Research Interests

My research interests lie primarily in: applied ecology and endangered species management, law enforcement and illegal use of wildlife, sustainable resource use, community-based conservation protected area design and management, conservation strategy and policy.

My earliest research focused on the ecology and management of reindeer introduced early in the 20th century to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, where they faced a novel environment that lacked predators and intra-specific competitors. This research was undertaken for the British Antarctic Survey, and served as the basis for my doctoral thesis at Cambridge.

My post-doctoral research focused on the ecology and conservation of black rhinoceros in Luangwa Valley, Zambia. Threatened by illegal exploitation, little was known of the management or ecology of one of Africa's largest remaining populations of black rhino living in this woodland area. This research was undertaken at the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, in the Large Animal Research Group.

I was next appointed as Chief Technical Advisor to establish a planning unit in Tanzania's Department of Wildlife, to develop an information management system for the wildlife sector, and to create policies that enhanced the conservation and economic potential of wildlife. I was responsible to the Director of Wildlife for initiating status assessments, for organising appropriate consultative workshops, and for completing national policies and management plans.

At DICE, I established a research group that both investigated conflicts between conservation, people and other large mammals, and built research capacity in biodiversity-rich developing countries. The wide range of species studied by the group included: African elephants and black rhinos, giraffes, mountain gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, West African manatees, saola, Przewalski's horses, tigers, lions, Ethiopian wolves, Andean bears, striped hyenas, Komodo dragons and Mexican reptiles. The wide range of topics studied by the group included: human-animal conflict, community-based conservation, common property resources, sustainable resource use, wildlife tourism, protected area management and planning, law enforcement and the implementation of CITES. Research was conducted in: Bolivia, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

I continue to co-supervise the research students that I took on while at DICE, as well as running joint projects.

Publications

Rivalan, P, Delmas, V, Angulo, E, Bull, LS, Hall, RJ, Courchamp, F, Rosser, AM and Leader-Williams, N (2007). Can bans stimulate wildlife trade? Nature, 447, 529-530.

Ashenafi, ZT and Leader-Williams, N. (2005). An indigenous common property resource system in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Human Ecology, 33, 539-563.

Hutton, JM & Leader-Williams, N (2003). Sustainable use and incentive-driven conservation: realigning human and conservation interests. Oryx, 37, 215-226.

Oldfield, TEE, Smith, RJ, Harrop, SR & Leader-Williams, N (2003). Field sports and conservation in the United Kingdom. Nature, 423, 531-533.