Prof. Claudio Sillero
Recognised for his work in carnivore conservation projects ..
Prof. Claudio Sillero - saving the Ethiopian wolf
Researcher | Conservationist | wildlife-human conflict
Prof. Claudio Sillero was born in Argentina. He studied at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, then obtained his Ph.D. at Oxford University UK in 1994 with a study on the behavioural ecology of the Ethiopian wolf. A committed conservation biologist, his academic interests are the behavioural ecology of carnivores, conservation biology and population biology, with a particular interest in the Canidae.
He is internationally recognised for his work in carnivore conservation projects across four continents. One of his greatest contributions to conservation is his work to protect the the Ethiopian wolf, a critically endangered species. He is the Founder and Director of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, Head of Conservation at the Born Free Foundation, and holds the post of Bill Travers Fellow for Wildlife Conservation at Oxford University, supervising its projects worldwide.
Claudio is Deputy Director of WildCRU – part of the University of Oxford’s Department of Zoology, The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit is a pioneering, inter-disciplinary research unit in a world-class academic centre. It underpins solutions to conservation problems through primary scientific research of the highest calibre.
Claudio has become increasingly interested in ensuring the economic and social well-being of the human communities that need to co-exist with the carnivores. He is a passionate sustainable conservationist, actively committed in mitigating wildlife-human conflict through his personal initiatives, which focus on building partnerships with communities to develop methods of conflict resolution.
Claudio is also active in several IUCN Specialist Groups and runs the Satpura Landscape Tiger Project in central India and the Andean Cats and Transfrontier Conservation Project in South America. He has been Chair of the IUCN Canid specialist Group since 2004, the international body responsible for the conservation of wolves, jackals, dogs and foxes. In this role he has supported many field projects and co-edited the IUCN Canid Action Plan and a book on wild canids. He is Director of Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme.
His work includes the conservation of endangered species, protected areas management, and wildlife surveys for 15 years spanning three African countries and Argentina. In 1998 he received the Whitley Award for Animal Conservation from the Royal Geographical Society for his work in Ethiopia.
Becoming increasingly involved in the relationships between protected areas and their surrounding rural communities, he is now working with biodiversity conservation policies and practices, particularly in South America, India and Ethiopia, culminating in his current work on the resolution of conflict between wildlife and human interests.
He is one of a handful of dynamic, remarkable and passionate individuals who are actively helping the survival of endangered species. His personal dedication and relentless work in the field, in research and in raising funds and awareness is highly commendable.
Courtesy: Spencer Scott Travel & Wikipedia
ARTICLES OF INTEREST:
Saving the world’s rarest wolf by Jeremy Hance at Mongabay 2009
What it takes to save Africa's most endangered carnivore by Anton Crone with Africa Geographic 2014