Aimée McIntosh: Modelling harvest of Greenland barnacle geese and its implications in mitigating human–wildlife conflict

Shortlisted for the 2023 Southwood Prize Aimée McIntosh talks us through how she and colleagues constructed an integrated population model to assess the cumulative impact of all shooting harvest on the Greenland barnacle goose. Findings demonstrate the impact of local harvests on global abundance, emphasising the importance of internationally coordinated monitoring and management strategies of migratory species. From conservation success to conflict Unlike many migratory … Continue reading Aimée McIntosh: Modelling harvest of Greenland barnacle geese and its implications in mitigating human–wildlife conflict

Predicting dispersal and conflict risk for wolf recolonisation in Colorado

Mark Ditmer discusses his and colleagues’ new research which aims to predict wolf movement and potential conflict hotspots following the state of Colorado’s decision to reintroduce gray wolves. This data may be used to offer practical, actionable recommendations for decision-makers. Animal movement and conflict risk Species’ ranges are shifting – and accurately predicting the way species disperse in novel areas can greatly enhance conservation efforts. … Continue reading Predicting dispersal and conflict risk for wolf recolonisation in Colorado

Use of avian GPS tracking to mitigate human fatalities from bird strikes.

Air traffic has increased significantly in recent years, from 1.674 billion passengers in 2000 to 4.397 billion passengers in 2019.  However, this growth has come at a cost. In their latest research, Arrondo et al. review and quantify the characteristics of bird strikes in Spain, and analyse flight patterns of the species that caused aircraft crashes in Europe. Bird strikes have been a feature of … Continue reading Use of avian GPS tracking to mitigate human fatalities from bird strikes.

Cameron Hodges: Using radio-telemetry to better understand how a highly venomous snake lives among people

In this Q&A, we ask author Cameron Hodges about his team’s research monitoring the behaviour of a Malayan krait near a university dormitory in Thailand, and find out a little bit more about the author himself. Go to: The research | The bigger picture | About the Author The research What’s your article about? Our article provides a detailed description of the observed movements, habitat … Continue reading Cameron Hodges: Using radio-telemetry to better understand how a highly venomous snake lives among people

Repatriating solitary felids: the case for seeking homes for conflict-borne leopards in southern Africa

Photo © Vasti Botha Translocating large carnivores to reduce human-wildlife conflict have historically failed, but recent improvements in satellite technology have enabled better monitoring and success. In their latest research, Power et al. report on the outcomes of repatriating 16 leopards across a South African province. Leopards need little introduction. These large felids are ubiquitous across Africa and large parts of Asia. However, being so … Continue reading Repatriating solitary felids: the case for seeking homes for conflict-borne leopards in southern Africa

Igor Khorozyan: How to protect cattle from leopard attacks

In this Q&A, we discussed with author Igor Khorozyan the background behind his team’s recently published article: “Studded leather collars are very effective in protecting cattle from leopard (Panthera pardus) attacks” and the wider implications of the research, as well as finding a little bit more about the author himself. The research What’s your article about? In this article, we studied how good protective collars … Continue reading Igor Khorozyan: How to protect cattle from leopard attacks

Wildlife conservation modelling and Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are a way of bringing potential ‘buyers’ and ‘sellers’ of ecosystem services together for a mutually beneficial exchange. In their recently published work, Kragt and colleagues present an ecological model in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic that predicts how community-based patrolling can protect critically endangered species from poaching. Here they show how this model could benefit PES schemes. Laos … Continue reading Wildlife conservation modelling and Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes

Carnivores without borders: management of transboundary populations when objectives differ

Using the recent case study of wolverines in Scandinavia as an example, Associate Editor, Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi highlights why management initiatives for transboundary populations need to collaborate across borders – and what happens when they don’t. Globally, carnivore conservation has two very different objectives. First, to protect the population of the carnivore species from going extinct. Second, to mitigate the impact of the carnivore on the … Continue reading Carnivores without borders: management of transboundary populations when objectives differ

BES journal blogs round up: February 2019

February was another busy month across the British Ecological Society blogs. We’ve seen the launch of Special Features on ecological succession and advances in modelling demographic processes, as well as a cross-journal series on rewilding, a look at the physics behind predator and prey size ratios and an exploration of how climate change is affecting penguin interactions. Read on for more highlights. Functional Ecologists – … Continue reading BES journal blogs round up: February 2019

Welcome to our new Associate Editors – 2019

Towards the end of last year and the start of this, we welcomed some new faces to our Editorial Board. Get to know our new Associate Editors: Amy J. Dickman Wild Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford Amy has more than 20 years’ experience working on large carnivores in Africa, specialising in human-carnivore conflict. She has an MSc from Oxford University and … Continue reading Welcome to our new Associate Editors – 2019