Conservation Ecology Group @ Durham University
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Rebecca Senior
I am a conservation scientist with a passion for using quantitative tools and technology to understand the drivers of biodiversity loss, and to identify pragmatic solutions to mitigate that loss. Now is a pivotal time in human history. Species extinction rates are orders of magnitude above ‘normal’ background rates, driven by humanity’s insatiable appetite for resources. The magnitude of the problem has never been greater, but neither has our ability to tackle it. With better technology, we generate more and better data. With collaboration and ground-truthing, we generate a better understanding of how ecosystems respond to anthropogenic change – the good and the bad – and with that, we can discover what works in conservation. My research to date has explored everything from microclimates in tropical rainforests, to the role of plumage colour in driving the wild bird trade. What brings it all together is a desire to make conservation more efficient, using the plethora of tools and technology that are now available to us.


Position: Assistant Professor in the Department of Biosciences

Contact details: Department of Biosciences
Contact details: Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
Contact details: Phone: +44 (0) 191 334 1348
Contact details: Email: rebecca.senior@durham.ac.uk
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Education

2014 - 2018   PhD, University of Sheffield
2010 - 2013   BSc, University of Cambridge
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Selected Publications 

Senior, R.A., Hill, J.K., González del Pliego, P., Goode, L.K., Edwards, D.P., 2017. A pantropical analysis of the impacts of forest degradation and conversion on local temperature. Ecol Evol 7, 7897–7908. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3262

Senior, R.A., Hill, J.K., Benedick, S., Edwards, D.P., 2018. Tropical forests are thermally buffered despite intensive selective logging. Glob Change Biol 24, 1267–1278. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13914

Senior, R.A., Hill, J.K., Edwards, D.P., 2019a. ThermStats: An R package for quantifying surface thermal heterogeneity in assessments of microclimates. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 10, 1606–1614. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13257

Senior, R.A., Hill, J.K., Edwards, D.P., 2019b. Global loss of climate connectivity in tropical forests. Nature Climate Change 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0529-2

Scheffers, B.R., Edwards, D.P., Macdonald, S.L., Senior, R.A., Andriamahohatra, L.R., Roslan, N., Rogers, A.M., Haugaasen, T., Wright, P., Williams, S.E., 2017. Extreme thermal heterogeneity in structurally complex tropical rain forests. Biotropica 49, 35–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12355

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