New study assesses ecological and socio-political factors affecting wild lion population fragility across Africa

12/09/2023

Professor Amy Dickman, along with 12 more WildCRU co-authors, Sam Nicholson and others from around the world provide new insight into Africa’s dwindling wild lion populations. It is the first continent-wide study that looks at ecological and socio-political factors underpinning threats to lions. These factors are crucial to consider in evaluating and ... Read full story

Establishing baseline wildlife population data in Zimbabwe’s Lower Zambezi Valley

04/09/2023

WildCRU’s Trans-Kalahari Predator Programme, in close collaboration with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), is conducting an extensive camera trap survey in the Lower Zambezi Valley to estimate the population density and distribution of key predator species. This is a vital landscape connecting southern and East Africa. Much of the area is ... Read full story

New research shows wildlife overflow enriches biodiversity beyond protected area boundaries

25/08/2023

WildCRU’s Dr Żaneta Kaszta & Dr Sam Cushman are co-authors of new research demonstrating how protected areas enhance biodiversity both inside and beyond their borders. Featured as Nature’s cover story this week, the study used more than 2,000 camera traps and bird surveys across Southeast Asia. It also used ... Read full story

An analysis of the UK’s proposed Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill and its impact on species conservation

11/09/2023

In March 2023, UK MPs voted to support the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill which proposes a ban on imports of hunting trophies from over 6,000 species, and it is currently being debated in the House of Lords. The stated aim of the Bill is to support species conservation. To assess its likely impacts, a ... Read full story

Addressing human-wildlife conflict: Lessons learned from a community lion guardian programme

30/08/2023

WildCRU’s Trans-Kalahari Predator Programme (TKPP) is the focus of the latest IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group case study, produced in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation. This series of publications aims to highlight both what is being done and most importantly, HOW it is being done – sharing important insight into the ... Read full story

Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, revealing a time capsule of plant life

22/08/2023

WildCRU research fellow Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen was part of a team that recently extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick. Her husband Troels Arbøll, was joint first author of the paper – published today in Nature Scientific Reports. Currently housed at the National Museum of Denmark, the clay ... Read full story