Publications

This research paper investigates the efficacy of leading machine learning (ML) models for detecting and identifying ungulate species in African savanna using nadir imagery from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Traditional aerial counting methods, while...

Trees are key components of the terrestrial biosphere, playing vital roles in ecosystem function, climate regulation, and the bioeconomy. However, large-scale monitoring of individual trees remains limited by inadequate modeling. Available global products...

While advances in machine learning with satellite imagery (SatML) are facilitating environmental monitoring at a global scale, developing SatML models that are accurate and useful for local regions remains critical to understanding and acting on an ever...

The global decline or extinction of large mammals over the last 50,000 years has caused sweeping changes in the ecosystems they once inhabited. Trophic rewilding holds promise for returning lost ecological function and restoring processes that support...

Megaflora and megafauna face elevated extinction risk due to their sensitivity to land use change, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. Moreover, conservation goals for these two taxa can at times be in conflict. The relationship between the world's...

1. Woody encroachment and thickening (i.e. the expansion of woody plants into grassy ecosystems) is compounding the rapid loss of grasslands and savannas globally. Clearing trees to manage encroachment is often ineffective if it does not restore the...

Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are a large carnivore species known to range across broad savanna regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Although hyenas have occasionally been observed in rainforest habitat, they have been considered largely transient through...

Metrics of structural vegetation complexity derived from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) have been used extensively in studies on plant ecology, animal behavior and the distribution of biodiversity. However, the acquisition of remotely-sensed...

Grassy ecosystems cover >25% of the world’s land surface area. The abundance of herbaceous vegetation in these systems directly impacts a variety of ecological processes, including carbon sequestration, regulation of water and nutrient cycling, and...

Across savanna ecosystems worldwide, the decline of large trees and the rapid expansion of shrubs present major conservation challenges. These trends are especially pronounced in South Africa's Kruger National Park (KNP), the country's largest protected...

Identifying effective approaches to measuring habitat requirements for elusive and difficult-to-study species is an important component of ecological research, particularly for species of conservation concern. The continued decline of critically...