Carolyn Thompson
Curriculum Vitae
- 2017–Present: PhD Researcher, Institute of Zoology and University College London
- 2011–2012: M.Res. Primate Biology, Behaviour & Conservation, University of Roehampton
- 2006–2010: B.Sc. (Hons) Life Science, The Open University
- 2004–2006: B.Sc. (Hons) Geography, University of Manchester
Employment
2018–Present: Museum Engager, University College London Culture
2018–Present: Student Representative, IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Section on Small Apes
2018–Present: Primate Field Supervisor, Operation Wallacea, Madagascar
2017–Present: Postgraduate Teaching Assistant and Lecturer, University College London
2017: Forest Ecology Lecturer, Operation Wallacea, Indonesia
2014–2016: Head Primate Scientist, Borneo Nature Foundation, Indonesia
2013: Research Intern, Indicators and Assessments Unit, Institute of Zoology (ZSL)
2013: Assistant Manager and Research Coordinator, Alouatta Sanctuary and Batipa Field Institute, Panama
2010–2012: Office Assistant, Orangutan Foundation UK
2010: Research Assistant, Environment and Rural Development Foundation, Cameroon
Research Interests
I am interested in the impacts of anthropogenic activities such as unregulated tourism, hunting, resource exploitation, and habitat loss on non-human primate populations and behaviours. The majority of my field work has been carried out in Madagascar and Indonesia looking at changes in population densities and demographics over time, ranging behaviour, individual development, and social system comparisons. I am currently working in China and have become interested in mixed-method approaches to conservation problems with an ethnographic focus.
Current Research
In 2017 I started my doctorate research investigating the patterns and drivers of small ape decline in China, Vietnam and Myanmar, with the hope of informing future conservation management strategies. The small apes, also known as gibbons (Hylobatids), are distinguished by their ability to brachiate (i.e. swing) through the trees, their small family groups, and their species-specific territorial songs. Of the 20 species, 19 are considered Critically Endangered or Endangered by the IUCN.
My doctorate research focuses on three species: Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus), Skywalker Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing), and the Cao Vit gibbon (Nomascus nasutus). All these species reside in isolated forest fragments in China, Vietnam and potentially neighbouring Myanmar. With increasing anthropogenic threats from habitat loss and hunting, effective conservation strategies are of the utmost importance requiring robust, evidence-based understanding of key population parameters, as well as adopting an integrated biosocial approach to provide contextual detail of the human-wildlife issues. My doctorate research uses an interdisciplinary, mixed-method approach, involving both biological and ethnographic methods, to improve our understanding of the human-gibbon interface.
Supervisors
Prof. Samuel Turvey, Institute of Zoology (ZSL)
Prof. Helen Chatterjee, University College London
Dr. Susan M. Cheyne, International Union for Conservation of Nature
Prof. Fan Peng-Fei, Sun Yat-Sen University, China
Publications
Cheyne, S.M., Supiansyah, S., Adul, A., Neale, C.J., Thompson, C., Wilcox, C.H., Ehlers Smith, Y.C., and Ehlers Smith, D.A. Down from the treetops – Red langur (Presbytis rubicunda) terrestrial behaviour. Primates. 2018. 59(5): 437-448.
Thompson, C. The impact of tourism on Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) behaviour, home range size and habitat use at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar. M.Res. Thesis. 2012. University of Roehampton: London.
Blog posts
Whoops, pant hoots, trills and wahoos all under one roof
The imperial gentleman of China