Cortni Borgerson’s Research is Conservation Letters’ Cover Story

Dr. Cortni Borgerson, associate professor in Anthropology, has had a paper published in Conservation Letters, a scientific journal that publishes research with significant implications for the conservation of biological diversity. The research, which takes a multifaceted look at bird hunting in Madagascar, is the July/August edition cover story.

Using 8 years of data on nearly 100 species of birds and over 1,000 households, Borgerson and her team, for the first time, quantified bird densities in Madagascar, hunting drivers and pressure, and the effects of hunting on both the birds and people of Madagascar.

“It’s exciting to look at how hunting affects everyone from the hunter to their prey. That whole picture is essential when designing conservation initiatives that ensure the futures of Madagascar people and its wildlife. While we have studied this with lemurs for some time, this first look at birds (using nearly a decade of data) is exciting and expands our works impact across taxa,” says Borgerson.

Borgerson is an anthropologist, primatologist, conservation biologist, and National Geographic Explorer. Her work explores why people choose to hunt endangered species and looks at how this hunting affects human health and lemur and other wildlife conservation.

Read Borgerson’s full research report published in Conservation Letters: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12960

Written by Faith Monesteri