Eleanor Jew
Postgraduate Student
Telephone number:
+44(0) 113 34
37966
Email address: lec1ekj@leeds.ac.uk
Room: 9.123l
Biography
My undergraduate dissertation research at Leeds University took me to the Kalahari Desert in Botswana to investigate the use of macroinvertebrates (particularly ants) as indicators of land degradation.This was my first trip to Africa, and I was captivated.Following work on a conservation project in Ecuador I undertook a Masters in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at Oxford University, where I was able to expand my interest in research at the conservation/development interface, and return to Africa.My dissertation research in Zimbabwe examined the impacts of trophy hunting on trophy sizes in three species of antelope, and examined its potential as a conservation tool. I was able to continue to research the social aspects of trophy hunting the following year, while I was working as Principal Investigator with Frontier Tanzania, a gap year organisation running conservation and research expeditions. For the last two years I have continued to work on conservation research projects, spending the summer months in Indonesia and Honduras with another research organisation, Operation Wallacea.In October 2011 I took the opportunity to return to Africa, and started in my current position as a PhD student at Leeds.
Qualifications
- MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, University of Oxford (2006)
- BSc Environmental Biogeoscience, University of Leeds (2004)
Research Interests
Food security and agriculture, biodiversity conservation, wildlife utilisation as a conservation tool, bioindicators
Project details
Project title
Managing miombo woodland for multiple benefits: Assessing land use options in south-west Tanzania
Supervisors
Professor Andy Dougill, Dr Susannah Sallu and Professor Tim Benton (FBS)
Funding
ESRC/NERC Interdisciplinary Studentship
Start date
1st October 2011
Project outline
Miombo woodlands cover approximately 2.7 million km2 of Sub-Saharan Africa, and support over 100 million people, either through farming or through natural resource use.Agriculture in the region is increasing, usually through the expansion of small holder farming. This has impacts on the ecosystem services provided by the woodland (e.g. pollination, water, medicinal plants, fuelwood), and also upon biodiversity, reducing habitat and wildlife corridors for some of Africa’s largest and most charismatic fauna, including elephants, lions and sable antelope. This project aims to develop a model to identify the trade-offs and synergies between managing land for ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation and agricultural productivity, and how to achieve triple win outcomes.This requires a multi-disciplinary approach, using a suite of research tools for biodiversity assessments and social surveys.
Publications
Jew, E. and Bonnington, C., (2011) Socio-demographic factors influence the attitudes of local residents towards trophy hunting activities in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology, 49(3):277-285
Society for Environmental Exploration (2010) Jew, E., Bonnington C., & Fanning, E. (eds) Benefits of trophy hunting to local communities: Perception versus reality in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. Frontier Tanzania Environmental Research Report 125. The Society for Environmental Exploration, UK.
Frontier Tanzania (2009) Jew, E., Mansell, H., Boddam-Whetham, L., Dures, S., Seward, A., Alexander, B.E., Hall, N., Steer, M.D. & Fanning, E., (eds). Social Surveys in the Kilombero Valley: a preliminary report. Frontier Tanzania Environmental Report 122. The Society for Environmental Exploration, UK. Available through http://www.frontier-publications.co.uk/reports/Tanzania/Savannah/KilomberoValley/FTER122SocialSurveysPreliminaryReport.pdf
Frontier Tanzania Savanna Research Programme (2007) Jew, E., Fanning, E., and Howell K.M., (eds). Pre-felling Biodiversity Assessment: Majengo and Mgombalenga. An internal report for the Kilombero Valley Teak Company (KVTC).The Society for Environmental Exploration, UK
Frontier Tanzania Savanna Research Programme (2007) Jew, E., Fanning, E., and Howell K.M., (eds). Lupiro Forestry Expansion and Sawmill Site:Crop raiding around Lupiro: Current status and perceived future trends. An internal report for the Kilombero Valley Teak Company (KVTC) for inclusion in an Environmental Impact Assessment. The Society for Environmental Exploration, UK
Jew, E., (2004) Macroinvertebrates as bioindicators of land degradation in the Kalahari Desert, Botswana.University of Leeds e-journal Earth and E-nvironment (1: 205-256). Available through http://homepages.see.leeds.ac.uk/~lecac/ejournal/issue1.htm