Justine came to Beijing Forestry University in September 2011 to begin her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Shi Kun (BFU) and Dr. Philip Riordan (Oxford University). Her academic career is strongly based in conservation sciences, which combines biology and social-economic issues. She completed her Masters in Conservation Science at Imperial College London and completed her PhD in December 2015 with a concentration in the conservation of snow leopards in China at BFU.
Justine’s PhD research took a multidisciplinary approach: It addressed overarching questions centred on the interface between snow leopards, humans and other large carnivores in settings where historical herding practices and new large-scale development activities are found side by side. What is the potential for conflict between the snow leopard and local communities? Can snow leopard population numbers and habitat use be estimated reliably through non-invasive techniques that have proved valuable with other carnivores? Can threats be robustly/rapidly assessed and prioritised? Are there opportunities to consider protective measures at the local scale that would benefit other sympatric carnivore species at the same time?
This approach helped identify points of leverage for interventions and areas of work that would need to be given special attention in assisting conservation efforts. China is particularly important in this regard as it currently is believed to hold the greatest proportion of the world's snow leopards and is undergoing rapid economic development, but limited information is available concerning the status of snow leopards.
Where to find her now:
Justine has begun working for the Snow Leopard Trust as a Regional Ecologist (www.snowleopard.org). She is based in UlaanBaatar, Mongolia but continues to travel across Central Asia. To follow her academic updates, you can find her on Research Gate and Twitter. ResearchGate : https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justine_Alexander Twitter: https://twitter.com/SnowLeopardHope
Research Interests:
Conservation biology, Carnivore ecology, Human-carnivore conflicts, Population ecology, Wildlife exploitation
Publications whilst with WI-CATS:
Alexander, J., Gopalaswamy, A.M., Hughes, J.S., Shi, K. & Riordan, P. (2016) Patterns of snow leopard site use in an increasingly human-dominated landscape. PLoS ONE.
Alexander, J.S., Zhang, C., Shi, K. & Riordan, P. (2016) A spotlight on snow leopard conservation in China. Integrative Zoology.
Alexander, J.S., Zhang, C., Shi, K. & Riordan, P. (2016) A granular focus of a snow leopard population. Biological Conservation.
Alexander, J.S. (2015) Advancing research and conservation of snow leopards in the Qilianshan mountains of China: management and methodological implications. PhD dissertation, Beijing Forestry University, China.
Alexander, J.S., Chen, P., Damerell, P., Youkui, W., Hughes, J., Shi, K. & Riordan, P. (2015) Human wildlife conflict involving large carnivores in Qilianshan, China and the minimal paw-print of snow leopards. Biological Conservation, 187, 1–9.
Alexander, J.S., Shi, K., Tallents, L. & Riordan, P. (2015) On the high trail: examining determinants of snow leopard site-use in Qilianshan, China. Oryx.
Alexander, J.S., Cusack, J.J., Pengju, C., Shi, K. & Riordan, P. (2015) Conservation of snow leopards: spill over benefits for other carnivores? Oryx.
Alexander, J., Gopalaswamy, A.M., Shi, K. & Riordan, P. (2015) Face value: towards robust estimates of snow leopard densities. PLoS ONE.
Hughes, J.S., Alexander, J., Shi, K. & Riordan, P. (2014) Confirmation of threatened white-lipped deer (Przewalskium albirostris) in Gansu and Sichuan, China, and their overlap with livestock. Mammalia, 1990, 12–15.