Projects

As Programme Manager, I led data collection and management, volunteer supervision, and community outreach efforts to support the monitoring of one of the world’s largest green turtle nesting populations. The project aimed to generate vital scientific data and foster local engagement in sea turtle conservation.

The forests of São Tomé Island hold a remarkably high number of endemic species, many of which are threatened. Logging is regarded as a key threat to these unique ecosystems, but the extent of its impacts is poorly understood. This project improved our understanding of the logging sector by studying logging activities, by assessing timber availability and the impact of logging activities, and by interviewing loggers, timber traders and rural dwellers. This work was led by the Forestry Division of São Tomé and Príncipe

I supported the design, implementation and evaluation of the social marketing campaign Tataluga Mem di Omali which aimed to reduce the demand for sea turtle meat and eggs in the island of São Tomé. This work is led by the NGO Projecto Tatô.

Across Central Africa, forest animals are being hunted at an alarming rate to satisfy the demands of large and growing urban centers. The harvesting of the meat of wild animals – “bushmeat” – places enormous pressure on the survival of many species. In this project, we aimed to reduce demand for bushmeat in large urban areas in Central Africa by understanding how the interplay of urban residents’ feelings, actions, and relationships, as well as socio-cultural norms, values, and economics, shape their decisions and behaviours. This program is led by WCS Congo.

This project investigated the international pet trade in the Caribbean diamond tarantula (Tapinauchenius rasti), a species endemic to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Using the COM-B behavioral model, we assessed the motivations, opportunities, and capabilities driving trade, combining interviews across the supply chain with online market analysis. Our findings suggest that the species is primarily traded through captive breeding and is not currently at high risk from wild collection. The approach developed here offers a practical framework for evaluating trade risks to other invertebrates and informing more sustainable, equitable trade policies.

Recovering tiger populations in Nepal are leading to increased human-wildlife conflict, undermining conservation efforts by threatening lives and livelihoods in poor communities. This project worked to address the underlying drivers of conflict through creating alternative livelihoods, conducting research on tigers and tiger conflict and developing a social marketing campaign to bring about human behaviour change.

This project explored the complex dynamics of bird hunting and conservation in Malta through an in-depth stakeholder analysis. By examining the perspectives, interests, and relationships among key groups—including hunters, conservationists, and policymakers—we identified barriers and opportunities for more constructive dialogue and effective conservation outcomes. The study aimed to inform future efforts to reduce conflict and build consensus around sustainable bird conservation.
This research was a partnership with the anthropologist Brian Campbell.

This project aimed to understand the institutional relationships of the different organizations involved in the management of hunting in Malta. This research was a partnership with the anthropologist Brian Campbell.