Dr Ben Phalan
Zukerman Junior Research Fellow, King’s College
btp22@cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1223
331698
My research is focused on how to reconcile human demands, especially those for food and other agricultural products, with the conservation of birds and other biodiversity. I am interested in understanding the consequences of different food production trajectories for biodiversity, and in evaluating potential conservation strategies. I address these questions through fieldwork, data syntheses and spatial analysis. Collaborations include work with BirdLife International, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. I am also interested more widely in ways of identifying and resolving trade-offs between conservation and development; in the ecology and conservation of tropical forests, especially in West Africa; and in defining conservation baselines and objectives.
Selected Publications
- Phalan, B., Bertzky, M., Butchart, S. H. M., Donald, P. F., Scharlemann, J. P. W., Stattersfield, A. J. and Balmford, A. (2013) Crop expansion and conservation priorities in tropical countries. PLoS ONE 8, e51759. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051759.
- Phalan, B., Balmford, A. and Green, R. E. (2012) Agriculture as a key element for conservation: reasons for caution. Conservation Letters doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00248.x.
- Phalan, B., Onial, M., Balmford, A. and Green, R. E. (2011). Reconciling food production and biodiversity conservation: land sharing and land sparing compared. Science 333: 1289-1291 [and a response to letters in Science 334: 594-595]
- Phalan, B., Balmford, A., Green, R. E. and Scharlemann, J. P. W. (2011). Minimising the harm to biodiversity of producing more food globally. Food Policy 36: S62-S71
