UCL Masters Challenge
Added to website: 18 April 2004
CCC has an ever-growing reputation for completing rigorous rapid biodiversity assessments over large areas, highlighting conservation needs and proposing appropriate management actions. However, as with most conservation science you often find more questions than answers.
To answer many of these questions is often beyond the scope of the volunteer programme despite their high conservation importance. However, Masters students provide a means to answer these questions.
One recent example was the need to assess the distribution of the highly endangered Visayan Warty pig (Sus cebifrons). This species is only found on five Philippine islands and is currently the subject of a captive breeding programme. Yet little is known about it in the wild and the NRCP project partners (NFEFI) were keen to assess its conservation status.
Step in Mike Cummings. Mike (a former CCC Intern) was completing his Masters in Conservation at UCL and was keen to take up the challenge. After much planning and preparation with CCC science staff the project was started in the North Negros Forest Reserve. The approach not only involved a social component, evaluating attitudes and threats to this once commonly hunted species, but also a detailed ecological survey. Mike spent weeks, literally living in the forest, working with local guides, to track this elusive species and assess their relative distribution and abundance. The objective was to not only establish a baseline of data but to also collate information that could be used to potentially inform future conservation management.
The results were staggering. Revealing a healthy presence of the species across different forest habitats of the watershed and positive attitudes towards species conservation from local stakeholders. The value and excellence of the work was also recognised by UCL who rewarded Mike with a Distinction.
