Dr Sarah Durant

Curriculum Vitae:

• 1991-present: Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London.
• 1991: PhD, University of Cambridge.
• 1986: BA(Hons), University of Cambridge.

IUCN Cat Specialist group, member 1994 to present.
Cheetah Conservation Fund, International Scientific Advisory Board, 2000 to present.

Affiliations:
Wildlife Conservation Society (New York)
Wildlife Conservation Society (Tanzania)
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
Tanzania National Parks
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Research Interests:

My research interests centre around conservation biology, with an emphasis on the problems faced by endangered species. In particular I am interested in the implications of competition and habitat heterogeneity for population persistence, the impact of predator avoidance behaviours on the spatial distribution of populations, population viability analysis and human/wildlife conflict. I am especially interested in using the results generated from research by myself and others to facilitate on the ground conservation. A key focus of my work is the running of the Serengeti Cheetah Project in Tanzania, which is the only on-going long term study of free-living cheetahs. This study has told us much of what we currently know about wild cheetahs. The project is currently expanding the monitoring program for cheetahs in the Serengeti to cover a larger area within Tanzania, and hence has been renamed the Tanzania Cheetah Conservation Program. This program is additionally supporting training and capacity building programs for Tanzanian wildlife professionals.
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Publications:

Beudels, R., Durant, S. M. & Harwood, J. 1992 Assessing the risks of extinction for local populations of roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus). Biological Conservation 61: 107-116.

Caro, T. M. & Durant, S. M. 1991 Use of quantitative analyses of pelage characteristics to reveal family resemblances in genetically monomorphic cheetahs. Journal of Heredity 82: 8-14.

Caro, T. M. & Durant, S. M. 1995 The importance of behavioural ecology for conservation biology: Examples from studies of Serengeti carnivores. In Serengeti II: Dynamics, management and conservation of an ecosystem (ed. A. R. E. Sinclair & P. Arcese), pp. 451-472. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Durant, S. M. 1998 Competition refuges and coexistence: An example from Serengeti carnivores. Journal of Animal Ecology 67: 370-386.

Durant, S. M. 1998 A minimum intervention approach to conservation: The influence of social structure. In Behavioural Ecology and Conservation Biology (ed. T. M. Caro), pp. 105-129. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Durant, S. M. 2000. Dispersal patterns, social structure and population viability. In Behaviour and Conservation (ed. M. Gosling & B. Sutherland), pp. 172-197. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Durant, S. M. 2000 Predator avoidance, breeding experience and reproductive success in endangered cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Animal Behaviour 60: 121-130.

Durant, S. M. 2000. Living with the enemy: Predator avoidance of hyaenas and lions by cheetahs in the Serengeti. Behavioral Ecology 11: 624-632.

Durant, S. M., Caro, T. M., Collins, D. A., Alawi, R. M. & FitzGibbon, C. D. 1988 Migration patterns of Thomson's gazelles and cheetahs on the Serengeti plains. African Journal of Ecology 26: 257-268.

Durant, S. M. & Harwood, J. 1992 Assessment of monitoring and management strategies for local populations of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus. Biological Conservation 61: 81-92.

Durant, S. M. & Mace, G. M. 1994 Species differences and population structure in population viability analysis. In Creative Conservation: Interactive management of wild and captive animals (ed. P. J. S. Olney, G. M. Mace & A. T. C. Feistner), pp. 67-91. London: Chapman & Hall.

Kelly, M. J. & Durant, S. M. 2000 Viability of the Serengeti cheetah population. Conservation Biology 14: 786-797.

Kelly, M. J., Laurenson, M. K., FitzGibbon, C. D., Collins, D. A., Durant, S. M., Frame, G. W., Bertram, B. C. R. & Caro, T. M. 1998 Demography of the Serengeti cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) population: the first 25 years. Journal of Zoology 244: 473-488.

McComb, K., Moss, C., Durant, S. M., Baker, L. & Sayialel, S. 2001. Matriarchs act as repositories of social knowledge in African elephants. Science 292: 491-494.

Cooper, A.B., Pettorelli, N. and Durant, S.M. (2007) Large carnivore menus: factors affecting hunting decisions by cheetahs in the Serengeti. Animal Behaviour 73: 651-659.

Durant, S.M., Bashir, S., Maddox, T. and Laurenson, M.K. (2007) Relating long-term studies to conservation practice: the case of the Serengeti Cheetah Project. Conservation Biology 21(3): 602-611. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00702.x

Gottelli, D., Wang, J., Bashir, S. and Durant, S.M. (2007) Genetic analysis reveals promiscuity among female cheetahs. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 274: 1993-2001. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0502

Pettorelli, N. and Durant, S.M. (2007) Family effects on early survival and variance in long-term reproductive success of female cheetahs. Journal of Animal Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01266.x

Hunter, J.S., Durant, S.M. and Caro, T.M. (2007) Patterns of scavenger arrival at cheetah kills in Serengeti National Park Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology 45: 275-281. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2006.00702.x