ֱ̽ of Cambridge - Nigel Leader-Williams /taxonomy/people/nigel-leader-williams en Living with snow leopards /stories/snow-leopard <div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Local people in the Nepal Himalayas value snow leopards as much for the potential personal benefits they gain from the animals’ conservation as they do for the intrinsic value of this charismatic species, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE.</p> <p> ֱ̽team of researchers led by the ֱ̽ of Cambridge found that local attitudes towards the snow leopard were strongly linked to local views on the conservation methods used to protect them.</p> </p></div></div></div> Thu, 24 Oct 2019 07:30:12 +0000 jg533 208362 at Trophy hunting of lions can aid in conservation, but overhaul of system is required, say researchers /research/news/trophy-hunting-of-lions-can-aid-in-conservation-but-overhaul-of-system-is-required-say-researchers <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/crop_11.jpg?itok=B3EzVhSW" alt="" title="Credit: None" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>One year after the worldwide controversy when an American dentist and recreational hunter killed Cecil the Lion outside Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, the researchers say hunting can work as a conservation tool, but that an overhaul of the system is required in order to encourage hunting companies to prioritise sustainability over profits. Their <a href="https://journals.plos.org:443/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0162610">findings</a> are published in the journal <em>PLOS ONE</em>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Although it may seem counterintuitive, most lion conservationists agree that trophy hunting can play a key role in conserving the species. Lions need large protected areas to thrive, but managing this land is expensive: in developing countries, the operating budgets for protected areas only cover an average of 30% of costs, and the fees raised from trophy hunting can cover some of this shortfall, making it financially feasible to protect lion habitat instead of developing it for other purposes. However, the researchers say the system is in need of reform if the species is to be protected in the long term.</p>&#13; &#13; <p> ֱ̽researchers, from the Universities of Kent, Cambridge and Queensland, studied lion population trends between 1996 and 2008 in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve. Tanzania is home to up to half of the world’s free-ranging lions and is also the main location for lion trophy hunting in Africa.</p>&#13; &#13; <p> ֱ̽game reserve, which is a stronghold for the species, is divided into blocks in which hunting rights are allocated to different companies. ֱ̽government leases the land to the hunting companies, enforces hunting regulation and allocates the companies a species-specific annual quota per block.</p>&#13; &#13; <p> ֱ̽researchers found that in areas where companies were allocated a particular block of land over a short time period (less than ten years), the numbers of lions killed, and the numbers of trophy species killed overall, were higher than the recommended numbers. In addition, annual financial returns were higher for these lands under short-term management.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In contrast, in blocks that were allocated to the same company for ten years or more, the number of offtakes, or licensed lion kills, were at level that were sustainable for the species, while also maintaining their habitat.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>“Companies who have secured long-term use rights to natural resources are more likely to manage them sustainably,” said Dr Henry Brink from the ֱ̽ of Kent, the study’s first author. “This is an important lesson for lion conservation, as loss of habitat means this species is increasingly restricted to protected areas.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p>This research also supports calls to change the hunting fee system in Tanzania. “At present, the government sells hunting block fees cheaply, and raises more by setting high quotas and high fees for each trophy animal shot, which encourages those who are only allocated blocks over the short-term to shoot more lions, at the expense of long-term sustainability and profits,” said Professor Nigel Leader-Williams from Cambridge’s Department of Geography, the study’s senior author. “Increasing block fees, reducing trophy fees and reducing the hunting quota could bring in the same tax revenue, while reducing the temptation of hunters to kill more lions.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p><strong><em>Reference:</em></strong><br /><em>Henry Brink et al. ‘</em><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0162610"><em>Sustainability and long term-tenure: lion trophy hunting in Tanzania</em></a><em>.’ PLOS ONE (2016). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162610. </em></p>&#13; &#13; <p><em>Adapted from a ֱ̽ of Kent press release.</em></p>&#13; &#13; <p> </p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>New research has found that controlled trophy hunting of lions can actually help conserve the species, but only in areas where hunting companies are given long-term land management rights.  </p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Increasing block fees, reducing trophy fees and reducing the hunting quota could bring in the same tax revenue, while reducing the temptation of hunters to kill more lions.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Nigel Leader-Williams</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width:0" /></a><br />&#13; ֱ̽text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. For image use please see separate credits above.