Fully funded PhD opportunity
- Jacob Phelps
- Jan 13, 2016
- 3 min read
What are the conservation and livelihood impacts of wildlife farming?
PhD scholarship to explore illegal wildlife trade and suplly-side interventions at the Lancaster Enviornment Centre.
Supervised by Jacob Phelps, Luke Parry, Duan Biggs
Deadline: 14 Feb., 2016.
Please contact me in advance to discuss the post (j.phelps(at)lancaster.ac.uk)
Illegal wildlife trade remains a leading threat to global biodiversity. The contemporary "poaching crisis" that faces species such as elephants, tigers and rhinos has spurred renewed debate over the most effective and appropriate policy responses. Wildlife farming (also known as captive breeding, ranching, cultivation, aquaculture) is one proposed strategy through which to reduce pressures on wild populations, while continuing to satisfy consumer demand with legal, sustainably farmed alternatives. However, wildlife farming has been subject to little scrutiny, and experiences to date seem to have yielded mixed conservation and livelihood outcomes. Related debates are increasingly contentious, and are at the forefront of global fora, including the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) that governs international wildlife trade.
To enable more evidence-based decision-making, this research will explore the impacts of wildlife farming on (a) biodiversity conservation, particularly harvesting of targeted wild populations, (b) other species (e.g., feedstock), (c) broader habitats (e.g., rangelands for farmed taxa), and (d) local community livelihoods and rights. Research will involve meta-analysis of diverse taxa subject to wildlife farming, including flora and fauna, different types of wildlife use (e.g., luxury, medicinal) and scales of trade (e.g., domestic, international). Because detailed data on many important parameters do not exist, research will draw on expert knowledge - notably IUCN taxa specialist groups - to evaluate many of these impacts. This will involve interviews/questionnaires and quantitative social science methods such as Delphi iterative process and Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The project will also include field-based research on a target species to ground observations (e.g., with local expert knowledge, socio-economic, attitudinal, and possibly ecological data). The case study taxa and types of data will be selected based on access/data availability, the student's prior travel, research and language skills, and might include Panthera tigris, Andrias davidianus, Orchidaceae, Ursus thibetanus, Salmo salar, Pecari tajacu.
What’s in it for you
Inform global policy. The policy community remains deeply divided on wildlife farming, and this study has a clear opportunity to inform policy debates via NGOs, IUCN and CITES.
Network with leading conservation agencies. This project involves collaboration with the University of Queensland, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and TRAFFIC the wildlife monitoring network, and will engage a wide range of taxa experts. As a result, it presents unique opportunities to establish professional ties with leading practitioners globally.
Field and desk-based experience. The project involves both desk and field-based work and diverse types of data, allowing for a range of experiences and skill development.
Both hands-on supervision and independence. This project will involve close collaboration with the supervisors and partner organisations, while also allowing ample scope to shape the project direction/methods, develop additional lines of enquiry, and contribute/develop individual skills.
Who should apply
We are seeking applications from graduates, or those who expect to graduate in 2015, with a good Masters degree in a relevant field. Candidates should have a demonstrated interest in conservation, experience with quantitative methods, and an interest in expanding their skills and engaging in policy dialogues. Candidates should ideally have experience writing scientific publications and with field research in the tropics.
Funding Notes
Full studentships (UK/EU tuition fees and stipend (£14,057 2015/16 [tax free])) for UK/EU students for 3.5 years, or full studentships (International tuition fees and stipend (£14,057 2015/16 [tax free])) for International students for 3 years.
Further reading
Biggs, D., Courchamp, F., Martin, R., Possingham, H.P. 2013. Legal trade in Africa's rhino horns. Science 339:1038-1039.
Challender, D.W.S, McMillan, D.C. 2014. Poaching is more than an enforcement problem. Conservation Letters 7:484-494.
Conrad, K. 2012. Trade bans: a perfect storm for poaching? Tropical Conservation Science 5:245-254.
Laurance, W.F. et al. 2012. Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas. Nature 489:290-294.
Lyons, J.A., Natusch, D.J.D. 2011. Wildlife laundering through breeding farms: Illegal harvest, population declines and a means of regulating the trade of green pythons (Morelia viridis) from Indonesia. Biological Conservation 144:3073-3081.
Phelps et al. 2013. A Framework for Assessing Supply-Side Wildlife Conservation. Conservation Biology 28:244-257.
Secco, L.D., Pirard, R. 2015. Do tree plantations support forest conservation? CIFOR InfoBrief No. 110. Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia. URL: http://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/infobrief/5485-infobrief.pdf.
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