University of Kent

Research funding

DICE has been very successful with obtaining outside funding for its research. In the early days of the Institute, Professor Ian Swingland achieved major success in raising endowments for two chairs in Biodiversity Management and Wildlife Management Law, during 1995 and 1996, which allowed considerable consolidation of our staffing and research profile. We have subsequently obtained consistent funding from a variety of sources including charities, research councils, especially the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and the Darwin Initiative, of which we have been among the most successful university departments.

Major grants

$138,790 from The World Bank for a 3-year project from 2007-2009 entitled Transfrontier Conservation Areas and Tourism Development, Mozambique, under the direction of Dr RJ Smith and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£24,402 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a 2-year project from 2007-2009 entitled ‘Monitoring population trends of tigers and their prey species in Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra’, under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£23,815 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a 2-year project from 2007-2009 entitled ‘Protecting Sumatran tigers and rhinos inside and outside the Balang Hari tropical forests, Central Sumatra, Indonesia’, under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£24,246 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a 2-year project from 2007-2009 entitled ‘Assessing the conservation status of elephant populations in the Kerinci Seblat national park landscape, Indonesia’, under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£24,246 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a 2-year project from 2007-2009 entitled ‘Mitigating human-elephant conflict in the Kerinci Seblat National Park landscape, Indonesia’, under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£12,000 from the Forest Peoples Programme for a 3-year project from 2007-2010 entitled ‘Indigenous representation in negotiations over natural resource use’, under the direction of Dr H Newing.

£56,568 from the Christensen Fund for a 1-year project from 2007-2008 entitled ‘Community and Biodiversity conservation in South East Ethiopia’, under the direction of Professor S Harrop.

£13,483 from 21st Century Tiger for a 1-year project from 2007-2008 entitled ‘Assessing the conservation status of tigers’, under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£14,488 from National Fish and Wildlife for a 1-year project from 2007-2008 entitled ‘Conserving Sumatran tigers in the Bungo landscape’, under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£50,109 from the National Environment Research Council (New Investigator's Award)  for a 1-year project from 2006-2007 entitled ‘Historical genetic profiles for extinct and surviving Hawaiian bird populations: genotyping feathers from 230-year-old ceremonial capes’, under the direction of Dr J Groombridge

£19,000 from The Rainforest Foundation for a 4-year project from 2006-2010 entitled 'Pluralistic approaches to co-management of protected areas', under the direction of Dr H Newing.

£177,338 from the Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 2006-2009 entitled 'Certifying peccary pelts in Peru: catalysing community-based wildlife management', under the direction of Dr R Bodmer.

£223,966 from the Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 2006-2009 entitled 'Investing in island biodiversity: restoring the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher, Seychelles', under the direction of Dr J Groombridge.

$51,280 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a 1-year project from 2006-2007 entitled 'Monitoring population trends of tigers and their prey species in Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra', under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

$56,375 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a 1-year project from 2006-2007 entitled 'Mitigating human-elephant conflict in the Kerinci Seblat landscape, Sumatra', under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

$28,999 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a 1-year project from 2006-2007 entitled 'Bittersweet knowledge: can people and orangutans live in harmony?' under the direction of Professor N Leader-Williams.

£183,420 from the European Union for a 2-year project from 2006-2008 entitled 'Channel habitat atlas for marine resource management', under the direction of Professors SR Harrop, FPR Just, N Leader-Williams and MD Fischer.

£50,109 from the Natural Environment Research Council for a 1-year project from 2006-2007 entitled Historical genetic profiles for extinct and surviving Hawaiian bird populations: genotyping feathers from 230-year-old ceremonial capes', under the direction of Dr J Groombridge.

£43,621 from the Economic and Social Science Research Council for a 1-year project from 2006-2007 entitled 'Collaborative frameworks in land management: a case study on integrated deer management', under the direction of Dr DC MacMillan.

$83,274 from Conservation International for a 1-year project from 2006-2007 entitled 'Amphibian conservation', under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths.

$15,000 from The Wildlife Conservation Society for a 1-year project from 2006-2007 entitled 'Wildlife Conservation in the Peruvian Amazon of Loreto', under the direction of Dr R Bodmer.

£16,000 from English Nature for a 1-year project during 2006 entitled 'Monitoring the long-term impact of mitigation and development on great crested newt populations', under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths.

£47,590 from The Darwin Initiative for a 2-year project from 2005-2007 entitled 'Flying the Flagship: delivering the Axolotl Action Plan at Xochimilcho, Mexico', under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths.

$43,303 from US Fish and Wildlife Service for a 1-year project from 2005-2006 entitled 'Monitoring population trends of tigers and their prey species in Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra', under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£42,362 from 21st Century Tiger for a 3-year project from 2004-2007 entitled 'Monitoring population trends of tigers and their prey species in Sumatra', under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£19,992 from Rufford Small Grants for Nature for a 3-year project from 2004-2007 entitled ‘Protecting tigers inside and outside of Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra’, under the direction of Dr M Linkie and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£46,944 from The Jersey Ecology Trust Fund for a 3-year project from 2004-2007 entitled 'The Ecology and Conservation of the Common Toad on Jersey', under the direction of Dr R Griffiths.

