University of Bristol    Bristol Veterinary School

Supervisor: Dr Maria Paula Escobar

Last Date: Friday, November 15, 2024

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

About the Project

About the project

Background: Human-wildlife conflict, and specifically, the current human-wolf conflict in Europe, has broader implications for public health and well-being. In rural areas, wolf attacks on livestock can threaten livelihoods, increasing stress and economic insecurity, specifically for smallholder farmers already under pressure. By investigating sustainable conflict mitigation strategies that support both biodiversity conservation and community well-being, this project can contribute to more equitable and sustainable health outcomes for those directly impacted by such conflicts. To do so, it adopts an interdisciplinary framework that combines a One Health approach together with a cultural landscapes conceptual toolkit to contribute evidence on how the connection between human, animal and ecosystem health is both perceived and implemented in two different European countries and what this might mean the sustainability of successful conservation stories that have an impact on livestock farming livelihoods.

Aims and objectives:

The project aims to understand human-wolf interactions in Europe and explore solutions for mitigating conflicts. The objectives include:

O1.  Analysing public perception of wolves and human-wolf conflicts through a media-based study.

O2.  Investigating and comparing stakeholder perspectives on human-wolf conflicts (e.g., NGOs, smallholder farmers) through surveys, ethnographies (farmers) and interviews to identify common challenges and region-specific solutions.

O3.  Evaluating the effectiveness of human-wolf conflict management strategies including livestock compensation schemes and digital monitoring technologies. Exploring alternative conflict mitigation strategies.

O4.  Providing policy recommendations to promote sustainable coexistence between wolves and humans, aligning with biodiversity conservation goals and livestock farming livelihoods protection aims.

Methods:

The project will employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and target a variety of data sources including print and online media; stakeholder mapping; stakeholder interviews/focus groups and quantitative surveys.

Key references:

  Boitani, L. 2018. Canis lupus (Europe assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed on 03 October 2024

Commission proposes to Change the International Status of Wolves from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’ (2023) European Commission. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_6752 (Accessed: 04 October 2024).

Donfrancesco, V., 2024. (Co) producing landscapes of coexistence: A historical political ecology of human-wolf relations in Italy. Geoforum, 149, p.103958.

Mech, L.D., & Boitani, L. (2019). Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. University of Chicago Press.

Ripple, W. J., & Beschta, R. L. (2012). “Trophic cascades in Yellowstone: The first 15 years after wolf reintroduction.” Biological Conservation.

Supervisors:

Dr María Paula Escobar, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Geography, Bristol Veterinary School

Dr Emma Mellor, Wild Animal Initiative Research Fellow

How to apply:

Please visit the Bristol Veterinary School website Funded 4-year PhD Scholarship | Bristol Veterinary School | University of Bristol for details of how to apply and the information you must include in your application. If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to interview on or before 17th January. Interviews will take place on Microsoft Teams on 29th January. Start date September 2025.

Candidate requirements: Standard University of Bristol eligibility rules apply. Please visit PhD Veterinary Sciences | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol for more information.

Contacts: please contact fohs-pgadmissions@bristol.ac.uk with any queries about your application. Please contact the project supervisor for project-related queries: mariapaula.escobar@bristol.ac.uk

Funding Notes The studentship is available to UK and International applicants and is for a four-year PhD, funded through a University of Bristol “Bristol Veterinary School” scholarship. It consists of a waiver of tuition fees, as well as a tax-free stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25, updated each year).