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Fri, 23 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 sc604 178922 at Global carnivore conservation at risk /research/news/global-carnivore-conservation-at-risk <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/pic_5.png?itok=bgPJCICQ" alt="Lion Cub with Mother in the Serengeti" title="Lion Cub with Mother in the Serengeti, Credit: David Dennis" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>A new study confirms that the global conservation of carnivores is at risk. ֱ̽<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep23814">paper</a>, published in the journal Scientific Reports, models future global land conversion and estimates this will lead to significant range loss and conflict with local people in regions critical for the survival of already threatened carnivore species.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Organised by an international team of conservation and land use change scientists, including from the ֱ̽ of Cambridge, the study concludes that immediate action is needed to prevent habitat loss and conflict with humans in priority areas for carnivore conservation.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Mammalian carnivores have suffered the biggest range contraction of all biodiversity, and are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>“We assessed how expected land use change will affect priority areas for carnivore conservation in the future,” said study lead author Dr Enrico Di Minin from the ֱ̽ of Helsinki. “ ֱ̽analysis revealed that carnivores will suffer considerable range losses in the future. Worryingly, it seems that the most important areas for carnivore conservation are located in areas where human-carnivore conflicts are likely to be most severe.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Presently, South American, African, and South East Asian countries, as well as India, were found to contribute mostly to carnivore conservation. While some of the most charismatic species, such as the tiger and giant panda were found to be at high risk under future land use change, smaller, less charismatic species, with small ranges were found to be equally threatened by habitat loss.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Carnivores include some of the most iconic species that help generate funding for biodiversity conservation and deliver important benefits to humans. Protecting carnivores will conserve many other bird, amphibian, reptile and mammal species that live in priority areas for carnivore conservation.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>“International targets have proposed that 17 percent of land should be set aside for conservation,” said study co-author Professor Nigel Leader-Williams from Cambridge’s Department of Geography. “However, we show that this will prove inadequate for maintaining viable populations of carnivores, as well as other biodiversity. Therefore, new strategies that involve better integration of people and carnivores inside and outside of protected areas will be needed if further species of carnivores are not to become extinct.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p>“Carnivores like big cats have been squeezed out of their ranges at alarming rates for decades now, and we can now see that habitat loss and its shock waves on wildlife are only on the rise,” said study co-author Dr Luke Hunter, President and Chief Conservation Officer of <a href="https://panthera.org/">Panthera</a>, the global wild cat conservation organisation. “In order to protect our planet’s landscape guardians, a far greater financial investment from the international community is needed for range-wide conservation approaches, both within and outside of protected areas where carnivores roam.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Co-author Professor Rob Slotow, from the ֱ̽ of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, emphasised that reducing conflict with humans outside of protected areas is pivotal. “Most priorities for carnivore conservation are in areas in the global south where human populations are increasing in size, agriculture is intensifying, and human development needs are the highest. There is need to implement conservation strategies that promote tolerance for carnivores outside protected areas and focus on the benefits that people derive from these species.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p><strong><em>Reference:</em></strong><br /><em>Enrico Di Minin et al. ‘Global Priorities for national carnivore conservation under land use change.’ Scientific Reports (2016). DOI: 10.1038/srep23814</em></p>&#13; &#13; <p><em>Adapted from ֱ̽ of Helsinki <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/animals/new-report-confirms-global-carnivore-conservation-risk" target="_blank">press release</a>.</em></p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Shrinking habitat, increased conflict projected in regions critical to survival of threatened apex predators.</p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New strategies that involve better integration of people and carnivores inside and outside of protected areas will be needed if further species of carnivores are not to become extinct.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Nigel Leader-Williams</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidden/390536544/in/photolist-AvAUG-4toovu-dyCJeY-pBiasy-5f773c-rgYwQB-izvUUS-jSe5dU-e18mZy-aBhXMM-n71cSM-qmqGYo-qmQjRR-qNU5u5-orQLzH-ajcYQ5-kPYCDQ-dfYJjM-bqtFwQ-fsiy8i-oDpn7t-ri6cXG-nB8w4H-pVsb3G-qLUfEB-ktPN1o-ph6puz-oBVzRR-fUNwki-7GmNje-5Rx9zy-bPHeeP-icMeT2-8r2smf-ctBnYQ-ktMKGa-5Qgdrd-aXGCAe-icLzHN-7EHRvX-cJxACQ-ktMQ1F-ktPPNw-8UM2p2-rt1Cyw-NTzFw-88kBC4-RbKnD-hq6CnG-8qwTXt" target="_blank">David Dennis</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Lion Cub with Mother in the Serengeti</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width:0" /></a><br />&#13; ֱ̽text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. For image use please see separate credits above.