Author Archives: Aggie Thompson

News from the Maasai Mara!

July 23, 2018

Jambo! My name is Ana and my research project involves investigating the impact of various grazing intensities and land management on the vegetation and soil in the Maasai Mara. I know what you’re thinking – studying vegetation for an MRes in Wildlife Conservation? Yes! It’s important to understand how land management techniques alter the vegetation […]

Posted in 17-18 Cohort, Kenya, Research Projects

Research Project Updates!

May 29, 2018

The students’ research projects are well underway, with all students having now begun fieldwork. Here, Elaine, Emily and Carla share updates on their projects as well as providing some context on what they hope to achieve from their research. Elaine “I am using existing information about species held in zoos to examine reproductive success of […]

Posted in 17-18 Cohort, Research Projects

Marwell in the Mara!

December 7, 2017

This year the MRes Wildlife Conservation team ventured to the Maasai Mara for the first time for their field course module. Nobody knew what to expect and we were all amazed by the amount and variety of wildlife we encountered. During our time in the Mara we also developed a variety of skills and contributed […]

Posted in 17-18 Cohort, Field Trip, Kenya

Lauren’s project – The demographics of China’s most vulnerable elephants

December 1, 2017

Hey there! I’m Lauren, one of the five students from the 2016/17 cohort. This year is now coming to an end and I would love to share my China experience with you all! Back in March, I was intending to study spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). I know what you must be thinking… what is this […]

Posted in 16-17 Cohort, Research Projects

Welcome MRes Wildlife Conservation Cohort 2017/18!

November 27, 2017

Welcome to our 2017-2018 cohort of 10 new students! Having found their feet after starting the course back in October, they would now like to introduce themselves! Ana Giovanetti Background I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Animal Biology from the University of British Columbia in 2016. Before endeavouring in graduate school, I’ve participated […]

Posted in 17-18 Cohort

Jo’s project – Ecosystem impacts of pika management

November 22, 2017

Hi everyone! It is time for my final blog post, which means the year has come to an end and I have finally finished my research project! Whilst there were challenges along the way, the experiences, particularly those from the data collection period, were fantastic and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss one second of […]

Posted in Uncategorized

Beth’s Project – Expanding the knowledge base for sand lizards (Lacerta agilis)

October 27, 2017

Hello, Beth here. I cannot believe we have come to the end of the course! It has all gone very quickly but we have learnt so much along the way. I really cannot thank everyone at Marwell Wildlife and the University of Southampton enough for the support and invaluable guidance they have given me over […]

Posted in 16-17 Cohort, Research Projects

Victoria’s Project – Reptile species assemblages around Marwell

October 24, 2017

As a lover of field work, my UK-based eight-month research project for my Masters was something I had been anticipating most about the MRes, and I was not disappointed. My project focused on how certain land management (e.g. agricultural land vs conservation land) affects reptile species assemblages in Southern England. There are few published studies […]

Posted in 16-17 Cohort, Research Projects

Aggie’s Project – Bat activity in a complex managed landscape

October 23, 2017

  What a busy year! The 2016-2017 students have now finished their course, and they would like to share with you how their individual research projects have developed over the past 10 months. In this post: Aggie! Woodland management, habitat structural features and landscape characteristics as predictors of bat activity Bats are an important indicator […]

Posted in 16-17 Cohort, Research Projects