UF scientists help wildlife parks mobilize against poaching
by Samantha Murray, University of Florida
3/31/2021
- Illegal poaching is a threat to wildlife conservation around the world.
- Park rangers can combat poaching, but they can be used more strategically.
- UF researchers have developed tools to help park managers use ranger patrols more efficiently at the same or lower cost.
Poaching threatens wildlife conservation around the world, and it’s a top concern in protected conservation areas and parks, where rangers patrol the wilderness in an effort to deter and document this kind of illegal activity.
A team of researchers led by scientists at the University of Florida has developed new decision-making tools to help park managers put a dent in the multibillion-dollar illegal wildlife trade while staying within their budgets.
“Ranger patrols are used in many protected areas around the world as a means to combat illegal activity such as poaching,” said Jennifer Moore, a postdoctoral researcher with the UF/IFAS wildlife ecology and conservation department. “Using the tools from this study, the efficiency of ranger patrols can be improved, resulting in further reduction of illegal activity at the same or even lower costs.
Read the Ecological Applications paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.2337