Alice Lily Armstrong

Understanding the threats faced by wild cats in South America

Alice Lily Armstrong's research focuses on the conservation of the six wild cat species of the Guiana Shield - jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), margay (Leopardus wiedii) and northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus). Her work investigates the ecological and human dimensions of emerging threats to wild cats across one of the world's largest remaining expanses of intact tropical rainforest.

Using a multidisciplinary approach that includes camera trapping, questionnaire surveys and key stakeholder interviews, Alice investigates wild cat occurrence and the ways people perceive and interact with these species. A central focus of her research is understanding the conservation value of Indigenous-managed forests, which harbour globally important biodiversity but remain among the least studied landscapes in the Guiana Shield. 

Alongside ecological change, Alice's research examines how external actors may be reshaping hunting and trade dynamics in Indigenous-managed forests. By integrating ecological and social evidence, her research aims to inform conservation planning, support Indigenous-led stewardship, and strengthen strategies to address both biodiversity loss and wildlife crime across the region.

Her PhD is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), University College London’s (UCL) Department of Anthropology, ZSL's Institute of Zoology, ZSL’s Monitoring and Technology Department, Conservation International Suriname, and the Tropical Biology & Conservation Management programme, and is supported by the Institute for Neotropical Wildlife and Environmental Studies, The Limbo Teego Foundation and the Amazon Conservation Team, Suriname.

Alice is passionate about ensuring conservation is both effective and equitable. Alongside her research, she is the founder of the Conservation Equity Project, a Community Interest Company established to address the lack of diversity within the UK conservation sector, one of the country's least diverse professions (Students Organising for Sustainability, 2022). The organisation works to increase access to conservation careers for the next generation of aspiring Black British conservationists through mentoring, paid internships and professional development opportunities. 

Alice believes that addressing the biodiversity crisis requires a conservation sector that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves and that removing financial barriers is essential to widening participation in the profession.

Read more about Alice's work

Alice's PhD Supervisors are Professor Sarah Durant, Institute of Zoology, Dr Rafael Chiaravalloti, University College London, Dr Paul Ouboter, Institute for Neotropical Wildlife and Environmental Studies (NeoWild), Vanessa Kadosoe, Anton de Kom University of Suriname, NeoWild, Dr Melissa Arias, ZSL, and Dr Anthony Dancer, ZSL.