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International Development Research @ Cambridge

 

Join a unique training programme at the interface between academic excellence and the world of international biodiversity conservation organisations! Project 2 : How will halting biodiversity loss affect the achievement of other Sustainable Development Gaols?

Each post is based at an academic institution and a leading biodiversity NGO. 
PROJECT 1 – ADVANCING QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES FOR IUCN RED LIST ASSESSMENTS OF SPECIES’ RISK OF EXTINCTION
This project will combine data on species’ distributions, habitat requirements, population trends and demographic data to develop and test solutions for improving Red List Assessments of birds and mammals by including more quantitative analyses. Based at Sapienza Università di Roma (Rome, Italy), with a secondment to BirdLife International (Cambridge, UK; 10.8-months). Full details.
PROJECT 2 – HOW WILL HALTING BIODIVERSITY LOSS AFFECT THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OTHER SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS?
This project will explore the positive and negative interactions between Sustainable Development Goals/Targets to understand to what extent the achievement of some goals will affect the others. Based at Sapienza Università di Roma (Rome, Italy), with secondments to UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Cambridge, UK; 8.8 months), and University College London (London, UK; 2 months). Full details.
PROJECT 3 – GLOBAL SCENARIOS OF TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE DIVERSITY
This project will investigate the changes in taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of terrestrial vertebrates under future scenarios of global change. Based at University College London (London, UK) with secondments to the Zoological Society of London (London, UK; 10.8 months). Full details.
PROJECT 4 – PROJECTED EFFECT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON SPECIES’ CHANGE IN EXTINCTION RISK
This project aims at assigning species to archetypes of life-history traits, and project changes in extinction risk under plausible scenarios. Based at Sapienza Università di Roma (Rome, Italy), with a secondment to BirdLife International (Cambridge, UK; 6 months). Full details.
PROJECT 5 – MEASURING THE IMPACT CONSERVATION MAKES ON TRENDS IN SPECIES’ POPULATIONS
This project will develop and apply methods to estimate the impact of conservation through population models and counterfactual analyses of population trends in absence of conservation. Based at University College London (London, UK), with secondments to the Zoological Society of London (London, UK; 10.8 months). Full details.
PROJECT 6 – THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROTECTED AREAS AT AVOIDING SPECIES EXTINCTIONS
This project will quantify the contribution of conservation measures in general – and of protected areas in particular – to reducing species’ risk of extinction. Based at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Montpellier, France), with secondments to BirdLife International (Cambridge UK; 3.5 months) and UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Cambridge, UK; 3.5 months). Full details.
PROJECT 7 – PERMEABILITY OF EUROPEAN PROTECTED AREAS IN THE FACE OF INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES
This project will evaluate the extent to which invasive alien species affect protected areas in Europe, and investigate which factors explain variations in how different Protected Areas are affected. Based at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Montpellier, France), with secondments to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Cambridge UK; 3.5 months) and UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Cambridge, UK; 3.5 months). Full details.
PROJECT 8 – UNDERSTANDING IMPACTS OF SCALE ON THE RED LIST INDEX: A CASE STUDY ON EUROPEAN VERTEBRATES
This project will explore relationships between Red List Indices at national, European, and global scales, building from re-assessment of extinction risk of all European freshwater fishes. Based at the Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei (Berlin, Germany), with secondments to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Cambridge UK; 8 months). Full details.
PROJECT 9 – ADVANCING SAMPLED APPROACHES TO ESTABLISHED METRICS FOR ASSESSING TRENDS IN BIODIVERSITY
Assessing the changing state of global biodiversity efficiently and robustly demands an understanding of the species and locations for which we need new data. This project will explore whether approaches may allow us to broaden and accelerate our assessments of biodiversity trends in extinction risk and population abundance. Based at University College London (London, UK) with secondments to the Zoological Society of London (London, UK; 10.8 months). Full details.
PROJECT 10 – TRACKING CHANGES IN PROTECTION OF GREEK KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS
This project will explore what factors influence the indicator of protected area coverage of freshwater and terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas, using Greece, one of the most biodiverse European countries, as a case study. Based at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (Anavyssos, Greece), with secondments to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Cambridge, UK; 7.8 months) and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Athens, Greece; 3 months). Full details.
PROJECT 11 – UNDERSTANDING THE IMPLICATIONS OF TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF PROTECTED AREA BOUNDARIES AND DESIGNATIONS FOR PROTECTED AREA-BASED BIODIVERSITY INDICATORS
This project will build on and further strengthen the World Database on Protected Areas as well as advance the understanding of the dynamics in the global protected area estate. Based at the University of Copenhagen (Copenhagen, Denmark), with secondments to UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Cambridge, UK; 10.8 months). Full details.
PROJECT 12 – CONTRIBUTION OF CONSERVATION AREAS OUTSIDE FORMAL PROTECTED AREAS TO BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
This project will examine and assess the contribution of conservation areas outside formal protected areas to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Based at the University of Copenhagen (Copenhagen, Denmark), with secondments to UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Cambridge, UK; 7.8 months) and BirdLife International (Cambridge, UK; 3 months). Full details.
PROJECT 13 – WHERE WILL FURTHER KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS BE IDENTIFIED? A MODELLING APPROACH TO FOCUS EFFORTS
This project will use species data for Key Biodiversity Areas in at least 10 Biodiversity Hotspots worldwide to develop predictions of where as-yet-undescribed KBAs may exist. Based at Sapienza Università di Roma (Rome, Italy), with secondments to BirdLife International (Cambridge, UK; 10.8 months). Full details.
PROJECT 14 – UNDERSTANDING DECLINES OF AFRO-PALEARCTIC MIGRATORY BIRDS
This project will investigate the causes of recent declines of Afro-Palearctic migratory birds using satellite-tracking and other novel techniques. Based at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Montpellier, France), with secondments to BirdLife International (Cambridge, UK; 10 months) and to Instituto Superior de Agronomia (Lisbon, Portugal; 0.8 months), and in collaboration with RSPB and BTO (UK). Full details
PROJECT 15 – IDENTIFYING MARINE KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS USING TRACKING DATA
This project will use tracking data to investigate the effectiveness of the current network of important sites for marine biodiversity (e.g. MPAs, EBSAS) in conserving seabirds. It will be based at ISPA-Instituto Universitário (Lisbon, Portugal), with a secondment to BirdLife International (Cambridge UK; 10.8 months). Full details

 

Find further details and apply here.

Welcome to Cambridge Global Challenges

Cambridge Global Challenges is the Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) of the University of Cambridge that aims to enhance the contribution of its research towards addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, with a particular focus on the poorest half of the world’s population.

 

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