Stephen DeStefano

Primary Interests

As a member of the Cooperative Research Unit program and Unit Leader for the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Dr. DeStefano directs a program of research, education, and service focused on fish and wildlife ecology, habitat relationships, and conservation biology and management, in cooperation with several agencies and organizations. His research interests are broadly defined by wildlife biology and terrestrial ecology, with the underlying focus and common themes of population ecology (demography, population dynamics, survival analysis), wildlife-habitat relationships (response to vegetation structure, use-availability analyses, correlation to population demography), the influence of anthropogenic factors (urban-suburban development, disturbance) on wildlife populations, and the science and management of game populations and “overabundant” wildlife. These topics have numerous implications for ecological research and wildlife management, especially as they relate to conservation biology, recovery of endangered species, human-wildlife interactions, and the impact of human activities on wildlife populations.