Showing articles associated with Stephanie Brittain
Dr Stephanie Brittain is a post-doctoral Researcher in the Department of Zoology.
What is your main area(s) of interest/expertise?
My research focusses on exploring how to better incorporate local ecological knowledge into the monitoring of wildlife populations and their threats, and into conservation initiatives for more effective outcomes that account for local nuances. I also work on the ethics of conservation research that involves people, and exploring the enabling conditions that allow positive conservation outcomes on local and indigenous held lands. I have experience of field research in challenging environments, communications, and advocacy for environmental sustainability, conservation science and sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia.
What are you working on right now?
Conservation organisations have long supported initiatives that aim to provide alternatives to the hunting and consumption of wild meat- particularly when the meat comes from endangered species. In many rural areas, wild meat is the key source of protein in peoples’ diet, so if its consumption is reduced, it is critical for the health of the population that additional protein supplies are available, acceptable and affordable. However, often these initiatives have failed to achieve their conservation and food security objectives because they failed to consider the underlying drivers behind peoples’ choice to eat wild meat, such as its availability ad relative low cost, taste and cultural influences. I am currently working on the Darwin Initiative funded project "Why Eat Wild Meat", to understand the multitude of drivers of wild meat consumption and barriers to participation in alternative projects in rural villages in Cameroon to enable future protein alternative project designers and policy makers to be better design alternative projects with and for people, which result in positive conservation outcomes.
Why is Oxford a good place to work in this field of research?
Oxford is a fantastic place for this field of research. The interests represented in the Zoology department are diverse. My lab, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science (ICCS), run by Prof. EJ Milner-Gulland, is one of the leading global groups for conducting interdisciplinary conservation research that result in real-world outcomes, and I’m proud to be a part of such a wonderful group.
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