Research
My solution-oriented research focuses on investigating the ecological interactions between terrestrial vertebrates and their environment, and the mechanisms that drive their movement and habitat use. I am also interested in how to parametrize the connectivity models as there is no one-for-all solution. Overall, this knowledge is fundamental for developing robust, empirically derived guidelines for designing effective wildlife corridors to secure natural habitat and prevent species extinction.
For my research, I use camera traps, GPS-telemetry and other remote sensing data to incorporate in my models. I try to spend a lot of time in the field - and particularly enjoy it ! - because I feel it's the best way to immerse myself in the environment that my study animals evolve in, and I can better understand the results of my analysis.
Integrating ecological connectivity in land use planning in Alberta, Canada
Alberta is a Canadian province with a very rich biodiversity. Yet, it is subject to a quick development, threatening its ecosystems and wildlife, especially in the prairies. As part of my current position at the University of Toronto, I collaborate with local partners in Alberta (Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, Miistakis Institute, Nature Conservancy Canada, Prairie Conservation Forum, and Blood Tribe Land Management) to facilitate the integration of landscape connectivity into land planning processes.
Lynx connectivity across Europe
The Eurasian lynx is progressively making its return in Europe, but the species is still threatened by habitat fragmentation, and genetic depletion. Hence, to facilitate successful recolonization and to meaningfully advise policy makers on land use planning, identifying areas that ease movement of lynx are needed, yet lacking. As part of the Eurolynx initiative, I use an extensive movement data set of lynx across Europe to estimate the species resource use while dispersing, and derive landscape resistance and functional connectivity.
Effects of retention forestry on mammals
Retention forestry was introduced as a tool to mitigate the negative impact of transformation and homogenization of forests. Although it has become common practice in Central Europe, little is known about how the large mammal community changes in response to varying levels of retention forestry. During my time at the Chair of Wildlife Ecology & Management at the University of Freiburg, I joined ConFoBi to explore this question using camera traps in the Black Forest. I received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 894290.
Surviving the Black Summer
Australia's bushfires of 2019/2020 have had a catastropic toll on its biodiversity. I am a Partner Investigator on an ARC Linkage project, led by Prof. Matt Hayward at the University of Newcastle. We seek to quantify the impact of fire on two threatened and poorly known macropod species: the parma wallaby and the red-legged pademelon. We are using camera traps, GPS-collars, and genetic samples to estimate the change in their habitat use, survivorship, and gene flow, and examine how they cope after fire.
Assessing habitat connectivity for a gliding mammal
Squirrel gliders are small marsupials from Australia - they are threatened due to habitat fragmentation (canopy gaps) and the decline in large hollow-trees that they use for nesting. Restoring connectivity is thus vital for their long-term persistence. Since the diversity of techniques and analytical approaches to estimate landscape resistance can influence the outcomes of connectivity research, I use a combination of methods (occurence, movement and genetic data) to identify corridors that connect disjunt populations in a suburban area of New South Wales.
Movement behaviour of mammals and connectivity
The isthmus of Panama is the narrowest portion of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor - a large scale corridor that connect natural areas across Central America but that is jeopardized by human disturbance coupled with habitat loss and fragmentation. During my PhD, I examined whether Panama still functioned as a corridor for large mammals. I used large-scale camera trapping surveys and movement data from puma, ocelot and white-lipped peccaries to estimate species occupancy, assess functional connectivity, identify areas to reconnect and determine the best paths to reconnect those areas.
Monitoring of a large neotropical mammal community in a hotspot
Conserving species requires an accurate understanding of their ecology and population trends. Since 2014, as part of the Darién monitoring project, we are surveying the mammal community of the Darién NP in Panama via camera trapping. We get valuable information on wildcats, tapirs, white-lipped peccaries and other rare critters such as bush dogs and giant-anteaters. The data allows to estimate the abundance of wildlife, and detect any change in the species populations between the years.