SCCS Internship Programme 2017 · (The National University of Mongolia, Baga Toirog, Ulaanbaatar...

SCCS Internship Programme

2017

Internship Programme 2017

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Overview

The Student Conference in Conservation Science (SCCS) is building the capacity of young scientists

across the world. SCCS offers a dynamic and interactive programme of talks, workshops and poster

sessions, and enables students to network with a wide variety of disciplines and organisations in the

Cambridge area (including universities, government and NGOs). In addition to the Cambridge

conference, there are sister conferences in New York, Brisbane, Bangalore, Beijing and Hungary.

The Miriam Rothschild Travel Bursary Programme enabled 15 students from developing countries to

participate in the SCCS, attend a tailor-made training course and then take up an internship at a UK

conservation organisation. Known as the Internship Programme, it has become a significant

component of the SCCS series and is clearly fulfilling a role of giving young conservation scientists new

skills, significantly boosting their careers in the field of conservation.

“With the outputs of this internship, aside from my personal growth, I was able to generate management recommendations that will be shared with stakeholders and decision makers to turn them into real conservation action.” Esteban Brenes-Mora, Costa Rica

SCCS short courses in 2017

We ran three short courses for 29 interns and holders of bursaries and grants. Taking place before the

conference and lasting 2–3 days, the courses were “Getting started in R for analysis of conservation

science data”; “Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in conservation science”; and “A practical

introduction to social survey design for conservation science”.

All three short courses received extremely positive feedback and are clearly a valuable addition to the

whole SCCS experience.


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Internship placements in 2017

The Internship Programme gives young conservationists the opportunity to learn new skills through

short courses and month-long placements where they can work alongside UK experts gaining support,

advice and contacts that are useful for their current work and future plans. The internship placements

are selected from a large number of applications. Good evidence of contact and joint planning

between prospective intern and UK host is an important selection criterion.

The 2017 interns worked on a broad range of topics and approaches. These included new analytical

methods that interns needed for data they had already collected such as camera trap data or

information on ranging patterns of their study animal. One intern carried out the first formal climate

change risk assessment for threatened plants in the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot, while another

gained access to important museum specimens of snakes in the group he was studying. Another

carried out an important analysis of black corals and learnt skills in how to make best use of her

scientific evidence to influence legislation amendments to attain sustainable harvesting of black

corals. Several interns completed papers during their stay in the UK and made new contacts with

whom they will continue to work on their projects afterwards.

The interns report to us that they benefit a great deal from this Programme and that they continue to

apply their new skills once back in their home countries. There is also a multiplier effect as interns

share their new knowledge with others after they return.

All interns write a report about their activities at the end of the internship period. These are available

from the SCCS office on request.

All 2017 SCCS interns will receive Fauna and Flora International membership for one year, including

an online subscription to Oryx – The International Journal of Conservation. In addition, the interns

who produced the three best reports will receive Fauna and Flora International membership for two

years, with an online subscription to Oryx; they will also each win £75 worth of books from Cambridge

University Press. Details of the prize winners can be found on pages 12–13.

“This experience was definitely wonderful and greatly encouraged me to keep pursuing my career as a conservation scientist.” Rafael Rabelo, Brazil


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Internship holders 2017

Milene Amâncio Alves Eigenheer (UNESP - Ecologia, Avenida 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro - SP - Brazil, CEP 13506-900)

“This period of research at Swansea University promoted a better integration between two important groups studying animal movement and behaviour: the Movement Ecology Group (Rio Claro, Brazil) and Movement Ecology and Biodiversity Dynamics Lab (Swansea, Wales).”

Topic: Ecology, movement and social behavior of maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in fragmented landscapes

Host: Dr Luca Borger (University of Swansea)

Sudip Banerjee (Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand, India)

“During the internship, I also had a chance to discuss with my supervisors regarding the pros and cons of such wide scale implementation of REM, given its current developing stage, and look forward to test the robustness of the method more efficiently substantiated by increased effort from field sampling.” “I will use the knowledge I gained about the technique due to this wonderful internship opportunity, to motivate the researchers in using the technique with greater confidence and ease.”