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-license-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Licence type:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/imagecredit/attribution-sharealike">Attribution-ShareAlike</a></div></div></div> Wed, 06 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000 sc604 170722 at Banning trophy hunting could do more harm than good /research/news/banning-trophy-hunting-could-do-more-harm-than-good <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/lionwaitinginnamibia.png?itok=SDhNhIxj" alt="Lion waiting in Namibia" title="Lion waiting in Namibia, Credit: Kevin Pluck" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Banning trophy hunting would do more harm than good in African countries that have little money to invest in critical conservation initiatives, argue researchers from the Universities of Cambridge, Adelaide and Helsinki. Trophy hunting can be an important conservation tool, provided it can be done in a controlled manner to benefit biodiversity conservation and local people. Where political and governance structures are adequate, trophy hunting can help address the ongoing loss of species.</p>&#13; &#13; <p> ֱ̽researchers have developed a list of 12 guidelines that could address some of the concerns about trophy hunting and enhance its contribution to biodiversity conservation. Their <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(15)00303-1">paper</a> is published in the journal <em>Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution</em>.  </p>&#13; &#13; <p>“ ֱ̽story of Cecil the lion, who was killed by an American dentist in July 2015, shocked people all over the world and reignited debates surrounding trophy hunting,” said Professor Corey Bradshaw of the ֱ̽ of Adelaide, the paper’s senior author.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>“Understandably, many people oppose trophy hunting and believe it is contributing to the ongoing loss of species; however, we contend that banning the US$217 million per year industry in Africa could end up being worse for species conservation,” he said.  </p>&#13; &#13; <p>Professor Bradshaw says trophy hunting brings in more money and can be less disruptive than ecotourism. While the majority of animals hunted in sub-Saharan Africa are more common and less valuable species, the majority of hunting revenue comes from a few valuable species, particularly the charismatic ‘Big Five’: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and black or white rhinoceros.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>“Conserving biodiversity can be expensive, so generating money is essential for environmental non-government organisations, conservation-minded individuals, government agencies and scientists,” said co-author Dr Enrico Di Minin from the ֱ̽ of Helsinki.  </p>&#13; &#13; <p>“Financial resources for conservation, particularly in developing countries, are limited,” he said. “As such, consumptive (including trophy hunting) and non-consumptive (ecotourism safaris) uses are both needed to generate funding. Without such these, many natural habitats would otherwise be converted to agricultural or pastoral uses.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>“Trophy hunting can also have a smaller carbon and infrastructure footprint than ecotourism, and it generates higher revenue from a lower number of uses.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p>However, co-author Professor Nigel Leader-Williams from Cambridge’s Department of Geography said there is a need for the industry to be better regulated.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>“There are many concerns about trophy hunting beyond the ethical that currently limit its effectiveness as a conservation tool,” he said. “One of the biggest problems is that the revenue it generates often goes to the private sector and rarely benefits protected-area management and the local communities. However, if this money was better managed, it would provide much needed funds for conservation.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p> ֱ̽authors’ guidelines to make trophy hunting more effective for conservation are:</p>&#13; &#13; <ol><li>Mandatory levies should be imposed on safari operators by governments so that they can be invested directly into trust funds for conservation and management;</li>&#13; <li>Eco-labelling certification schemes could be adopted for trophies coming from areas that contribute to broader biodiversity conservation and respect animal welfare concerns;</li>&#13; <li>Mandatory population viability analyses should be done to ensure that harvests cause no net population declines;</li>&#13; <li>Post-hunt sales of any part of the animals should be banned to avoid illegal wildlife trade;</li>&#13; <li>Priority should be given to fund trophy hunting enterprises run (or leased) by local communities;</li>&#13; <li>Trusts to facilitate equitable benefit sharing within local communities and promote long-term economic sustainability should be created;</li>&#13; <li>Mandatory scientific sampling of hunted animals, including tissue for genetic analyses and teeth for age analysis, should be enforced;</li>&#13; <li>Mandatory 5-year (or more frequent) reviews of all individuals hunted and detailed population management plans should be submitted to government legislators to extend permits;</li>&#13; <li>There should be full disclosure to public of all data collected (including levied amounts);</li>&#13; <li>Independent government observers should be placed randomly and without forewarning on safari hunts as they happen;</li>&#13; <li>Trophies must be confiscated and permits are revoked when illegal practices are disclosed; and</li>&#13; <li>Backup professional shooters and trackers should be present for all hunts to minimise welfare concerns.