Prof. Guy Cowlishaw

Guy's research interests encompass and integrate behaviour, ecology, and conservation, with the aim of improving our understanding of the natural world and how best to conserve it for wildlife and people.

Guy's work is wide-ranging. One focus is the complex and fascinating lives of social species and their conservation. Most of Guy's research in this area is conducted on the Tsaobis Baboon Project, a long-term study of desert baboons in Namibia. The project is co-directed with Alecia Carter and Elise Huchard, and involves an international team working with Namibian graduate students.

The Tsaobis Baboon Project, situated on the Swakop River, has led to a wider research programme on the ecology and conservation of Namibia’s northwestern ephemeral rivers. These rivers form linear oases that cross the Namib Desert and act as critical ecosystems for wildlife and people, but which face a variety of threats.

Another focus of Guy's research is the bushmeat trade in West and Central Africa. This work has involved a suite of interdisciplinary projects exploring the socioeconomic and biological aspects of the trade to identify sustainable solutions for people and wildlife.

Guy's work also explores the dynamics of species extinction, seeking to understand why some species are at greater risk than others and the lessons for conservation. This research primarily uses primates as a model system.

If you are interested in joining Guy's research group, or collaborating with the team, then please get in touch.

The Tasobis Baboon Project