Maire Kirkland

My research interests are broad and include the ecological and social dimensions of conservation management. In the Peruvian Amazon I explored the effects of socio-economic and climatic change on wildlife populations and local indigenous livelihoods. Similarly, I monitored the population dynamics and behaviour of mammals in Mexico in order to assess the impacts of climate change as well as bushmeat hunting and habitat fragmentation. Working in protected areas that depend on a thriving tourism industry led me to my current research at Durham University.

For my PhD I will explore what drives global nature-based tourism. In particular, I will identify what traits make a species attractive to tourists. I will highlight the features of protected areas that maximize visitation and uncover regions where the potential for nature-based tourism is currently being under-exploited. By modelling the future distribution of species I will be able to assess how human development and climate change might affect nature-based tourism patterns in the future.

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Position: PhD Student in the Department of Biosciences

Supervised by: Dr. Stephen Willis, Dr. Philip Stephens, Prof. Mark Whittingham, and Prof. Andrew
Balmford

Contact details: Department of Biosciences
                            Durham University
                            South Road, Durham DH1 3LE
                            Email: maire.kirkland@durham.ac.uk

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Education

2016 - Present  PhD Biology, Durham University
2012 - 2013      MSc Conservation, University College London
2009 - 2012      BSc Biology and Anthropology, Durham University

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Publications

Mayor, P., Pérez-Peña, P., Bowler, M., Puertas, P.E., Kirkland, M. and Bodmer, R. 2015. Effects of selective logging on large mammal populations in a remote indigenous territory in the northern Peruvian Amazon. Ecology and Society 20(4):36. [online] URL: www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss4/art36/

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Selected Awards

NERC IAPETUS PhD Studentship Award, 2016