Conservation Science

Fieldwork is an important and transformative part of science. But it also carries higher risk of harassment and assault. A new organization founded by fellows Melissa Cronin and Erika Zavaleta is working to change that.

Naomi Fraga was featured in the Guardian story: California town hopes to put tourists off the scent as another super bloom looms.

It is often assumed that protected areas can serve as steppingstone habitats, but there are several factors that may impede successful range shifts among protected areas.

“If you remove dudleya or if you remove other plants… you can have erosion which otherwise essentially destroys the habitat,” Nick Jensen said.

“Across my research career, I have studied the adaptations, behaviors, and ecology of animals that are widely misunderstood and often vilified,” she writes. “Like me, all of these species fail to fit into many of western science’s rigid boxes and are thus misunderstood, yet have developed adaptations, strategies, and resilience to navigate their worlds."

Human–wildlife interactions (HWIs) are pervasive, and future global change will exacerbate negative outcomes. The authors present an expansion to the traditional conflict-coexistence framing of HWIs.

Their book chapter is a review of what progress has been made in this field since the AZA published social science research recommendations in 2010.

Naomi Fraga wrote on Twitter: "I am so incredibly grateful for this California rain, but I am also anticipating the inevitable... The dreaded conversations about the "superbloom". You might be saying, what the heck Naomi, you are a botanist, don't you love superblooms?"

Mark Elbroch published an op-ed in the New York Times on his research pinpointing landscapes large enough to sustain cougars in the Eastern United States. He writes: