My research focus on carnivore ecosystem services, disservices and conservation ecology, especially in production landscapes. Quantifying the role of predators in production ecosystems remains key for long term sustainability.
Large scale bush clearing, as well as unsustainable resource extraction, reduce habitat available for predators. Lower habitat availability leads to declines in predator abundance and diversity, lowering resilience and functional redundancy. These combined effects inadvertently leads to reduced ecosystem services like bio-control of pests and seed dispersal. Reduced predation on rodent pests for example, leads to lower crop yield and higher seed contamination – all affecting food security.
