Did you know that there are actually FOUR species of giraffe? Or that the giraffe is related to the rare Okapi of the rainforests of central Africa? Would you like to help conserve these species? Giraffe populations have declined by ~30% since the 1980s with declines in some prime habitats reaching 95%. Currently classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, all subspecies of giraffe are on Appendix II of the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 2019. The main threat to giraffe is habitat loss, and climate change is a looming threat – both to giraffe, its habitat, and as a facilitator of land conversion as agriculture shifts to track the changing climate. The four giraffe species live in geographically and climatically distinct areas in Africa. Current models do not adequately capture the potential exposure of this species to climate change, and underestimate the potential vulnerability owing to combinations of climate change and human activities. The student selected will design new, state-of-the-art models on the potential impacts of climate change on all members of the family Giraffidae (Girrafids). The models will then be assessed against projections of changes in drought, land use change, human population growth, agriculture, and giraffe habitats, foods, and predators. The student will identify those areas most resilient to different levels of warming that could be refugia for the Giraffids, and make recommendations of areas to add to the protected area network. They will identify appropriate areas for translocations that are most resilient to climate change, and areas where restoration of habitat may best benefit Giraffid conservation. The student will be working on this project in collaboration with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, the World’s leader in giraffe conservation. This is not a field-based project.
For more information on the supervisor for this project, please go here https://tyndall.ac.uk/people/jeff-price
This is a PhD programme. The start date is 1st October 2021. The mode of study is full time. The studentship length is 3 years.
Entry requirements: 2:1 in Biological Sciences, Geography (physical)/GIS, Environmental Sciences, Conservation Science
Continue with Facebook
