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
See you later, alligator? The irreplaceable roles of crocodilians are at risk of being lost
August 5, 2022
From miniature alligators with habitat-helping burrowing abilities, to specially adapted fish-eaters who can indicate how healthy a river is; a new study from WildCRU, ZSL, EDGE ... Read full story
Celebrating the Laikipia Lion Rangers and Tusk’s Wildlife Ranger Challenge
August 4, 2022
WildCRU's Director, Amy Dickman, is joint CEO of Lion Landscapes, a conservation organistation addressing key challenges facing carnivore conservation today. Their collaborative and adaptive approach strengthens ... Read full story
Researchers from WildCRU conducted the first ever study of the clouded leopard diet
July 27, 2022
Despite numerous studies on the clouded leopard, no previous study determined their diet, primarily because clouded leopards don’t typically defecate along trails to mark their territory, which is ... Read full story