Naomi Matthews

I have always been passionate about the natural world, with a particular interest in unusual and understudied mammals. In 2013 I joined the Field Programme team at Chester Zoo as Conservation Assistant where I worked on a variety of mammalian research projects in the UK and Africa including badger vaccination, hazel dormouse monitoring and remote sensing of black rhino habitat. I took on the role of Giant Pangolin Field Manager in 2017.

The Giant Pangolin, Smutsia gigantea, is the largest of all eight extant species of pangolin.  Pangolins are currently considered the most trafficked mammal in the world, hunted for their meat, which is considered a delicacy in some cultures, and their scales, which are widely used for ethno-medicinal purposes. Due to their solitary, nocturnal nature, giant pangolins are extremely challenging to study and consequently remain the most understudied of all pangolin species, with no reliable information on population abundance, densities, or their natural history.

Alongside managing the zoo’s Giant Pangolin Conservation Project in Uganda, I am undertaking a PhD focussing on the ecology, habitat requirements and ranging behaviour of the species. The first stage of my PhD involves developing suitable survey and monitoring methods to enable us to overcome the challenges of studying such a rare and elusive species. I will be using occupancy modelling to determine the difference in detectability across a variety of camera trap methodologies. Using refined methods, I will then look into the factors affecting habitat selection within Uganda’s protected areas in order to determine distribution and occupancy on a nationwide level. The research will help to determine the status of giant pangolins and identify strongholds throughout Uganda, indicating which areas should be prioritised for giant pangolin conservation.

Supervisors

Stuart Nixon (Chester Zoo)

Matt Geary (University of Chester)

Achaz von Hardenberg (University of Chester)