Department faculty leads workshop on human-wildlife conflict in the Persian Gulf

Prof. Brandon Anthony led the first workshop on human-wildlife conflict (HWC) in the Persian Gulf Region, drawing over 50 participants from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Qatar, New Zealand, and South Africa. The workshop was one of three themes presented at this year's International Conservation Workshop for Arabian Biodiversity held from 2-5 February 2015 at the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The annual workshop, organized by the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah, and the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife, has been running since 2000 and is a hallmark event for wildlife professionals and practitioners of the Gulf region.

Prof. Anthony divided participants into five working groups over the course of the workshop, utilizing sessions to identify stakeholders, and mapping out HWC for Arabian wolf, Arabian leopard, Hamadryas baboon, caracal, jackal, striped hyaena, and goats in the region. This was followed by identifying the contextual challenges of implementing policy and management options to mitigate conflict with the varied stakeholders involved in the conflict.