Joe Langley
- PhD Student
Contact
Connect
Location
- David Attenborough Building
- Conservation Research Institute , Cambridge, CB2 3QZ
About
I am a PhD student in the Department of Zoology and Conservation Research Institute, and a conservation scientist researching animal movement and human-wildlife conflict. I hold an MSc in Conservation from University College London and a BA in Geography from the University of Exeter. During my master's, I was awarded a Royal Geographical Society grant to conduct fieldwork in the peatland forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I investigated how local livelihood activities shape bird communities. I also have field experience in South Africa implementing camera trap surveys, using radiotelemetry, and supporting conservation programmes for elephants, cheetah, rhino, and ground pangolin.
Prior to my PhD, I worked as research assistant at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where my research spanned three projects: examining poverty, food security, and fire ecology around Madagascar's protected areas; analysing patterns of plant species richness and endemism in Ethiopia and Sierra Leone; and assessing ecological representation across Key Biodiversity Areas and Important Plant Areas in 28 countries. I have also contributed to policy-relevant research as a freelance consultant, most recently assessing timber illegality risks for Forest Trends.
Research
My research spans human–wildlife conflict, movement ecology, and near-term ecological forecasting for conservation. I am particularly interested in when, where, and why conflict between people and wildlife emerges across time and space — and how these insights can inform wildlife management and conservation interventions. Much of my current work focuses on African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in South Africa, combining field ecology with quantitative methods and spatiotemporal modelling.
Teaching and supervision
ZM2 Conservation Science (Supervisor)
