Embracing failure in conservation

David spent nearly 25 years leading the RSPB’s scientific programme, both in the UK and internationally. His role was to develop the strategic direction for RSPB’s science, ensuring that its policies and practices were evidence-based. He undertook his PhD in the Zoology Department of Cambridge University, and a post doc at the Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat in the Camargue, and at the Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford. Subsequently David worked for the British Trust for Ornithology for seven years before joining the RSPB. He is a former Chair of the European Birds Census Council and of the Bat Conservation Trust, UK’s leading bat conservation organisation. He was a member of CCI Council for nearly a decade, serving as Vice-Chair and Chair. He served as interim CCI Executive Director in 2023/24.

I am Chief Scientist at BirdLife International where I lead a team who help to provide the scientific basis for the conservation programmes of the 115 Partners that form the BirdLife International Partnership. This includes assessing extinction risk for the world’s birds for the IUCN Red List, coordinating the standards and protocols for identifying and monitoring Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) globally, identifying key threats to birds and their habitats, determining the priority actions required (for species, sites, habitats and along flyways), understanding the how people depend upon the ecosystem services delivered by IBAs, developing biodiversity indicators based on bird data, and ensuring that sound science underpins BirdLife’s policy, advocacy and communications activities.

I am the Director of the Tropical Biology Association (TBA) – an NGO that is building the capacity of conservation scientists and managers in Africa and SE Asia.  The TBA has trained over 2,800 conservation scientists from 70 countries world-wide and has a 90% contact rate with its trainees.  Many are now leading conservationists, or hold senior positions in government and non-government organisations.  Recently, my team and I have developed a new programme of online training and are exploring the huge potential that the online environment offers for bringing conservation to life.

I hold a BA and a DPhil in zoology from the University of Oxford.   I am also a founding member of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and Cambridge Conservation Forum and an organiser of the Student Conference on Conservation Science.

I am the Head of the Science Programme at UNEP-WCMC and a Professor at the Center for Marcoecology, Evolution and Climate at the University of Copenhagen. I oversee the scientific work with the centre and how it relates to policy processes.

I have a track record of influencing conservation policy in sub-Saharan Africa and am a well-respected advisor to several developing country governments in East Africa. I have a long standing interest in the biogeography and conservation of African biodiversity. This has broadened in recent years to issues of the effectiveness and equity of protected areas and other conservation interventions, with regard to biological and human outcomes. I have also managed various forms of conservation projects in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe over the past 25 years, which I continue to do.

I am based at the BirdLife International global secretariat in Cambridge. The main focus of my work involves directly supporting BirdLife partners to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of their work and providing input on monitoring, evaluation and learning to BirdLife projects, programme and departments. I also manage PRISM, a resource produced by a previous CCI collaboration which is focused on building evaluation capacity for conservation projects. I have a BSc in Zoology from Glasgow University and an MSc in Ecology from Lancaster University.

I have worked in NGOs, government departments and universities specialising in a variety of conservation issues including wildlife management, invasive species and human wildlife conflicts around the world. I am currently the coordinator of the integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme at the IUCN. I have a BSc and MSc from Imperial College and a PhD from Bristol University.