Institute of Zoology Living Conservation Science for Conservation Annual Report of the Institute of Zoology 2009/10 IoZ research strategy IoZ Our Aim To undertake and promote relevant high quality zoological and conservation research, to help ZSL achieve its conservation objectives and to inform and influence conservation policy. Our Objectives Encouraging and Attracting and engaging Using our unique Managing and Providing policy makers, Raising the profile of rewarding excellence in a diverse range of convening role as a developing a relevant conservationists and the conservation issues and 1 the performance and 2 people and organisations 3 leading learned society 4 and useful body of 5 general public with the 6 priorities, and ensuring communication of science, in the science of zoology to foster and achieve zoological knowledge information needed to they are well conservation and animal and conservation – from international excellence make informed decisions represented at policy husbandry students to leaders in in science relevant to on conservation issues level and in the media their field our core conservation priorities Our Activities HEFCE funded programme With the Zoological Society of London University of Cambridge With institutions in London With other organisations We undertake research and research training in We respond to research questions and We maintain and develop We maintain and develop Collaboration with most the following themes (see pages 8–17): contribute to ZSL’s Conservation Programmes research links with Zoology research links with academic relevant outside bodies for • Biodiversity and macroecology (see pages 20–21): and other relevant bodies, especially the Centre our core research interests • Behavioural and population ecology • Conservation Breeding and Reintroduction; departments. for Ecology and Evolution. (see page 33). • Genetic variation, fitness and adaptability EDGE; Indicators and Assessments; Marine We run MSc courses in Wild • Wildlife epidemiology and Freshwater; Wildlife Health Our research is influenced Animal Health and Wild Our meetings facilities and • Reproductive biology • Africa; South and Central Asia; South East by organisations in the Animal Biology with the programme of talks Asia; UK, Europe and Mongolia Cambridge Conservation Royal Veterinary College and communicate science and We provide education through MSc and PhD Forum. an MSc in Conservation conservation. programmes. We respond to research questions and Science (see page 27). contribute to ZSL’s living animal collection: We contribute to the Tropical Science Plan • Animal Health and Welfare research Biology Association Our research is influenced by The major topics: • Reproductive monitoring programme and Cambridge London-based conservation • Biodiversity patterns and processes Student Conference. issues. How can we explain and model biological We run a programme of meetings and diversity at a range of spatial, temporal and publications (see page 22): Our meetings facilities and biological scales? • Journal of Zoology and Animal Conservation programme of talks • People and the environment in a changing • Annual programme of evening Scientific communicate science and world Meetings conservation . How can we manage wild species and habitats • Biannual international symposia on topical sustainably alongside human population themes in conservation biology growth and development? • Technical publications to support best practice in zoos (International Zoo Yearbook) and in field conservation (Conservation Reports) • Conservation Science and Practice book series published with Wiley-Blackwell foreword UK science has a long history of innovation and excellence. In the case of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), that is a history that goes back 184 years to its founding as one of the world’s first learned societies aiming to promote the study of zoology. ZSL initially pursued this aim by setting up the world’s first scientific zoo, but as the focus of the zoo changed from academic resource to visitor attraction, the scientific mantle was taken up by the Institute of Zoology. For more than 40 years, the Institute has pursued its research agenda, which is now focused on its aim to undertake and promote relevant high-quality zoological and conservation research, to help ZSL to achieve its conservation objectives and to inform and influence conservation policy. For the dedicated scientists and students that carry out that research, it will be extremely gratifying to see the conclusions of a review of the Institute by its principal funding body, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE, reported on page 3), that concludes that the Institute is a unique, distinctive and world-class organisation. This uniqueness derives not just from the high-quality scientific research the Institute produces, but also in how the knowledge gained from that research is applied to real world issues facing conservation practitioners, governments and wider society. Institute scientists provide policy advice to more than a dozen departments of UK government, including Defra, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for International Development, Natural England and UK Customs and Excise, and to more than a dozen foreign governments, from Ecuador to Indonesia. The national and international policy relevance of Institute research can clearly be seen in the work reported in the pages that follow. The scientific rigour and impartiality of the Institute also makes it an invaluable Contents source of independent and authoritative advice to NGOs. Institute scientists 1 Foreword collaborated with more than 50 UK and international NGOs in 2007/2008 alone, 2 Introduction as well as a range of multi-governmental organisations, including several 3 IoZ news branches of the United Nations. The Institute is also building capacity in 4 Research news conservation science worldwide by educating students on its Masters and 6 Research themes Doctoral study programmes. Its Masters alumni alone come from almost 50 8 Biodiversity and macroecology countries worldwide, and from six of the seven continents. 10 Behavioural and population ecology 12 Genetic variation, fitness and adaptability The value provided by the Institute from the funding it receives is clear, but it 14 Wildlife epidemiology 16 Reproductive biology could not do so much without the support of its many partners in research and 18 Indicators and assessments unit education (a full list of these takes up pages 33–36), most notably through its 20 ZSL conservation programmes academic affiliation with the University of Cambridge, and postgraduate teaching 22 Communicating science links with the Royal Veterinary College and Imperial College. On behalf of ZSL, 24 ZSL scientific awards 2009 I congratulate the Institute for its continued success and impact, and hope that 26 Library its unique position in the research community continues to be recognised. 27 Education and training 28 Funding 30 Governance, staff and students 32 Scientists at Speakers’ Corner 2010 Professor Sir Patrick Bateson 33 Collaborations President of the Zoological Society of London 37 Staff representation 38 Publications Foreword 1 Introduction We seem to be cursed at the moment to live in interesting times. Last year, I concluded my introduction to Science for Conservation with a prediction of a period of financial austerity. While that was hardly a rare insight in the circumstances, it has nevertheless been proved accurate, if a little understated. We have had a change of government, and the resulting coalition seems set on eradicating Britain’s huge budget deficit in one parliament, in part through severe cuts in public spending. IoZ has so far managed to escape the financial turmoil relatively unscathed. Whether we continue to do so depends on how the Comprehensive Spending Review due out in October 2010 translates the scary noises currently being made by the government into budgetary action. If Wikipedia is to be believed, the ‘Chinese curse’ is actually the first of three curses of increasing severity. The second is sometimes rendered as ‘May the government be aware of you.’ In October 2009, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) announced that it was instituting a review of the Special Factor funding it grants to IoZ. The aims of the review were to assess whether HEFCE was the appropriate body to fund IoZ, whether it was appropriate for IoZ to receive funding over and above what it would receive were it a normal university zoology department, and what the appropriate level of funding for IoZ should be, based on our distinctiveness, quality and efficiency. You can read more about the outcome in the IoZ News section opposite, but the bottom line was an extraordinary validation of the value that IoZ provides for the funding it receives. HEFCE even approved an increase to the IoZ grant, at least for the 2010/2011 funding year. My three years as Director of IoZ have been interesting times indeed. It has been hard work dealing with the pressures of the HEFCE review, and before that the RAE, but these pressures have been made easier by the quality of our staff and students, which speaks for itself. Looking forward, I might be tempted to wish for a less interesting year to come. However, I am mindful of the last, and most severe, of the three curses: ‘May you find what you are looking for.’ Tim Blackburn Director of the Institute of Zoology 2 Introduction (left to right) Nathalie Pettorelli, Andrew Cunningham,