Hunting animals for their meat (sometimes known as “wild meat”) and other body parts is a common practice in many tropical countries. This practice helps millions of people maintain their diets, traditions, and ways of making a living. However, excessive hunting is one of the most urgent dangers to wildlife and ecosystems around the world, and it has major repercussions for people whose means of subsistence and income are related to wild meat. In addition, the desire for meat from wild animals in urban areas contributes to the unsustainable shooting of wildlife in rural regions, which continues to be a serious obstacle to the preservation of biodiversity.
The candidate will be joining an applied conservation research group that has experience in hunting, consuming, and trading wildlife (we will refer to all of these activities collectively as “wildlife use”), as well as pangolins. The candidate will apply sophisticated statistical approaches with a concentration on sub-Saharan Africa (especially West and Central Africa) to uncover the determinants that determine wildlife use. The successful proposal will either concentrate on all species that are used for wild meat or on African pangolins; nevertheless, it is important to stress that this study is about local use and not international trafficking. They will also have the option to participate in the new study program that the organization is initiating with the goal of better comprehending the roles that wildlife plays in urban environments.
Eligibility: We are searching for a candidate who is self-motivated, energetic, and has a great interest in wildlife use, in addition to the following qualifications:
- A bachelor’s degree and a master’s (with honors) or significant related work experience are mandatory.
- Expertise in utilizing R to perform complicated data analyses.
- an interest in conservation and the social sciences, as well as an understanding of local uses of wildlife (such as using wild meat and traditional medicines).
- French language skills.
- Participants should have tropical fieldwork experience and a strong desire to improve their analytical skills.
Countries Eligible to Apply: International
Type: PhD
The value of the award is that this is a fully financed project for students in the United Kingdom; we do accept applications from students who are not from the United Kingdom, however, additional tuition fees apply (proof of additional financing needs to be submitted in the cover letter of the application).
N/A is the total number of awards.
Candidates should submit their applications by the deadline of May 11, 2023, at 23:59
(UK time), using the online application form, including a CV and cover letter (see Funding Notes below), and stating the project from the list above for which they desire to be considered.
The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. (UK time) on May 11, 2023.
