Conservation Ecology Group @ Durham University
  • Home
  • People
  • Research
  • Publications
  • Opportunities
  • News
  • Seminars
  • Contact
  • Biological Invasions on South Georgia
Picture
Victoria Coulton

​My main area of research interest lies in spatial ecology and species responses to environmental change. I became interested in spatial modelling using GIS and R statistical software during my undergraduate degree, where I learned the practical applications of modelling for conservation management. Building on this, my final year thesis modelled distributional changes in an endangered vegetation community to investigate the vulnerability of the veld to climate change.
 
As part of my BSc placement year, I worked with a long-term monitoring project for nesting loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in Greece and volunteered with a range of biodiversity monitoring and conservation projects in South Africa. After volunteering with the Primate and Predator project in Limpopo, I became interested in the use of camera traps to monitor populations, and the different techniques available to model species density.
 
The ability to gain reliable density estimates of small carnivore populations is essential for monitoring how populations respond to environmental and anthropogenic changes. My MRes research will investigate the ability of camera trapping to be applied to smaller, elusive carnivores that are relatively understudied, particularly in Southern Africa. Specifically, I aim to provide an initial density estimate for African wildcat (Felis silvestris cafra) within the Umfurudzi Park, Zimbabwe, which will provide baseline data for long-term monitoring of population trends. 


Position: Research Masters Student

Supervised by: Prof Russell Hill and Prof Philip Stephens 

Memberships: Conservation Ecology Group (CEG),
                      
Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre

Contact Details:  Durham University,
                         South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE
                         Tel: + 44 (0) 191 334 1266
                         Email:
victoria.c.coulton@durham.ac.u

Education

2021 - Present  MRes , Durham University
2019    BSc Conservation Biology, Plymouth University
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.