Oxford Brookes Conservation Centre (OBCC)
Director(s): Dr Tom Hart
Contact: t.hart@brookes.ac.uk
About us
Our research investigates the significant impacts of environmental change on animals, their ecosystems, and their relationship with people to help develop effective solutions for a sustainable future.
Moving beyond traditional biology-centric studies, we integrate information from diverse fields, including Biology, Anthropology, Geography, Architecture, and Artificial Intelligence to gain a comprehensive understanding of real-world challenges.
Our researchers bring a wealth of expertise to critical conservation areas, including:
- Animal Behaviours and Climate Change: Examining how social behaviours and group living allow animals to cope with environmental change
- Human–wildlife interactions and coexistence: Easing conflict about wildlife in Africa through working with farmers, local conservationists and NGO’s
- Marine Protected Area Design and population management: Developing effective strategies for ocean conservation, including the use of drones and citizen science projects to monitor populations of seabirds and mammals
- Primate Conservation: Providing expertise to international bodies in assessing the conservation status of primates
- Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Function: Designing algorithms to process large volumes of satellite data to reveal environmental phenomena such as land cover change, phenology (biological events based on season) and resilience of species
- Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Investigating solutions for increasing biodiversity, alongside food security and productivity
Research impact
Contribution to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List
Our experts directly contribute to the global IUCN Red List, the go-to source for understanding species at risk, ensuring our findings inform critical conservation decisions worldwide.
The data collected from Dr. Tom Hart, a member of the Penguin Specialist Group, directly supports vital population management strategies, including the establishment of the Marine Protected Area around South Georgia, located in the South Atlantic Ocean. Similarly, Dr Marco Campera's expertise has led to the assessment of five lemur species within the Primate Specialist Group, shaping conservation priorities for these unique primates. PhD student Vinni Jain has also contributed to the Otter Specialist Group.
Citizen Science - Seabird, Penguin and Seal Watch
By transforming vast image datasets into actionable population trends, we provided critical scientific data to support the design and enhancement of the Marine Protected Area in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, ensuring long-term protection for these vital ecosystems.