</li>&#13; </ol><p><strong><em>Reference:</em></strong><br /><em>E. Di Minin et al. ‘<a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(15)00303-1" target="_blank">Banning Trophy Hunting Will Exacerbate Biodiversity Loss</a>.’ Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution (2015). DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.12.006</em></p>&#13; &#13; <p><em>Adapted from a ֱ̽ of Adelaide <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news82382.html" target="_blank">press release</a>. </em></p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Trophy hunting shouldn’t be banned, but instead it should be better regulated to ensure funds generated from permits are invested back into local conservation efforts, according to new research. </p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">There are many concerns about trophy hunting beyond the ethical that currently limit its effectiveness as a conservation tool.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Nigel Leader-Williams</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lion_waiting_in_Namibia.jpg#/media/File:Lion_waiting_in_Namibia.jpg" target="_blank">Kevin Pluck</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Lion waiting in Namibia</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width:0" /></a><br />&#13; ֱ̽text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. For image use please see separate credits above.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-license-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Licence type:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/imagecredit/attribution">Attribution</a></div></div></div> Mon, 11 Jan 2016 06:24:31 +0000 sc604 164932 at Online resource to support the work of biodiversity conservation organisations /research/news/online-resource-to-support-the-work-of-biodiversity-conservation-organisations <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/news/140930bee-credit-paul-haigh.jpg?itok=86o6sur8" alt="Bee" title="Bee, Credit: Paul Haigh" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="https://www.capacityforconservation.org/">Capacityforconservation.org</a> is a free online resource designed to act as a central hub where biodiversity conservation organisations can download tools, contribute their expertise, and learn from one another to strengthen their ability to address complex conservation challenges.</p>&#13; <p>Knowing the best way for an organisation to develop to become a sustainable and resilient entity, or even understanding the questions the organisation needs to ask of itself in order to start this development, can be a daunting challenge.</p>&#13; <p> ֱ̽new resource recognises that conservation organisations often ask similar questions as to how they can best address the challenges they are tackling – whether it’s a local organisation on the Kenyan coast seeking to improve the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources or a grassroots non-government organisation trying to tackle the trade in threatened species in Vietnam.</p>&#13; <p>Capacityforconservation.org provides resources such as published reports, case studies and indicators that these types of organisations can use to help them answer their questions, as well as a global platform for organisations to share best practice with one another. Having a single source of information and a platform where organisations can share their experiences of undertaking their own development will be a significant benefit to these organisations, and, in turn, the conservation actions they are undertaking.</p>&#13; <p>Christina Garcia, Director of the Ya’axché Conservation Trust, Belize, and a user of capacityforconservation.org said: “Accessing different tools on the Capacity for Conservation website allowed Ya’axché to realise the experiences we have are shared among organisations around the world.”</p>&#13; <p>In addition to access to resources and examples of best practice, capacityforconservation.org also offers self-led organisational health checks for conservation organisations. ֱ̽results of these health checks indicate areas where organisations could consider improving their capacity, along with recommendations for tools on the website that the organisation could use to do so. An organisation that needs to work on its financial management, for example, would be directed to over 25 resources, ranging from a guide to budgetary management to a document about risk analysis.</p>&#13; <p>Professor Nigel Leader-Williams, Director of Conservation Leadership at the Department of Geography, is a member of the consortium who developed capacityforconservation.org. “ ֱ̽site seeks to offer conservation organisations around the world the ability to self-check their capacity to meet the immense organisational challenges they face in saving biodiversity globally.</p>&#13; <p>“Based around an easy to navigate and attractive interface, capacityforconservation.org has the potential to make a real difference to the ability of conservation organisations to implement conservation actions on the ground. Developed by a group of partners in the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, the resource draws on the experience within CCI and its networks to offer a unique resource to conservation practitioners world-wide.”</p>&#13; <p>Capacityforconservation.org has been developed by the Capacity for Conservation Collaboration, a joint initiative between the Cambridge Conservation Initiative’s partners BirdLife International, Fauna &amp; Flora International, the Tropical Biology Association and the ֱ̽ of Cambridge’s Department of Geography, with funds from the Cambridge Conservation Initiative’s Collaborative Fund for Conservation.