Dr Helen Gath Email & Phone Number

Jersey

Jersey

Lead the operational delivery of in-person and online training programmes for conservation professionals, preparing and tracking plans and budgets to maintain strategic focus and maximise its impact. I also support the delivery of our training programmes based in Mauritius and Madagascar, and am always actively seeking to expand our training portfolio.

Jersey, Channel Islands

Jersey, United Kingdom

Working for the Academy at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, I collaborate with world-leading conservation practitioners to facilitate and deliver a wide range of training for conservation professionals. From technical knowledge to leadership skills, I help to develop essential cross-disciplinary skills that enhances project success and conservation impact across the world.

Worcester, United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom

Cber

The Endangered Echo parakeet (Psittacula eques) is a medium sized parakeet endemic to the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius. By the late 1980s, following extensive habitat loss and the introduction of exotic competitors and predators, the Echo parakeet was reduced to less than 20 birds in the South-west of Mauritius. A species recovery programme was initiated in 1993 to implement a means of mitigating further decline. The programme has been a success and the Echo parakeet population is currently estimated at ~550 birds. Now that the immediate threat of extinction has been averted, the recovery programme is entering a new phase centred on the development of a long-term strategy of minimal monitoring and management and addressing the ultimate causes of the population decline. In order to achieve this, a basic knowledge of the species’ biology and a population’s demography (i.e. patterns in breeding success, recruitment and survival) are essential. To date, no study has closely examined the underlying demography of the population and in particular, its response to environmental conditions, disease and management actions. An understanding of these, through scientific research, is fundamental to the development of an appropriate monitoring and management strategy to ensure the long-term viability of the Echo parakeet in the wild in Mauritius. This integration of research with conservation management is becoming more common place in conservation biology and has been termed ‘Adaptive Management’. Successful adaptive management can lead to better targeting and more efficient use of resources and ultimately ensure the long–term survival of the species. The PhD will play an important role is advancing this process and hence the conservation of the Echo parakeet in the wild.