Topic: To analyse an existing data set using Random Encounter Model (REM)

Host: Dr Chris Carbone (Zoological Society of

London)


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Kwame Boafo (Ghana Wildlife Society, P.O. Box 13252, Accra, Ghana)

“To monitor Wood Warblers on their breeding ground to give me a better understanding of their breeding ecology as well as the threats they face during migration to winter in Sub-Saharan Africa.” “I made contact with other researchers from Ghana and we are currently working together on a proposal to conduct more studies on the breeding ecology of the White-necked Picathartes.”

Topic: To study and monitor wood warblers on their breeding ground

Host: John Mallord (Royal Society for the

Protection of Birds)

Bukola Braimoh (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa)

“It exposed me to the invaluable skill of paper writing for peer reviewed Journal, designing/implementing conservation field research, several data analysis methods using R as well as using electronic reference manager (Mendeley).” “I also successfully completed a manuscript which was submitted to Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology…”

Topic: Conduct field research on the effect of human presence on Common oystercatchers in Scotland

Host: Professor Will Cresswell (University of St Andrews)


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Esteban Brenes-Mora (Instituto Internacional para el Manejo y Conservación de la Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Campus Omar Dengo, Heredia, Costa Rica)

“During my proposed internship project, I analyzed data I gathered from the highlands of Cordillera de Talmanca using novel methods I have never used before.”

Topic: Analyse mammal herbivore camera trap data from the highlands of Costa Rica

Host: Dr Marcus Rowcliffe (Zoological Society of

London)

Keshab Gogoi (Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand, India)

“Besides the project objectives I was privileged to attend weekly lab meetings and I delivered an oral presentation on my previous study in one of the lab meetings at Durham.”

Topic: Analyse data of lion mark–recapture to see the influence of different management and eco-geographical factors on their spatial distribution and density in Western Gir Protected Area, India

Host: Dr Philip Stephens (Durham University)


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Erika Gress (Solidaridad, Quintana Roo, Mexico)

“During my time as part of the Ocean Research and Conservation Group, I not only got more statistical analysis experience; I also got the opportunity to discuss best alternatives to disseminate the results and make use of this scientific evidence to influence legislation amends to attain a sustainable harvesting of black corals.”

Topic: Assessment of sustainability of black coral population in Cozumel, Mexico

Host: Dr Alex Rogers (University of Oxford)

Ketki Jog (independent researcher, India)

“Coupled with the discussions with my advisor Dr Simon Northridge, I was able to fine tune my research objectives to understand the cultural and ecological significance of the interactions between humpback dolphins and coastal fisheries along the Sindhudurg coastline in India.”

Topic: Cetacean behaviour and fisheries interactions – sampling methods and analysis

Host: Dr Simon Northridge (Sea Mammal Research Unit,

University of St Andrews)


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Amyot Felix Kofoky (BP 571, Rue Farafaty, MEEF Ampandrianomby, Antananarivo Madagascar)

“…the new information that I learned from this internship will be transferred to other people either in NGO or Public administration via workshop in Madagascar. Moreover, doing internship at the Exeter University provided me with the extra knowledge, experience and confidence to improve my thesis project and to contribute into National Strategy of Biodiversity Conservation in Madagascar as an officer at the Ministry in charge of Environment.”

Topic: Bat radio tracking data management and analysis

Host: Dr Fiona Matthews (University of Exeter)

Mingyu Liu (Peking University Center for Nature and Society, Beijing, China)

“Building skills in analyzing data allowed me to not only analyze my free-ranging dog data, but also my broader research of snow leopards. These skills are transferable to any species and valuable as I develop as a scientist.”

Topic: To learn ecological modelling and data analysis on home range and activity pattern.

Host: Professor David Macdonald

(University of Oxford)


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Tserennadmid Mijiddorj (The National University of Mongolia, Baga Toirog, Ulaanbaatar 14200 Mongolia)

“This internship was very helpful for me to expand academic knowledge, networking and motivates my further career for conservation scientist.”

