Jessica Walsh
j.walsh@zoo.cam.ac.uk
Tel:
+44 (0)1223 769018
Before starting my PhD in 2011 at the University of Cambridge, I worked at the Spatial Ecology Lab, University of Queensland, Australia, as a research assistant and as an undergraduate, undertaking several research projects. During these projects, I studied the impacts of exotic species on islands, the cost-effectiveness of fox control for the conservation of a threatened endemic Australian bird, the malleefowl, and the effectiveness of threatened species recovery plans.
Research Interests
I am interested in the conservation of biodiversity and the mitigation of global environmental threats. Saving threatened species and ecosystems from extinction requires the implementation of effective and efficient management interventions. Integrating scientific evidence into the decision-making process is one strategy to ensure that the best management actions are chosen. Currently, the use of evidence is limited in many conservation projects, and as a result, conservation practitioners may be implementing interventions that achieve sub-optimal or detrimental outcomes.
I am investigating how to overcome key barriers which often prevent the use of evidence in conservation projects, such as limited accessibility to scientific information. I will evaluate the level of access conservation practitioners have to scientific information and determine how likely they are to use evidence if it is easily accessible. I aim to quantify the costs, benefits and trade-offs of using (or not using) evidence-based conservation and identify the most useful presentation format for the transfer of evidence to conservation practitioners.
My studies focus on practitioners who make decisions on how to control and manage invasive species. My research will aim to improve our understanding of how to bridge the gap between scientific research and the application of effective conservation practices.
My PhD supervisors are Prof. Bill Sutherland and Dr. Lynn Dicks. I am funded jointly by the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, with additional funds provided through the John Stanley Gardiner Memorial Studentship.
Before starting my PhD, I worked at the Spatial Ecology Lab, University of Queensland, Australia, as a research assistant and as an undergraduate student. I completed several research projects, studying the impacts of exotic species on islands, the cost-effectiveness of fox control for the conservation of an endemic Australian bird, the malleefowl, and the effectiveness of recovery plans for Australian threatened species.
Publications
- Walsh, J.C., Wilson, K.A., Benshemesh, J. and Possingham, H. P. (2012) Unexpected outcomes of invasive predator control: the importance of evaluating conservation management actions. Animal Conservation, 15, 319-328.
- Walsh, J.C., Wilson, K.A., Benshemesh, J. and Possingham, H. P. (2012) Integrating research, monitoring and management into an adaptive management framework to achieve effective conservation outcomes. Animal Conservation, 15, 334-336.
- Walsh, J.C., Venter, O., Watson, J.E.M., Fuller, R., Blackburn, T. and Possingham, H.P. (2012) Exotics species richness and native species endemism increase the impact of exotic species on islands. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 21, 841-850.
- Walsh, J.C., Watson, J.E.M., Bottrill, M.C., Joseph, L.N. and Possingham, H.P. (in press) Trends and biases in the listing and recovery planning of threatened species: an Australian case study. Oryx.
- Bottrill, M.C. Walsh, J.C., Watson J.E.M., Joseph, L.N., Ortega-Argueta, A. and Possingham, H.P. (2011) Does recovery planning improve the status of threatened species? Biological Conservation, 144, 5, 1595-1601.
- Watson, J.E.M., Bottrill, M.C., Walsh, J.C., Joseph, L.N. and Possingham, H.P. (2010) Evaluating threatened species recovery planning in Australia. Report prepared for the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia. 158pp.