£114,809 from The Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 2004-2006 entitled 'The Greater Mara Community Wildlife Scout Programme', under the direction of Professor N Leader-Williams.

$99,252 from The Wildlife Conservation Society for a 2-year project from 2004-2006 entitled 'Wildlife Conservation in the Peruvian Amazon of Loreto', under the direction of Dr R Bodmer.

$41,000 from The World Wildlife Fund for an 18-month project from 2004-2005 entitled 'Wildlife Conservation in the Samiria Basin of the Pacaya-Samiria', under the direction of Dr R Bodmer.

$38,440 from The World Wildlife Fund for an 18-month project from 2004-2005 entitled 'Community-based conservation in the Rio Pastaza', under the direction of Dr R Bodmer.

£24,500 from English Nature for a 15-month project from 2004-2005 entitled 'Field assessment of completed great crested newt mitigation projects 2004-2005, under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths.

£83,228 from the European Union for a 2-year project from 2003-2005 entitled 'Eastern Channel habitat atlas for marine resource management', under the direction of Professor SR Harrop.

£14,600 from The Royal Society for a 1-year project during 2004 entitled "Searching for evidence of a historical population bottleneck in the Seychelles kestrel: microsatellite genotyping of 100-140-year-old museum specimens', under the direction of Dr J Groombridge.

£150,000 from WWF-UK for a 3-year extension (2003-2006) to the project entitled 'Mitigating Human-Elephant Conflict in the Mara Ecosystem', under the direction of Dr MJ Walpole and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£20,638 from the Economic and Social Research Council for a 1-year project from 2002-2003 entitled 'Collaborative wildlife management', under the direction of Drs HS Newing, R Bodmer and D Zeitlyn.

£131,185 from the Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 2003-2006, entitled 'Transnational conservation planning in the Maputaland ecoregion of southern Africa', under the direction of Professor N Leader-Williams.

£13,817 from English Nature for an eight month project from 2002-2003 entitled 'Great crested newt mitigation', under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths.

$31,300 from the World Wide Fund for Nature for an 8 month project during 2003 entitled 'Community-based conservation in the Rio Pastaza', under the direction of Dr R Bodmer.

£96,332 from the Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 2002-2005, entitled 'Aztecs and Axolotls: Integrating conservation and tourism at Xochimilco, Mexico', under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths.

£110,103 from the Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 2002-2005, entitled 'Black Rhino conservation and ecotourism impacts in North Western Namibia', under the direction of Professor N Leader-Williams.

E90,003 from the European Union for a 3-year project from 2001-2004, entitled 'Development of different production systems for the sustainable exploitation of the collared peccary in Latin America', under the direction of Dr R Bodmer

$32,025 from the Wildlife Conservation Society for a 2-year project from 2001-2003 entitled 'Wildlife conservation in the Peruvian Amazon of Loreto', under the direction of Dr R Bodmer

$121,473 from the World Wide Fund for Nature for a 2-year project from 2001-2003, entitled 'Mitigating Human-Elephant Conflict in the Mara Ecosystem', under the direction of Dr MJ Walpole and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£90,283 from the Natural Environment Research Council for a 3-year project from 2001-2003, entitled 'Does captive breeding produce maladapted stock for reintroduction? A test using endangered amphibians', under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths.

£136,566 from the Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 2001-2003, entitled 'Community-driven ecotourism in the Mara Ecosystem', under the direction of Professor N Leader-Williams.

£52,008 from the Swire Family Trust for a 3-year project from 2001-2004, to investigate the biodiversity benefits of shooting on the Lees Court Estate, Kent, under the joint direction of Professor N Leader-Williams and Dr N Sotherton of the Game Conservancy Trust.

£68,000 from CHK Charities for a 2-year project from 2000-2002, entitled 'Hunting with hounds: investigating potential biodiversity costs of a ban', under the direction of Professors SR Harrop and N Leader-Williams.

£34,540 from the Wellcome Trust for a 2-year project from 1999-2001, entitled 'Resource partitioning between black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis L) and other browsing ungulates in Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya', under the direction of Dr MJ Walpole and Professor N Leader-Williams.

£40,000 from the Durrell Trust for Conservation Biology for a 2-year project from 1999 to 2001, entitled 'Hunting and conservation: a comparison of hunting practices, policy and regulation, and their effects on biodiversity conservation and the countryside in Europe', under the direction of Professors SR Harrop and IR Swingland.

£31,392 from the Wellcome Trust for a 2-year project from 1998-2001, entitled 'River corridors and chameleon conservation in Madagascar', under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths.

£25,333 from the Natural Environment Research Council for a 1-year project during 1998, entitled 'Infectious disease and amphibian population dynamics: is egg mortality significant?', under the direction of Drs RA Griffiths and P Jeffries of Biosciences.

£122,845 from the Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 1998-2001, entitled 'Wildlife and People: Conflict and conservation in the Masai Mara, Kenya', under the direction of Professor N Leader-Williams.

£407,024 from the European Union for a 3-year project from 1997-2001, entitled 'Biodiversity and cartography of marine resources in the Dover Strait', under the direction of Dr M Walkey and Z Kemp of the Computing Laboratory.

£84,958 from the Darwin Initiative for a 3-year project from 1996-1998, entitled 'Chameleons, conservation and local communities in Madagascar', under the direction of Dr RA Griffiths