Prue Addison: Biodiversity Research
My PhD research targeted the science–management interface, acknowledging that both scientists and managers play vital roles in the creation and use of scientific evidence in conservation management.
Long-term biological monitoring data are becoming increasingly available to inform conservation efforts internationally. This data is rich sources of scientific evidence that offer insights into the natural variability of ecosystems and species through time, as well revealing information about the effectiveness of conservation efforts. However, there are many occasions where long-term monitoring data, like other forms of scientific evidence, have been of little use to conservation. Scientists have been criticised for failing to collect long-term monitoring data that is relevant to conservation management, and on the other hand conservation managers have been criticised for not using available scientific data to inform their management decisions.
Through my PhD research I explored barriers to the use of long-term monitoring data in conservation management, and developed a series of practical solutions to improve the use of scientific evidence in conservation management. My research targeted the science–management interface, acknowledging that both scientists and managers play vital roles in the creation and use of scientific evidence in conservation management. Marine protected area (MPA) management was the focus of my research, as there are now many long-term monitoring programs associated with MPAs around the globe available to inform MPA management.
Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Researcher & NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science in the University of Oxford. Through this position I am facilitating the transfer of biodiversity research to address key conceptual and operational challenges associated with corporate biodiversity strategies.
Read more about Prue's work at her website and Twitter account.
This article originally appeared in Meet our Students on the Faculty of Science website.
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