands near conventional protected areas. This highlights just how important these intermediately disturbed lands can be for wildlife conservation.
The AI Podcast Interview
I talked with host Noah Kravitz about our deployment of new AI cameras for tiger conservation in India, my story of getting into conservation biology and that 15% of Americans think they could win a fight with a tiger!
New paper in Oryx expanding the official range of the jungle cat in Sri Lanka
Using citizen science data collected by my co-authors we were, for the first time, able to model habitat suitability for the jungle cat (Felis chaus) in Sri Lanka. We found that though this cat is quite adaptable it is highly preferential to areas near riverine forests and the ancient water tanks dotting the northern portions of the country.
“Don't hike so close to me: How the presence of humans can disturb wildlife up to half a mile away”
My co-authors and I wrote an article for The Conversation about our recent review in Nature Conservation concerning recreation impact thresholds on wildlife and what people can do to reduce their impacts while recreating in the outdoors. Click on the image to link to the article.
