MSc Project: Evaluating
the potential for participatory monitoring
of saigas by local villagers in Kalmykia, Russia
Saiga antelope were once numerous throughout Kalmykia, but are now critically
endangered due to an increase in poaching following the collapse of the
Soviet Union. Whilst rangers are employed by reserves to record saiga
numbers and to prevent poaching, and local people who live in villages
within the saiga range have been engaged with environmental education
and social engagement campaigns, there has not as yet been an attempt
made to explicitly and directly link these community members to the ongoing
monitoring of the saiga. Lack of employment and widespread poverty in
the region act as incentives for saiga poaching, and although recently
poaching activity has been minimal, if local people do not perceive a
benefit from preserving the saiga it is possible that poaching levels
could increase.
Aims and Objectives:
• To establish a six-month pilot programme for ongoing locally-based
monitoring of saiga antelope distribution. By engaging local people directly
with monitoring, this scheme aims not only to expand the range over which
monitoring is undertaken (thus generating much-needed additional data
on saiga ecology), but also to increase motivation within communities
to conserve the saiga.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of such a programme when compared
to traditional monitoring strategies (i.e., rangers employed in nearby
Stepnoi Reserve) through assessment of cost, capacity and potential scientific
and conservation outcomes.
• To improve local attitudes towards saiga monitoring, and hopefully
by extension their perception of conservation interventions as a whole. |
Education
Oct 2007-present: Imperial College London
Conservation Science MSc, due to graduate in September 2008, predicted
Distinction.
• Research project entitled “Evaluating the Potential For
Participatory Monitoring of Saigas by Local Villagers in Kalmykia, Russia”,
a field-based project with both an applied and experimental approach implementing
a pilot monitoring programme, with two months spent in Russia.
Oct 01–June 2004: University Of York
Psychology BSc (Hons), 2:1
Sep 98-June 2001: Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
4 A Levels, grades AAAB (Psychology, English Literature and Language,
General Studies and Theatre Studies)
Work Experience
Oct 08 – Dec 08: Researcher - Saiga
Conservation Alliance
Nov 07 – present: General Administration/ Project Support - Saiga
Conservation Alliance (part time)
Sep 06 – Sep 2007: Michael Hearn Intern - Save the Rhino International,
a fundraising conservation charity.
Feb – July 2006: Travelling in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia
and Vietnam.
June – Dec 2005: International Account Assistant - ZenithOptimedia,
a media planning and buying agency.
Conferences and Courses
Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) Expo, WCN (2008 – planned attendance)
Rhino May Day, Rhino Resource Centre and ZSL (2008 and 2007)
Student Conference on Conservation Science, University of Cambridge (2008)
GIS in Conservation, ZSL (2008)
Facilitation and the PHVA process, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
(2008)
Trade-Offs in Conservation: Deciding What to Save, ZSL (2007) |
