Understanding human needs is key to wildlife ecology research - Durham University

The Primate and Predator Project based in the Soutpansberg mountain range of South Africa, aims to better understand the ecology of local species and the threat that human activity poses to their conservation. Project Director Professor Russell Hill , Department of Anthropology , discusses the challenges of managing a research project abroad and successfully engaging with local communities. How did the Primate and Predator Project come about? In some respects it came about by chance! A PhD student and I went to South Africa in 2007 to look for a field site to study vervet monkeys. The airline lost his bags, forcing us to change our plans a bit. On trying to visit a specific nature reserve the local tourist information office recommended we instead visit a 'man in the mountains who has monkeys' . That man was Prof Ian Gaigher who ran a field site within the Soutpansberg Mountains and did indeed have monkeys on site! It was a perfect set up and Ian has remained a long-term collaborator who helped us establish the predator side of our research. In 2011 we established our own field station at the site, formalising our research as the Primate and Predator Project (PPP), and - What are the main challenges for establishing and running a research project abroad? Financially supporting a permanent presence on site has been a real challenge and in the early days there were often gaps.