Wildlife Conservation Program
The Wildlife Conservation Program at SCB provides opportunities to apply the best of conservation science to difficult problems in the fields of biodiversity conservation and wildlife management. Our small but dedicated staff is available to work with SCB members and partners to translate cutting-edge science into real-world conservation benefits for wildlife and ecosystems. We welcome inquiries about potential partnerships and opportunities for collaboration.
The Wildlife Conservation Program also continues the important work on ecosystem monitoring and biodiversity management that was started by Thomas Lovejoy and Robin O’Malley at the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment through the “State of the Nation’s Ecosystems” project.
Our team is led by Director of Wildlife Conservation Programs Dr. Jonathan R. Mawdsley, with support from Program Coordinator Kathryn Wallace and a capable team of interns, associates, and partners. Current areas of interest for our program include biodiversity conservation planning, climate adaptation planning, and pollinator conservation.
Biodiversity Conservation Planning
Our team works with a wide range of state, federal, tribal, and national government agencies and NGOs on conservation planning projects. Particular areas of focus include the development of comprehensive wildlife monitoring programs and the use of innovative new web technologies to visualize data from biodiversity studies. We are currently working with several U.S. states (including Alabama, Connecticut, and Delaware) on the revisions of their comprehensive State Wildlife Action Plans.
Recent work has included the development of comprehensive wildlife monitoring frameworks for several U.S. states:
Arizona Monitoring and Management of Wildlife
Nevada Monitoring of Wildlife
Utah Monitoring of Wildlife
Wyoming Monitoring of Wildlife
Climate Adaptation Planning
Our team has developed and tested a theoretical framework for creating simple yet actionable climate adaptation plans for species, areas, and organizations. Recent work has included the development of a vulnerability assessment and climate adaptation plan for priority wildlife species on the Navajo Nation lands in the southwestern United States, as well as a comprehensive review of climate vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies for the “charismatic megafauna” species of wildlife in sub-Saharan Africa. We are currently working with several U.S. states to incorporate up-to-date information about climate change effects and adaptation and mitigation strategies in their State Wildlife Action Plans.
Navajo Nation Vulnerability Assessment
African Wildlife and Climate Change
Pollinator Conservation
Our wildlife program director, Dr. Jonathan Mawdsley, has been actively involved in pollinator conservation in the U.S. since 2001. Dr. Mawdsley and members of the SCB Pollinator Conservation team have completed a wide variety of field studies and technical reports on many aspects of pollinator conservation. In addition to his work at SCB, Dr. Mawdsley maintains an active research program studying the biology of pollinators in U.S. urban areas and in natural areas in southern Africa. Current interests for our team at SCB include the conservation of pollinators in urban areas and the development of methods for promoting the use of native and managed pollinators in urban agriculture.
Recent completed projects include a guide to pollinators in Rhode Island, and a manual for incorporating information about pollinators and pollinator conservation into the U.S. State Wildlife Action Plans.
Rhode Island Pollinators
State Wildlife Action Plans and Pollinators
Technical Publications
To access additional publications specific to SCB's Wildilfe Conservation Program, please click here.