Georgina Hockings

Georgina is an MPhil student with the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science at The University of Queensland. She started her Masters in late 2019 and is researching the ecology and conflict situation of black-backed jackals in southern Namibia. She is currently working with Professor Martine Maron and Dr Jeremy Simmonds. Her work is aimed at determining the density and diet of black-backed jackals on a privately protected area in the south Namib Desert, Namibia as well as investigating the level of conflict experienced by local landholders with black-backed jackals and their attitudes towards this species. Black-backed jackals can cause human–wildlife conflict through depredation of small livestock species such as sheep and goats. Livestock farming is a major land use in southern Namibia; however, there is also a shift to eco-tourism operations which may lead to conflicting attitudes towards the presence of carnivores in the environment.

Before starting her MPhil, Georgina worked in Namibia for a conservation NGO conducting research into the ecology of spotted hyaenas and working to develop conflict mitigation methods. She has also conducted an Honours degree through CBCS looking at the ecology and behaviour of Javan rhinos in 2016. Georgina has a particular interest in African mammals, their ecology and behaviour, and how knowledge of this can be incorporated into their conservation.