2019 programme outline
8.30am Registration
9am Welcome and Plenary Session with guest speaker (PLT1/303-G20)
10am Morning tea (Science Centre Foyer - building 302)
10.30am Session 1 Workshop
11.35am Session 2 Workshop
12.35pm Lunch (Science Centre Foyer - building 302)
1.15pm Session 3 Workshop
2.20pm Session 4 Workshop
3.20pm End of day
Plenary information
Ben Stevenson
Ben is a lecturer at the University of Auckland. Prior to joining the Department of Statistics in 2017, Ben completed a PhD and worked as a research fellow at the Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling at the University of St Andrews, UK. He develops statistical methods and software to estimate ecological parameters of interest, usually animal abundance or density. His recent work has met statistical challenges that arise when instruments like microphones, video-cameras, and drones are deployed to detect animals on wildlife surveys.
Adventures in Statistical Ecology
We live in a changing world. Our planet is warming, habitats are transforming, and animal species are becoming extinct at a rate not seen for 65 million years. Mankind must act - but what actions should we take? Environmental managers must navigate a labyrinth of competing interests to make the best decisions for a sustainable future.
To assess the ecological impact of our actions we must first understand animal populations themselves. Demographic parameters of even well-studied populations are shrouded in uncertainty: How many animals are there? Are their numbers growing or shrinking? Where do they live and roam? How far do they move? These are seemingly simple questions, but data collected on wildlife surveys are complex and noisy. We need statistical methods to transform data into answers.
The last couple of decades have witnessed The Rise of the Statistical Ecologist as a response to this challenge. In this talk, I will tell the story of my adventures as a researcher in the growing field of statistical ecology, describing some of the methods I have developed and how they are being used to understand animal populations around the world.
Workshop information
An overview of the workshops and details about each workshop are given below. You can also access the workshop overview document here and the workshop details document here.
