David S. Wilkie

Dr. David S. Wilkie "works for the Living Landscapes Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society and is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Boston College. He is a wildlife ecologist with a post-doctoral anthropology specialization in human behavioral ecology. He has over 15 years of research experience in the socio-economic aspects of household level natural resource use in central and west Africa, and in central and south America. His research in the Congo Basin has focused on: determining the local and regional impact of forager and farmer subsistence practices on forest plant and animal composition, distribution and abundance; and the household economic determinants of Efe hunter-gatherer adoption of agriculture into their suite of subsistence activities...

"He is also interested in the practical use of remote sensing imagery, and published a book for Columbia University Press titled Remote Sensing Imagery for Natural Resource Monitoring: A First Time Users Guide. From a development perspective, he provides on-the-ground technical assistance to conservation and development NGOs, US government agencies, and UN organizations working to conserve biodiversity while addressing human needs and aspirations in Africa. He is also co-director of the Ituri Forest Peoples Fund, a not-for-profit special project of Cultural Survival, established to help Efe (pygmy) foragers and Lese farmers of northeastern Congo to provide their children with health care, and the opportunity to attend primary school. The role of the fund is to support, not assume responsibility for, local development in the Ituri.

"David was an extremely active member of the BCTF Steering Committee [2000-2001] who regularly participated in networking, fundraising, interviews with the media where he supported BCTF and responding to numerous requests for images [which he provides free of charge]. In addition, he has led the development of the BCTF information packet; given presentations on the bushmeat crisis and BCTF at the San Diego Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo and Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence Rhode Island; participated in the ADIE workshop on NGO-Private Sector partnerships to reduce the impact of logging on wildlife in central Africa held in La Lopé, Gabon, November 5-8, 2000 and was co-editor of the proceedings; represented the BCTF at the Mweka Conference on Wildlife Management in Tanzania [December 2000]; and regularly participates in BCTF steering committee meetings."


 * 2002-2004 Co-chair (2005-2007 Advisor), Bushmeat Crisis Task Force
 * Scientific Advisory Committee, Forest Partners International