This project is part of the DPhil in Biology at the University of Oxford
Species can adjust to change through changes in their behaviour and ecology in response to specific disturbances from human activities, including competition with domestic animals. In high mountains, emerging land uses include: mining, pastoralism and tourism, and may leading to increased competition between carnivores and free-ranging dogs. The Ethiopian wolf, an Afroalpine endemic found only in a handful of mountain ranges in Ethiopia where it lives above 2,000m asl, has a narrow trophic niche and offers a good model as to how carnivores may cope with emerging land uses at high altitude. Other possible candidates for a comparative approach would include the Andean cat and Himalayan wolf.
The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme is part of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at the Department of Biology, University of Oxford. EWCP leads research seeking practical solutions to the conservation of this rare and threatened canid, a social carnivore endemic to the Afroalpine ecosystem of Ethiopia. Our research has strong empirical bases from our long-term monitoring efforts, which have been particularly relevant to inform emergency vaccination campaigns to control rabies outbreaks, but also protected area design and community-led biodiversity friendly livelihoods. We seek to expand this area of research by focusing on the impact of land use and climate change on the availability and productivity of Afroalpine habitats.
A key question is what are the mechanisms by which species adapt to change? These can include behavioural changes, phenotypic plasticity but also local adaptation (genetic differentiation). This project will investigate links between Ethiopian wolf distribution, movement patterns and breeding success and stressors such as climatic variation (dry years mean reduced rodent prey for Ethiopian wolves) and proximity to human habitation and/or presence of herds and shepherds. The study will help identify conservation guidelines to counteract the negative impacts brought about by habitat-scale changes on small populations of these endangered canids.
The student will work with existing long-term data on den location and breeding across several wolf packs and sites; field observations would provide additional data to characterize human disturbance and species responses; land use changes will be derived from remote sensing data, and ground-truthing.
This project is part of the Ecology & Conservation theme in the Department of Biology.
Funding
This project is part of the DPhil in Biology programme, and is not a funded course at the University of Oxford, as such, students are expected to explore options for funding. However, we anticipate being able to offer around 6 full graduate scholarships to incoming DPhil Students in 2023-24
You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships, if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by 20 January 2023. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement and potential to excel as a DPhil student.
For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit the University’s dedicated Funding pages.
Eligibility
For full entry requirements and eligibility information, please see the main admissions page.
How to apply
The deadline for applications for 2023-2024 entry is midday 20 January 2023. We will continue to accept applications submitted after 20 January 2023, but these late applications will not be considered for scholarship funding.
You can find the admissions portal and further information about eligibility and the DPhil in Biology Programme at the University's graduate admissions page.
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