The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
The planet’s human population increases by more than 200,000 people every day. At the same time, global consumption and inequality are rising. As a result, our planetary footprint is unsustainable, with ever more severe and intensifying pressure on finite natural resources throughout the world. The resulting environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change destroys nature and impacts human well-being. The mission of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) is to achieve practical solutions to conservation problems through original scientific research. Our research is used worldwide to advise environmental policy-makers. The need for our efforts is greater than ever.
Part of the University of Oxford’s Department of Zoology, WildCRU is a pioneering, inter-disciplinary research unit in a world-class academic centre. We underpin solutions to conservation problems through primary scientific research of the highest calibre. Our approach is empirical, interdisciplinary and collaborative, seeking to include all four elements of our “Conservation Quartet” research to understand and address the problem; education to explain it; community involvement to ensure participation and acceptance; and implementation of long-term solutions.
Video narrated by Prof David Macdonald. Created by, and used with the kind permission of United for Wildlife: www.unitedforwildlife.org/
News
Tricky Issues on the Road to Protecting Commodified Wild Animals
April 20, 2021
Big numbers can be bamboozling. What does it mean, in terms of conservation, welfare or sustainability that in the USA in 2014 3.5 million wild carnivores were trapped ... Read full story
Small cats in big trouble? Jungle cats and leopard cats in threatened forests of Cambodia
April 8, 2021
Southeast Asia is well known for being one of the most important biodiversity and endemism hotspots worldwide. However, this region is facing some of the highest anthropogenic pressures ... Read full story
World Health Day
April 7, 2021
World Health Day 2021 focuses on ‘building a fairer, healthier world’, a theme that aims to raise awareness of the inequalities in access to healthcare, livelihoods, food ... Read full story