[BERG] Funded MPhil in chimpanzee conservation

Funded MPhil in chimpanzee conservation. Project description below - further details in link. Closing date 17th June https://www.derby.ac.uk/research/degrees/applicants/studentship-opportuniti… Project description Best-practice guidelines for surveying and monitoring of great apes are outdated (i.e., Kuehl et al., 2008) and new guidelines are urgently needed that adequately incorporate the latest technological advances that are rapidly transforming wildlife monitoring. Great apes are elusive species, which poses many challenges to their detection, and available methods for monitoring differ in terms of feasibility, outcome, effort, and cost. Line transect nest counts are a standard method, yet time-consuming and expensive. In contrast, passive acoustic monitoring, camera traps and drones are less labor-intensive and thus more cost-effective. Collecting environmental DNA (eDNA), traces of DNA left by individuals in the environment, is a promising tool to target species such as great apes which are elusive, occur at low population sizes, and are endangered. Despite its potential to guide conservation efforts, the feasibility of using eDNA for primate monitoring remains little explored. Community-led conservation activities can play a crucial role in informing about a species’ distribution and conservation status, and Citizen Science approaches have gained traction for involving stakeholders in species monitoring. However, despite their cost-effectiveness and great potential for aiding great ape conservation (McCarthy et al., 2021), citizen science approaches are lacking for most great ape countries. Given the pros and cons of these methodologies, it is important to understand how they complement each other and their applications to countries where great ape surveys are still underrepresented. Since 2003, Guinea-Bissau is a priority area for chimpanzee conservation in the Regional Action Plan, but within-country population trends are still unknown. Thus, this project aims to reassess the conservation status of chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau and to provide insights into Best Practices (Strategy 1) and eliminate Research and Data Gaps (Strategy 2 in Regional Action Plan 2020-30). Sent from Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef> ________________________________ Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159