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
  • The MammalWeb team, led by CEG alumnus, Pen-Yuan Hsing, have published a full description of the MammalWeb platform. In Large-scale mammal monitoring: The potential of a citizen science camera-trapping project in the United Kingdom, we talk about the project's growth and design, about the amazing work of our contributors, and about the potential of the platform to help to deliver large-scale monitoring of mammals in the UK, and beyond. We also consider challenges to this and similar initiatives, elsewhere. Read the paper here.
 
  • Sian and Phil have a new paper out in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, examining Camera trapping with photos and videos: implications for ecology and citizen science.  Sian used twin camera placements with camera traps set to photo or video to show that, in contrast to popular belief, at least for the camera model used, videos capture just as much as photos - but they are more engaging.  Check out Sian's thread about the paper, here.
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  • Steve Willis and CEG alumnus Alke Voskamp have a new paper out in Proceedings B that investigates the impacts of climate change on the phylogenetic diversity of the world's terrestrial birds. See here for the paper, and for the associated news coverage in Science and Durham University's news page.
 
  • Sammy and Phil, amongst others, have a new paper out in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, summarising Sammy's findings from a rigorous camera trapping survey of County Durham. Sammy used a grid of 109 camera placements to survey nearly 3,000 square kilometers of north east England. She used camera trap distance sampling to analyse the data, producing some of the most precise estimates available for larger mammal densities in the UK. Check out the paper, and Sammy's summary thread.
 
  • Peter Stewart, Steve Willis and CEG alumnus Alke Voskamp have a new paper out in Ecology Letters, entitled Global impacts of climate change on avian functional diversity. They combined species distribution models with morphological data from the AVONET trait dataset to estimate the impact of climate change on avian functional diversity. They found that climate change has the potential to drive continental-scale shifts in avian functional diversity, with implications for ecosystem function and resilience. See here for the paper.
 
  • CEG alumnus Michelle Gibson, along with Steve and Phil, has a new paper out in Landscape Ecology, titled: Where nothing stands still: quantifying nomadism in Australian arid-zone birds. In the paper, they highlight the continuum of movement strategies in birds that occur in the driest parts of the Australian outback, suggesting that in such environments species typically classified as residents may have to be more adaptable in their movement than currently recognised. See here for the paper 
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  • Steve and CEG alumnus, Alke Voskamp, have just published an article on Isipedia on the impacts of climate change emission reductions on biodiversity - see here.

  • 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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See additional group news here or follow us on Twitter @CEGDurham