Food for thought – insight into the environmental benefits (and more) of being vegan

November 28, 2023

Faced with the frequent questions, “You’re vegan? Why don’t you eat meat and dairy?”, Dr Jan Kamler flips it around and asks, “Why DO you eat meat and dairy.” He recognises that people from all corners of the world have different reasons - including taste, nutrition and cultural reasons and that choices ... Read full story

Mitigating Human Impacts on Wild Animal Welfare

November 13, 2023

The relationship between wild animal welfare and biodiversity conservation is complex. WildCRU has been engaged with diverse issues around human impacts on animal welfare since the early 1970s. Professor David Macdonald was on the first incarnation of the RSPCA’s Wild Animals Committee, subsequently its Chairman, and then Vice President of the RSPCA. Animal ... Read full story

Measuring the Effectiveness of Value-Framing and Message Valence on Audience Engagement

November 7, 2023

Environmental problems are largely caused by human actions thus, changing public behaviour is an essential step for successful conservation. To motivate public engagement, conservationists may frame messages in different ways with differing emphasis. Two main approaches are to use ‘value-framing’ - where the extrinsic or intrinsic value of biodiversity is emphasised, and ‘message valence’ - ... Read full story

New research reveals carnivore range extension in Ethiopia’s Somali region

November 21, 2023

Little has been documented about large carnivore distribution in Ethiopia to date. A new study led by Fedlu Abdella with WildCRU co-authors Hans Bauer and Paul Johnson helps address this for six districts in the country’s Somali Region. Low densities of carnivores and their prey species as well as ... Read full story

Professor Amy Dickman at the 2023 Earthshot Prize

November 9, 2023

WildCRU Director Professor Amy Dickman participated in the 2023 EarthShot Prize as a member of the Expert Advisory Panel and also attended Earthshot Plus where key issues in conservation were presented and discussed. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “Moonshot” challenge to land a man on the moon within a decade, the ... Read full story

Addressing land use conflicts between communities, their livestock and wildlife in Botswana

November 3, 2023

Increasing human pressure on natural resources is an issue the world over, and aligning wildlife conservation with community wellbeing often poses significant challenges. Part of WildCRU’s long-term work in the Kavango Zambezi Trans-frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) is to navigate these challenges in search of the best outcomes for people and wildlife. This week marks an ... Read full story