Alexandra Thomas

For the last eight years, I have facilitated the education of aspiring wildlife professionals, both as an educator and as a project manager.

During this time I have been exposed to various types of human-wildlife conflict across the world and spoken to those both affected by it and those trying to address it.

It is through my professional career I first encountered the true extent of wildlife crime, including illegal trade, persecution and poaching, both domestically and internationally. Of the many challenges facing wildlife, this felt like a problem that could be practically addressed.

I have long believed wildlife conservation requires a significant focus on humans. This may manifest through raising the voices and practices of indigenous groups who have lived harmoniously with our natural world for generations or through attempting long-term behaviour change in the global north to reduce the impact western lifestyles have on biodiversity.

For me, I am focusing on human perpetrators of wildlife crimes and attempting to identify those responsible for them. Where individuals cannot be identified, or where their involvement is due to extenuating circumstances, I hope my work can contribute to intelligence gathering to help counteract large scale criminal activity in this area.

I am aiming to achieve this through my PhD and through the amazing continued support of law enforcement officials and experts in the field of wildlife forensics. Collaboration is and always will be key in wildlife conservation and I believe platforms like this open up an amazing opportunity for the general public to be involved in research from the very beginning.

November 2018