Dr Mahmood Soofi

Dr Mahmood Soofi is a Research Fellow in Conservation Science and became a member of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) in November 2024.

Prior to joining the University of Kent, Mahmood held several postdoctoral research and teaching positions at Georg-August University of Goettingen, Germany; the University of Aberdeen, UK; the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Darwin, Australia, and Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. Mahmood was raised in a ranger family living adjacent to Iran’s premier biosphere reserve – Golestan National Park – and therefore he is fascinated by wildlife and concerned about biodiversity conservation since childhood. Mahmood has a wide range of practical and academic expertise in the fields of conservation, biodiversity, and ecology within protected areas systems. While much of his work has focused on Iran, he has also conducted research in Papua, Indonesia, and collaborates on research projects in Cameroon and Europe. Particularly, he has focused on the assessment of wildlife monitoring techniques, mitigating conflict in conservation and quantifying unlawful harvest rates within protected areas, with implications for the way conservation occurs on the ground. Effective management of protected areas relies on understanding and managing human behaviour. Mahmood therefore draws on insights from various disciplines including ecology, social, and psychology to improve coexistence between people and wildlife, transform conservation conflicts, evaluate the outcomes from conservation and enforcement strategies within protected areas systems. Broadly, Mahmood is interested in informing policy, advancing nature recovery efforts, and planning for effective, sustainable, and socially just conservation.

Mahmood Soofi welcomes the opportunity to supervise students interested in the research themes outlined above.

Current PhD students:

Vianny Rodel Nguimdo Vouffo: Evaluating biodiversity within socio-ecological systems to inform community-led management of the African rainforest, (Co-supervised with Prof. Matthias Waltert at Georg-August University of Goettingen, Germany, University of Kent, funded by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance).

Member – IUCN SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (Suli)
Member – IUCN/CMS Persian Leopard Working Group (PeleWG)
Member – IUCN SSC Deer Specialist Group