Topic: To explore and improve some techniques and designs for my PhD thesis which relates with climate change impact on local herders in Gobi region

Host: Professor EJ Milner-Gulland (University of Oxford)

Lara de Macedo Monteiro (Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiás, Brazil)

“This internship experience was very enriching in many ways. The best thing of it was that I achieved more than the overall aim originally proposed, and ended up assessing around 500 species’ (instead of 200 restricted to the Cerrado biome) benefit and threat statuses from climate change.”

Topic: To undertake the first formal climate change risk assessment for threatened plants in the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot

Host: Professor Chris Thomas (University of York)


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Simangele Msweli (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus, School of Life Sciences, Scottsvile, South Africa)

“One of my aims for the internship was to learn to collect data using the “transect” method.” "Apart from learning to perform analyses, Michael taught me the biological/ecological significance of my results.”

Topic: To gain skills necessary to analyse plant-pollinator networks

Host: Dr Michael Pocock (Centre for Ecology &

Hydrology)

Rafael Magalhães Rabelo (CENBAM-PPBio/INPA/V8, Av. André Araújo, 2936, Petrópolis, Postal Code 2223, CEP 69060-001, Manaus, AM, Brazil)

“The internship surely helped to strengthen my paper-writing skills. The simple experience of being in an international academic atmosphere, working with an Amazon-expert, as Dr Boubli, encouraged me to keep moving forward on my career.”

Topic: To prepare a manuscript on niche modelling of the black-faced spider monkey (Ateles chamek) in the Amazon

Host: Professor Jean P. Boubli (University of Salford)


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Deepak Veerappan (TE-11, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560012, Karnataka, India)

“Most of the specimens I examined were type materials collected before 1920’s from India. SCCS internship was a great opportunity for me to examine the types which otherwise would have been impossible.” “This internship was very productive and I made good progress within one month, learning several aspects of snake taxonomy. I managed to study in detail many of the types and historical collections at the museum.”

Topic: To develop my skills on taxonomy of colubrid snakes from India

Host: Dr David Gower (Natural History Museum,

London)


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Impact

The immediate impact of the Programme’s activities is measured through detailed feedback

questionnaires and personal reports after the interns have returned to their home countries as well as

feedback from the hosts. The interns rated their internship experience with an average score of 4.9 on

a scale where 1 is very poor and 5 is excellent. They commented that the most beneficial aspects of the

internship were access to useful advice and meeting other conservation scientists.

It is clear from the reports that all 15 interns learned new methods and gained new skills and ideas

during their internship placements and their reports show how they will apply their new expertise

back home. One intern gained access to some snake specimens that are not available in his home

country. Another intern said that she gained advice in “best alternatives to …make use of this scientific

evidence to influence legislation amendments to attain a sustainable harvesting of black corals.” Many

of the interns commented that the skills they learnt are transferrable so they will be able to apply

them beyond the specific project they came to the internship with. Other interns forged new

connections with conservation scientists in UK conservation institutions that are likely to result in

projects that would not have happened otherwise.

Several interns have already submitted manuscripts for publication, while others are completing their

final drafts or finalising proposals for future work. There is also a multiplier effect as interns share

their new knowledge with others after they return.

One intern wrote:

“To sum it up, SCCS Cambridge and the internship was one of the breakthrough times in my research career and I learned a lot about conservation research from other researchers and scientists alike. I am confident that this will facilitate my future collaborations and research projects”

Contributions of the hosts

The contribution of the hosts is vital to the success of the Programme. The hosts put a great deal of

thought into maximising the learning opportunities for the interns and actively encourage interns to

network with colleagues, attend seminars and present their work to different audiences. Several

hosts are planning to continue to work with the interns, and one may register their intern for a PhD.

In other cases, the hosts were able to introduce interns to a wider network working in their area.

Many hosts give their interns opportunities to present their work to research groups, carry out

fieldwork, and visit other organisations.

It is clear that the internship scheme is valued highly by the hosts and all of them said they would host

an intern again.


