Welcome to the Conservation Ecology Research Group! We are a group of researchers based at Durham University, in Durham, United Kingdom. Our work ranges from the evolutionary ecology of individual behaviour to the drivers of global biogeographic patterns, usually with a strong applied focus. 
Recent News
  • Congratulations to Nicolas Fuentes-Allende on passing his PhD, with his thesis entitled 'Ecology or South African large herbivores in a managed arid savanna: body mass, local distribution, and parasites.' Nico is now back in Chile, where he is establishing a new charity 'Sudamérica Diversa'. Wishing you lots of luck for the future Nico!
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  • Peter, Wayne and Phil have a new paper out in Ecology Letters. In the paper, they review how plant invasions alter animal behaviour, and the resulting ecological consequences. They identify several key questions for future research, which will benefit from an interdisciplinary approach which brings together invasion ecology with the study of animal behaviour and cognition.
 
  • Emily, Phil and Jonathan have a new paper out in Citizen Science: Theory & Practice, presenting the first systematic analysis of approaches to verification of ecological citizen science data. This review assesses the current trends in verification approaches across citizen science schemes and proposes an idealised system for verification, which can be used as a resource for evaluating verification approaches, allowing schemes to ensure data quality and increase confidence in citizen science approaches.
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  • Mark and Steve have a new paper out in PNAS, which analyses the impacts of climate change on birds and mammals in the context of important socio-political considerations. This paper highlights the global inequalities of climate change impacts on nature and the importance of trans-boundary conservation. The paper can be found here, and a blog by Mark and Steve can be found here.
 
  • Steve, Phil, Christine, and CEG alumnus Tom Mason have a new paper out with collaborators at the RSPB. This study  investigated how the distribution of bird species found in Great Britain has been shaped by human activities such as agriculture and wetland drainage. The paper, out in Ecological Indicators, can be found here and a blog by the RSPB about the study can be found here. 
See additional group news here or follow us on Twitter @CEGDurham