Fish and wildlife conservation graduate student Lindsey Rich is working with the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust to determine the status of 13 different carnivores for her doctoral research. Her findings will help efforts to mitigate population declines and enact effective conservation measures in Africa.

“Having widespread data on carnivores will help the government and local communities make informed decisions regarding carnivore conservation and management,” Rich explained.

Her research involves estimating the numbers of each species in areas with various degrees of human impact and determining which factors influence species distribution. Rich documented all of the native carnivores in her focus areas using both motion sensitive cameras and traditional track surveys.

She is also developing environmental education programs targeting local children in Botswana to increase community awareness of sustainable use approaches for the future.

Read the full press release.