• Building of a new species conservation approach • Fundraising, setting-up and management of French and International conservation programmes of threatened species• Communication

This project study multi-scale adaptations to global change and their impacts on vulnerability in coastal areas. It enables a better understanding of the underlying social-ecological processes driving adaptation in coastal areas. Particularly, the feedbacks between risk from biophysical change, cognitive processes, and adaptation, could reduce the incidence of maladaptations while increasing the frequency of win-win adaptations. Findings will directly inform and support adaptation decision making in coastal areas, add to current knowledge on vulnerability and adaptation, and facilitate learning and appreciation of feedbacks in adaptation responses. My missions were:- Data processing - Facilitator during role playing games with different actors: elected representatives, biodiversity managers, farmers, SAGE leaders,...

Passionated by giraffe, I wanted to settle a Project to have an impact on their conservation. Finally I had worked on developing a new research & conservation project on Zimbabean giraffes in collaboration with the Biometry and Evolutionary Biology Laboratory (LBBE) from Lyon https://lbbe.univ-lyon1.fr/?lang=en, le “Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique” (the French National Centre for Scientific Research - CNRS), the Zimbabwe Wildlife Authority, and GCF (www.giraffeconservation.org).. Its title was "Understanding the underlying causes driving the decline of giraffe in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe".Objectives:To gain basic knowledge about giraffe from Hwange NP (subspecies identification, individual identification, population dynamics, and social interactions) then further allow investigating possible causes of the decline of the giraffe population abundance reported in this ecosystem. To assess the effects of exploitative competition from elephant on key resources of giraffe during the dry season. Study of the impacts of lethal and non-lethal effects of predation by lion on this population. Because the Hwange ecosystem has experienced noticeably more severe droughts over the past decades, the project wants to focuse on the interplay between this increased aridity and the interspecific interactions (elephant-giraffe, predator-prey) mentioned above. Additionally, this project addresses timely ecological questions such as influence of climate change on biotic interactions, role of megaherbivores in their ecosystems, and non-lethal effects of predation.

The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest of the armadillo species and can reach up to 150 cm and weigh up to 50 kilograms. As ecosystem engineer, the giant armadillo has a huge impact on species diversity in South America landscapes. However, it is threatened with extinction and is currently classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.My mission was to help scientists from the Giant Armadillo Prohect (Projeto Tatu Canastra) in their work of studying ecology of the giant armadillo in Pantanal and Cerrado. I did fieldwork and I met different actors to know more about distribution of the species in this 2 areas.

I was assistant of the zoological responsible, Nicolas Géli. My missions were diverse:- Daily animal records on register spreadsheets and ZIMS- Transfer management on ZIMS: updating of entrance (birth and donation) and exit (death and cession) of all the animals (mammals and birds) for one decade on ZIMS.- Creation of a spreadsheet with all the animals from the zoo, their history, and the number of individuals for each species.- Exchange with EEP & ESB coordinators about animal placements - Taxon reports- Overview of decisions taken about animals we want to get and animals we want to give- Setting up of a sanitary protocol about Avian Influenza- Archiving of veterinary reports- Very interesting learnings about birds

From August to September 2015, I worked as a Presenter. I did :- Public speaking about animals and conservation during their feeding time - Activities with children and adults to raise their awareness about conservation.I came back for one month in December 2015, working as a zoo keeper, doing animal care and getting better understanding of animal behavior & biology.

The SCBI is a part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum and research complex, and it is one of the 6 institutions of the Conservation Center for Species Survival (C2S2)# My work was divided into 2 parts about equally shared out every week:• A Research Project, equivalent of a 6-month thesis, as a part of my Master EBE training, where I developed two tools to help newborn management of endangered ungulates:- A tool using an explanatory research: I studied the impacts of pre-breeding variables on ungulate sex ratio while minimizing their mortality rate at SCBI. This ability to control offspring sex ratios could immensely help long-term management of rare and endangered ungulates in zoos. For example, producing more females would allow management of larger herds in their natural social structure and increase the overall effective population size for establishment of self-sustaining populations. - A tool using a descriptive research: I used measurement data collected by SCBI for several decades to have a general trend about their birth characteristics and to take adapted decision about the management of each one. During this project some interesting results on the Trivers and Willard hypothesis were found. I am going to write a scientific paper about it.• An Animal Management Training:- Assisting the Animal Manager in care, husbandry and management of endangered ungulates.- Training on animal management issues: take on board welfare, care, diet, social aspects of each animal, ensuring species viability, breeding and logisitcs problematics. Overview of daily decisions taken according to the different cases. - Understanding animal behavior - Insight of decisions taken during meetings with the different staff: animal managers, keepers, senior curator, vets, scientists.# Attending of 2014 Canid & FelidTAG conference and SSP meetings and 2014 AZA Annual Conference.

• Identification and monitoring of 71 Rothschild’s giraffes (endangered subspecies) and study of their social interaction • Reports of my results • Attending at the Global Meeting about Giraffe Conservation in Nairobi for one week, where scientists and wildlife managers presented their last results in the field of giraffe research, conservation and management - Theme: Is there a future for giraffes in Africa? Presentation of my work done at Soysambu during this Meeting.• Publication of a scientific article in the the newsletter Volume 7, Issue 2 2013 of the IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG). Title : Rothschild’s giraffe identification on Soysambu Conservancy

• Observations, involvements and interviews on the fields. Problem's analysis before the writing of proposals and posters. • Participation in the field ecology exercises with scientists during several week-ends. Gain of knowledge and know-how in conservation biology and zoology.• Vet assistant during intervention on a lionness. Photographer and helper during elephant translocations.• Writing of a blog during my stay in Kenya: emilienaupaysdesgirafes.wordpress.com

• Observation, listening and analysis of teams’ problems• Setting up of a organization method for the factory, the 5S’s • Teaching of this method at 20 workers then monitoring in order to sustain it at long term.

• Establishment and maintenance of pools, harvesting, marketing • Study of this complex ecosystem • Study of farm management • Setting up of innovative process