The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
The planet’s human population increases by more than 200,000 people every day. This exerts 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.
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News
Wildlife Conservation Course 2017 at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
June 13, 2017
"Danger is afoot – the world’s carnivores are disappearing! Equipped with superhero powers, a team of Southeast Asian environmentalists have just 13 days to save the world’s carnivores ... Read full story
David Macdonald writes, “It was more than 30 years ago that I was thrilled to become the first Chairman of the newly created IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group, and 20 years later to pass that role to WildCRU’s Claudio Sillero, so imagine our pleasure at co-authoring a study, published today, with an outstanding WildCRU doctoral student on what may turn out to be a new species of wolf.”
June 7, 2017
This new study shows that the Himalayan wolf lineage deserves taxonomic recognition at subspecies level (i.e. C. lupus himalayensis). It remains to be seen whether Himalayan wolves are actually a ... Read full story
Since the 1970s Borneo has lost a staggering 30% of its forests. What next?
May 26, 2017
The answer comes from a new study that will help conservation planners not only in Borneo, but for forests around the world. This novel approach models the factors ... Read full story