Research:
Biological anthropology; primate behavioral ecology; conservation biology; human-wildlife conflict issues; Madagascar.

My current research is focused on bushmeat consumption and primate conservation on the Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar. I am interested in employing interdisciplinary approaches to understand both the human and ecological perspectives of bushmeat hunting. This involves identifying the subset of the human population that is hunting lemurs and working with these hunters to determine their methods of lemur extraction, their nutritional dependence upon lemur meats, and their cultural and economic rational for extraction. Further research will then be conducted on the intensity, sustainability, and impact of local hunting on endemic lemur populations. The ultimate goal of this work is to isolate the root causes of human-wildlife conflict on the Masoala Peninsula and work with local Malagasy to determine mutually beneficial conservation actions that promote sustainable use.