Chloe Chesney
PhD candidate
E-mail:
I am currently a PhD student researching the role of local ecological knowledge in the long-term conservation of biodiverse, anthropogenic areas. I first went to Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau in 2019 and have been since with my own PhD project (2022-2023) and our Protect Great Apes from Disease project (2021). I am passionate about the inclusion of existing local knowledge and beliefs into conservation strategy and acknowledging the key role of people who share their landscape with protected species. My research and practical work to date has used interdisciplinary socio-ecological data to understand and address conservation dynamics, and issues and I am interested in taking this to the next level by developing novel techniques to achieve more effective and sustainable conservation outcomes in the long-term. I graduated with a BA degree with honors in History and Anthropology (2017) and a MSc in Primate Conservation (Human-Primate Interface) (2018) from Oxford Brookes University in the UK, which gave me an excellent grounding in the methods and application of multidisciplinary approaches. When planning my undergraduate dissertation in 2014, I developed an interest in understanding how cultural practices and beliefs influence peoples’ attitudes and behaviors towards the environment. I have been both conducting research and working in practical conservation roles across West Africa and South-East Asia developing and applying skills in this area ever since. Working in Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, I have seen first hand the effects of top-down conservation action on people living in protected areas and the subsequent adverse effects on the habitat and the wildlife. Interestingly, nature often finds ways to adapt and chimpanzees are an excellent example of a species that can flexibly respond to anthropogenic habitat modifications. I conducted research on spatio-temporal use of habitats by people and animals, community conservation projects and environmental education programmes, with a particular focus on chimpanzees.
About me
“I am extremely passionate about building on this research to further investigate and understand local practices and perceptions of wildlife and conservation projects in order to incorporate what people are already doing into conservation approaches. And so, in September 2021 I started a PhD in Anthropology at ISCTE and NOVA FCSH.”
Publications
2024
- Houldcroft, A., Lindgren, F., Sanhá, A., Jaló, M., Regalla de Barros, A., Hockings, K.J. and Bersacola, E., 2024, Joint spatial modeling of cluster size and density for a heavily hunted primate persisting in a heterogeneous landscape. Ecography e07399.
- Houldcroft, A., Lindgren, F., Sanhá, A., Jaló, M., Regalla de Barros, A., Hockings, K., and Bersacola, E., 2024. Data from: Joint spatial modeling of cluster size and density for a heavily hunted primate persisting in a heterogeneous landscape [Dataset]. Dryad.
2023
- Bersacola, E. and Hockings K.J., 2023. Action plan for the conservation of medium- and large-mammals in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau (2024-2034). Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas. Bissau: Guinea-Bissau.
- Bersacola, E., Hockings, K.J., Harrison, M.E., Imron, M.A., Bessa, J., Ramon, M., Regalla de Barros, A., Jaló, M., Sanhá, A., Ruiz-Miranda, C.R. and Ferraz, L.P., 2023. Primate conservation in shared landscapes. In Primates in Anthropogenic Landscapes: Exploring Primate Behavioural Flexibility Across Human Contexts (pp. 161-181). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
- Ramon, M., McLennan, M.R., Ruiz-Miranda, C.R., Kalema-Zikusoka, G., Bessa, J., Bersacola, E., Sanhá, A., Jaló, M., Barros, A.R.D., Leendertz, F.H. and Hockings, K.J., 2023. Infectious diseases in primates in human-impacted landscapes. In Primates in anthropogenic landscapes: Exploring primate behavioural flexibility across human contexts (pp. 139-160). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