</p>&#13; <p>Capacityforconservation.org currently contains over 140 tools, resources and case studies gathered by leading conservation organisations. Resources are available in 18 languages, and work is under way to translate the site into Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>A free online resource, launched today (1 October), will help conservation organisations share expertise and tools, aiding them in addressing some of the planet’s most challenging conservation issues.</p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Capacityforconservation.org has the potential to make a real difference to the ability of conservation organisations to implement conservation actions on the ground</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Nigel Leader-Williams</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/" target="_blank">Paul Haigh</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Bee</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p> ֱ̽text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page. For image rights, please see the credits associated with each individual image.</p>&#13; <p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"><img alt="" src="/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/80x15.png" style="width: 80px; height: 15px;" /></a></p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-related-links field-type-link-field field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Related Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://Capacityforconservation.org">Capacityforconservation.org</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="https://www.conservation.cam.ac.uk/">Cambridge Conservation Initiative</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="https://www.birdlife.org/">BirdLife International</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="http://www.fauna-flora.org">Fauna &amp; Flora International</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="https://tropical-biology.org/">Tropical Biology Association</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/graduate/mphil/conservation/"> MPhil in Conservation Leadership</a></div></div></div> Wed, 01 Oct 2014 08:01:57 +0000 lw355 135872 at Assessing protected area effectiveness /research/news/assessing-protected-area-effectiveness <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/120330-rainforest-canopy-neil-ennis.jpg?itok=kM65OFNV" alt="rainforest canopy" title="rainforest canopy, Credit: Neil Ennis from Flickr" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p> ֱ̽new study disentangled the effects of regulations governing access in unprotected lands surrounding the 110,000 sq km protected area network on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Its results showed that measures of the effectiveness of protection differed according to the different land use regulations governing unprotected lands outside protected area boundaries.</p>&#13; <p> ֱ̽study, led by Dr David Gaveau of Stanford ֱ̽, and co-authored by Professor Nigel Leader-Williams, a conservation scientist from the ֱ̽ of Cambridge, introduces another twist in the tale of measurement bias. Its results show that controlling for geographic access alone is not enough to remove all measurement biases, which may have led to over-estimating the effectiveness of protected areas because they did not control for government-sanctioned access such as conversion to industrial-scale oil palm or rubber plantations.</p>&#13; <p>Nigel Leader-Williams, Director of Conservation Leadership in the Department of Geography at the ֱ̽ of Cambridge adds: “Just as deforestation rates in remote protected areas should not be compared with deforestation rates from more accessible and lower altitude unprotected areas, it is also critical to control for government-mediated access in the form of regulations governing unprotected lands.”</p>&#13; <p>Said David Gaveau “These new findings call into question the conclusions reached by previous studies on the effectiveness of protected area performance that have not controlled for regulations governing access to unprotected lands. As governments continue to sanction access to industrial agriculture across the tropics, this method should become an essential component of land use change research evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas.”</p>&#13; <p>Such measurements have great importance for future conservation policy. Across the tropics, governments sanction access to large scale, industrial plantations causing considerable loss of natural forests and wildlife habitats. Initiatives, such as REDD, or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, propose a set of steps to provide financial incentives to reduce greenhouse gasses associated with deforestation. ֱ̽new study will help provide baselines for allocating funds from REDD and assessing the effectiveness of such conservation efforts in the future.  REDD policies are vital to countries such as Indonesia, where deforestation intensified in the 1970’s and has accelerated since. ֱ̽estimated forest cover on Indonesia decreased from 170 million ha in 1900 to about 98 million ha by the 1990’s. At this rate, the tropical rainforest on Indonesia could be completely logged out in another 10 years, unless the remaining forests can be protected more effectively.</p>&#13; <p>Early assessments of protected area effectiveness typically measured and compared deforestation rates inside and outside protected area boundaries. However, these early assessments did not control for the ease of access, since much of the global protected area network lies “high and far” in steeper foothills and mountains, where it is less easy to cut down the forest than in flatter lowlands outside protected area boundaries. Therefore, researchers such as Dr Lucas Joppa, currently based at Microsoft Research in Cambridge, developed sophisticated statistical tools to remove this measurement bias, by controlled for geographic access. This new study has taken approaches to measuring protected area effectiveness on to the next stage.