Biography
Integrating scientific evidence into management planning and decision-making is one strategy to ensure that the most effective and efficient management actions are chosen for conservation. Currently, the use of evidence is limited in many conservation projects, and as a result, conservation practitioners may be implementing interventions that achieve sub-optimal outcomes.
Jessica's research aims to improve our understanding of how to bridge the gap between scientific research and the application of effective conservation practices. She is investigating how to overcome key barriers which often prevent the use of evidence in conservation projects, such as limited accessibility to scientific information. Her aim is to identify the main reasons for this research-implementation gap around the world and quantify the effectiveness of alternative solutions to improve the use of evidence-based practice.
Her studies focus on practitioners who work in national or regional conservation organisations (both government and non-governmental) who make decisions on threatened species and invasive species management, globally. Her field work is based in East Anglia, UK, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and in New Zealand.
She is funded jointly by the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, with additional funds provided through the John Stanley Gardiner Memorial Studentship, Department of Zoology.
