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Role
Professor
Area of work
Biology and Recovery of Small Populations; Co-existence between People and Wildlife; Mitigating Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity; Wildlife Health
Specialisms
Conservation
Animal behaviour
Ecology
Environmental anthropology
Contact details

Institute of Zoology
Zoological Society of London
Regent's Park
London
NW14RY

Email: guy.cowlishaw@ioz.ac.uk 

Google Scholar

Guy's research interests encompass and integrate behaviour, ecology, and conservation, with the aim of improving our understanding of the natural world and how best to conserve it for wildlife and people.

Guy's work is wide-ranging. One focus is the complex and fascinating lives of social species and their conservation. Most of Guy's research in this area is conducted on the Tsaobis Baboon Project, a long-term study of desert baboons in Namibia. The project is co-directed with Alecia Carter and Elise Huchard, and involves an international team working with Namibian graduate students.

The Tsaobis Baboon Project, situated on the Swakop River, has led to a wider research programme on the ecology and conservation of Namibia’s northwestern ephemeral rivers. These rivers form linear oases that cross the Namib Desert and act as critical ecosystems for wildlife and people, but which face a variety of threats.

Another focus of Guy's research is the bushmeat trade in West and Central Africa. This work has involved a suite of interdisciplinary projects exploring the socioeconomic and biological aspects of the trade to identify sustainable solutions for people and wildlife.

Guy's work also explores the dynamics of species extinction, seeking to understand why some species are at greater risk than others and the lessons for conservation. This research primarily uses primates as a model system.

If you are interested in joining Guy's research group, or collaborating with the team, then please get in touch.

Professional history

• 2024-present: Professor, Institute of Zoology
2022-2023: Director of Science (acting), Institute of Zoology
• 2004–2024: Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology
• 2001–2006: NERC Advanced Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology
• 1998–2001: Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology
• 1995–1998: ESRC Research Fellow, Anthropology, UCL
• 1993–1995: Lecturer, Biology, UCL
• 1989–1993: NERC PhD Student, Anthropology, University College London (UCL)
• 1986–1989:  BSc (Hons) student, Zoology, University of Bristol

Selected Publications

View Dr Guy Cowlishaw's full publications list on Google Scholar.