2021 WINNER: Kathleen Webster
PROJECT: Assessing the Vulnerability of Island Endemic Herpetofauna to Environmental Change in the Comoros Archipelago.
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Project Introduction:
Katheleen Webster's study is on "Assessing the Vulnerability of Island Endemic Herpetofauna to Environmental Change in the Comoros Archipelago." The Comoros Archipelago is situated off the coast of Madagascar, and a staggering 88% of the herpetofauna here is endemic. Unfortunately, habitat modification, fragmentation, introduced species, and climate change have all presented as ecological pressures on this fragile island system. The impacts of these pressures are currently unknown as the region has not been assessed for a decade. Kathleen will use "state-of-the-art geospatial and ecological niche modeling (ENM) techniques to assess the potential impacts of anthropogenic environmental change, identify which native species are most at risk, and determine which habitats and regions throughout the archipelago are most important to the survival of native COM (Comoros) herpetofauna." |