</p>&#13; <p>Article published Conservation Letters, entitled: <em>Examining protected area effectiveness in Sumatra</em></p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>A new study published in Conservation Letters aims to measure whether parks and reserves in the tropics succeed in protecting forests.</p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Just as deforestation rates in remote protected areas should not be compared with deforestation rates from more accessible and lower altitude unprotected areas, it is also critical to control for government-mediated access in the form of regulations governing unprotected lands.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Professor Nigel Leader-Williams</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/" target="_blank">Neil Ennis from Flickr</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">rainforest canopy</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"><img alt="" src="/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/80x15.png" style="width: 80px; height: 15px;" /></a></p>&#13; <p>This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:00:59 +0000 bjb42 26661 at A conservation leader in the making /research/news/a-conservation-leader-in-the-making <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/131011joy-juma.jpg?itok=RB87ZdE9" alt="Joy Juma" title="Joy Juma, Credit: Working in the Caribbean with Fauna &amp;amp;amp; Flora International" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Cycling to lectures through Cambridge’s medieval streets, learning leadership skills from pioneers in conservation of the environment, splashing into the turquoise waters of the Caribbean to observe marine life. These are among the many memories that Joy Juma will take home to Kenya after a year at the ֱ̽ of Cambridge as one of the first cohort of graduate students on the MPhil in Conservation Leadership programme.</p>&#13; <p> ֱ̽past year has been one of the most varied and demanding in Joy’s life. Not only has she experienced one of the coldest British winters on record but she also spent seven weeks on a placement with the Cambridge-based conservation organisation Fauna &amp; Flora International (FFI) on the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, extending her practical and grass-roots knowledge of marine conservation.</p>&#13; <p>Her visit to the Caribbean entailed gathering data on the marine environment and the ways in which it intersects with two of the area’s most important sources of revenue –  fishing and tourism – which are vital to the livelihoods of thousands of people on modest or low incomes. ֱ̽emphasis of her research was on marine governance. “On Antigua, I was based at the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment, and also spent some time talking to individual fishermen about their working lives. It was so encouraging that the fishermen are really keen to conserve their environment and they showed a deep understanding of ecosystem dynamics,” she said.</p>&#13; <p>“On Barbuda, I found that people felt an even stronger sense of ownership of the marine environment, perhaps because land there is communally owned. This revealed itself in their interest in marine conservation. On both islands, there is a profound commitment to sustainable management and a willingness to work towards this that was really exciting. It shows how conservationists and communities can work together to protect threatened species and the habitats they live in. What emerged most forcefully from my placement was the similarity of conservation problems globally and the opportunities for learning from each other.”</p>&#13; <p>Once back in Kenya, where she works for the East African arm of FFI, Joy will apply her experiences in the Caribbean and what she has learnt on the MPhil programme in Cambridge. In 2009, together with colleagues at FFI, she was instrumental in setting up marine conservation projects with fishing communities at six different landing places on the south coast of Kenya. ֱ̽objective is to manage marine resources in a way that is sustainable and participatory. “It’s a scheme that brings diverse stakeholders together for a common purpose – and the early indications are that it is very effective,” she explained.</p>&#13; <p>Joy has been passionate about conservation ever since she was a teenager. On leaving school, she took a degree in environmental studies at Nairobi’s Kenyatta ֱ̽, concentrating on community development. After graduating, she spent a year working as a volunteer for the East African Wildlife Society, a Kenyan-based NGO. “I worked on the restoration of a lake that straddles the boundary between Kenya and Tanzania, and during this time I gained essential skills and experience,” she said. Having excelled as a volunteer, and shown her ability to co-ordinate and manage projects, Joy was offered a post with FFI as a programme assistant. After four years she was promoted to a programme co-ordinator.</p>&#13; <p>In East Africa, FFI works across four countries – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan. In her five years with the organisation, Joy has been involved in various projects, including participatory forest management and species recovery. During this time she twice visited the headquarters of FFI, which has strong links with Cambridge ֱ̽ as a founding partner of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI). “I liked what I saw of Cambridge, which is a real hub for conservation and has a strong international ethos. So when I heard about the new Masters in Conservation Leadership, I was really keen to apply for a place,” she said.