Research
My students and I are currently involved in a number of diverse projects concerning wildlife conservation.
We are working towards quantifying the how the mosaic of urban, semi-urban, peri-urban, working lands, and protected lands affects the distributions, demographics and inter-species interactions in animal communities.
Our mission is to develop management and conservation practices that are inclusive, effective at grassroots level. We strive to find solutions that not only benefit wildlife but also farmers and local community.
Arthropods and Bird Community
Through this study we quantify the arthropod-bird community network.
Grassland bird communities are among the most rapidly declining bird taxa in North America. This decline is often attributed to decline in arthropods along with habitat loss/degradation and climate change.
The goals of this study are:
1) Identify the effect of urban, peri-urban, working lands and protected areas have on arthropod and bird community.
2) Identify how different habitat management styles are affecting the arthropod diversity and abundances.
Our Collaborators: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Arkansas, USGS
Climate change and anthropogenic disturbance is having a major impact on mammal distributions and behavior.
The goals of this projects are:
1) Distribution and range expansion of Armadillos due to rapidly changing climatic conditions.
2) Quantify mammal distribution patterns in Central Illinois as a part of Snapshot - Smithsonian Institute.
3) Quantify the impact of urbanization on mammal behavior
4) Quantify the impact of hunting on mammal behavior
Our Collaborators: Mississippi University, Harvard University, Columbia University, Valdosta State University, Meredith College, University of Arkansas, USGS, Smithsonian Institute
Mammals
Traditional Ecological Knowledge
For effective, efficient and sustainable conservation to happen it's imperative for the local/indigenous communities to be involved.
We at Bradley Lab of Conservation are working at:
1) Documenting the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of farming, hunting, fishing community
2) Documenting the TEK of Native Americans
We are collaborating with the University of Oxford, and Ethno-ornithology World Atlas in documenting TEK
Through this effort we hope to bring TEK in mainstream conservation efforts.
Give Voice to local/indigenous community, minorities.