Researcher biography
My research project looks into the usage of acoustic recogniser and traditional surveying methods to monitor the status of the southern black-throated finch, a subspecies that has faced substantial challenges to its conservation as a product of mining activity. My deep passion for conservation stems from my past as a field guide in the northernmost section of the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Not only is this area famous for its avian biodiversity which led to my interest in birding, but it also has a complicated relationship with conservation due to poaching. Seeing the effects this has had alongside ongoing habitat destruction has led to a personal drive to deepen my understanding of how conservation can be achieved for threatened species.