</p>&#13; <p>“What appealed to me about the course was the chance to develop skills that are crucial in project management. I liked the way in which the course is structured to give participants a solid grounding in leadership – such as communication and financial planning – as well as incorporating a placement with a partner organisation that would offer a chance to see another environment and another set of challenges.”</p>&#13; <p>When FFI and the MAVA programme in Conservation Leadership agreed to sponsor Joy’s place on the programme, she was thrilled but also nervous. “I knew it was a huge opportunity to develop myself professionally. I was also aware that I’d be thrown back on my own resources far from my usual support network in East Africa,” she admitted. She need not have worried. ֱ̽12 students from nine different countries on the programme quickly formed a strong bond. “We have a huge diversity of backgrounds and interests, so we have been able to learn a vast amount from each other,” she said.</p>&#13; <p> ֱ̽Masters comprises two parts: the first of which is largely taught by lecturers from every organisation in CCI, talking about their specialist fields, and the second of which is the placement. “In the first two terms we had lectures from many of the pioneering groups and centres based in and around Cambridge – it was an amazing chance to hear from them and to be able to ask questions. What I found especially useful were the leadership lectures from people at the helm of established institutions,” added Joy.</p>&#13; <p>Life as a Cambridge student has been rewarding and challenging. “Spending a year living and working in Cambridge has been a stimulating experience. I will be returning to Kenya ready to be an innovative and effective conservation leader.”</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Joy Juma, from Kenya, is among the first early-career conservation practitioners to take an innovative Masters programme at the ֱ̽ of Cambridge.</p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">What emerged most forcefully from my placement was the similarity of conservation problems globally and the opportunities for learning from each other.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Joy Juma</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/" target="_blank">Working in the Caribbean with Fauna &amp;amp; Flora International</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Joy Juma</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-panel-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">MPhil in Conservation Leadership</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-panel-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Launched in 2010 by the Department of Geography, the MPhil in Conservation Leadership focuses on equipping its students with the tools to become professional managers in the world of conservation. Key to its success is the collective expertise of partners in the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI): eight leading conservation organisations and one conservation network clustered in the Cambridge area and six departments across the ֱ̽, including the Cambridge Judge Business School and the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership.</p>&#13; <p>Students go beyond developing a deeper awareness of the complex drivers of biodiversity loss to learn skills that will prepare them for the challenges of leadership: strategic planning, finance, innovation, entrepreneurship, advocacy and communication.</p>&#13; <p> ֱ̽Director of Conservation Leadership, and Fellow of Churchill College, Dr Nigel Leader-Williams, explained: “ ֱ̽programme is built along similar lines to the business school model, with a professional placement spent with one of CCI organisations providing the students with hands-on experience of management tasks.”</p>&#13; <p>Many of the students are from less-developed countries, where the most biodiversity remains but also where the losses are probably the greatest. “We need to grow the number of dedicated scholarships that are available for the course because most of the students we aim to attract don’t have the funds necessary to cover the costs of the course,” added Dr Leader-Williams. ֱ̽programme is supported for a period of 10 years by a generous gift from the MAVA Fondation pour la Protection de la Nature, while Arcadia has agreed to establish a Miriam Rothschild Scholarship Programme in Conservation Leadership for the next five years.</p>&#13; <p>As the first cohort of students complete their studies and resume their careers in conservation around the globe, the contacts they have made will be invaluable. This, explained Dr Mike Rands, Executive Director of CCI, is a strategic aim of the programme: “With successive years, this innovative course will create a growing international leadership network, build conservation capacity and become a major force for better environmental stewardship.”</p>&#13; <p>For more information, please contact Dr Nigel Leader-Williams (<a href="mailto:nigel.leader-williams@geog.cam.ac.uk">nigel.leader-williams@geog.cam.ac.uk</a>) or visit <a href="http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/graduate/mphil/conservation/">www.geog.cam.ac.uk/graduate/mphil/conservation/</a></p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"><img alt="" src="/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/80x15.png" style="width: 80px; height: 15px;" /></a></p>&#13; <p>This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-related-links field-type-link-field field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Related Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/graduate/mphil/conservation/">MPhil in Conservation Leadership</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/graduate/mphil/conservation/">MPhil in Conservation Leadership</a></div></div></div> Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:00:09 +0000 lw355 26426 at