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Below are some examples of comments provided by the hosts:-

“An excellent and mutually stimulating opportunity, of great help to expand international collaborations.” “A great scheme of great benefit to young conservation scientists worldwide.” “I think your Student Conference program is fantastic and opens up doors to students and host alike. I believe conservation science is about internationalisation and your program is promoting just that.” `

Prize winners 2017

Each year, we award prizes kindly donated by Cambridge University Press and Fauna & Flora

International to the three best interns. This year the three best reports will each win £75 worth of

books from Cambridge University Press in addition to membership of Fauna & Flora International for

two years which includes a subscription to Oryx – the International Journal for Conservation. The

prize winners were as follows:

Bukola Braimoh (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa)

During her internship at the University of St Andrews, Bukola learnt the skills of writing a paper for

publication using her MSc project carried out in Nigeria. The resulting paper “Managing human

disturbance: factors influencing flight initiation distance of birds in a West African nature reserve” has

now been submitted to Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology. She also learnt the reference manager,

Mendeley, and has been able to introduce it to her colleagues since her return to Nigeria.

During her internship, Bukola conducted field research on the effects of human presence on common

oystercatchers. She learnt how to use the statistical package R in order to analyse the data collected.

She will continue to work with her host at the University of St Andrews with the aim of publishing the

research at a later date.

Bukola was also able to attend the Scottish Ecology, Environment and Conservation Conference at the

University of Aberdeen during her month at St Andrews.

Lara de Macedo Monteiro (Universidade Federal de Goiás, Brazil)

Lara spent her internship at the University of York undertaking the first formal climate change risk

assessment for threatened plants in the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) biodiversity hotspot. She then

expanded this work to cover species distributed in all Brazilian biomes, not only in the Cerrado. The

preliminary results show that more than 50% of all threatened and endemic plant species from Brazil

are at high risk from climate change.

At the end of her internship, Lara and her host outlined an overall plan for the next steps in order to

publish the results of this work in two possible journals: Nature Ecology and Evolution, and

Conservation Letters.


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During her internship, Lara enjoyed meeting many inspiring and competent young conservationists

working on climate change impacts all over the world. She also enjoyed learning about English culture

in the beautiful city of York.

Rafael Magalhães Rabelo (Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica, Instituto

Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Brazil)

Working with his host at the University of Salford, Rafael was able to finish his data analysis and

produce the maps needed for his paper on “Niche modelling of the black-faced spider monkey (Ateles

chamek) in the Amazon”. The paper evaluates the distribution of the black-faced spider monkey and

assesses how deforestation is threatening this species. The paper is now being revised by the co-

authors and will soon be submitted for publication to Biological Conservation.

The internship also provided the opportunity to collaborate with other students on other niche-

modelling projects which Rafael hopes will yield further publications. The experience has helped to

inspire and motivate Rafael to continue to deliver high quality research and conservation in the

Amazon.


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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Arcadia for supporting the Miriam Rothschild Travel Bursary Programme

(known as the SCCS Internships). Thanks also go to Oryx – The International Journal of Conservation,

Cambridge University Press and Fauna & Flora International for providing subscriptions and prizes.

We are grateful to the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, for hosting the SCCS

administration and providing facilities for the short courses.

We acknowledge the enthusiasm, collaboration and dedication of the internship hosts and supervisors

in making the Internship Programme such a success. We thank all the following:

Dr Luca Borger (Swansea University), Professor Jean P. Boubli (University of Salford), Dr Chris

Carbone (Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London), Professor Will Cresswell (St Andrews

University), Dr David Gower (Natural History Museum, London), Professor David Macdonald (Wildlife

Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford), John Mallord (Royal Society for the Protection of

Birds), Dr Fiona Mathews (University of Exeter), Professor EJ Milner-Gulland (University of Oxford),

Dr Simon Northridge (St Andrews University), Dr Michael Pocock (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology),

Professor Alex David Rogers (University of Oxford), Dr Marcus Rowcliffe (Institute of Zoology,

Zoological Society of London), Dr Philip Stephens (Durham University) and Professor Chris D. Thomas

(University of York) assisted by PhD candidate Chris Wheatley ( University of York).

We thank the tutors for their invaluable teaching of the short courses held before the conference:

Professor Will Cresswell (University of St Andrews), Dr Freya St John (Bangor University) and Ian

Edwards (Society for Conservation GIS).

Becky Robertson, Emma Garnett and Charlotte Payne (all Department of Zoology, University of

Cambridge) kindly acted as short course teaching assistants.

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