PhD Proposal (Jessica Shaw): Conservation biology of Ludwig’s Bustard

Ms Jessica Shaw will defend her PhD proposal on Tuesday 16 March @ 13h00 in the Niven Library

"Conservation biology of Ludwig’s Bustard" (Supervisors: Peter Ryan & Andrew Jenkins)

Synopsis: Ludwig’s Bustard Neotis ludwigii is near-endemic to southern Africa, and thought to be in decline because of mortality caused by collisions with overhead power lines. Ludwig’s Bustards are particularly susceptible to collision because they are large and heavy, and lack sufficient manoeuvrability to avoid unexpected obstacles. The extent of power lines within the range of this species is vast and expanding, and there is urgent need to quantify power line related mortality to assess the impacts that collisions are having at the population level. During this project I also aim to improve our understanding of movement patterns through satellite tracking and stable isotope analysis, and use visual fields analysis and a large scale line marking experiment to explore effective mitigation measures.

See Fitz Seminars for more details about the seminar programme.