Research Interests
My current research projects focus on two broad themes: human dimensions of biodiversity conservation and human biogeography. My work in biodiversity conservation includes projects examining patterns of resource use in and around protected areas, participatory conservation management, methods for monitoring illegal resource use, and traditional ecological knowledge. My current projects on human biogeography focus on geographic patterns of cultural diversity (including diversity of traditional ecological knowledge and languages), as well as the biogeography of human infectious diseases. My research is inherently interdisciplinary pulling in theory and methods from ecology, geography, cultural anthropology, and economics.
Current Teaching
Undergraduate courses:
ENVI / GEOG 214: Environment and Resources - New Zealand Perspectives (Course Coordinator and Lecturer)
Postgraduate courses:
ENVI 526: Human Dimensions of Conservation (Course Coordinator and Lecturer)
ENVI 527: Conservation and Development (Course Coordinator and Lecturer)
Select Publications
Gavin, M. C., Solomon, J. N. and Blank, S. G. In press. Measuring and monitoring illegal use of natural resources. Conservation Biology
Gavin, M.C. In press. Conservation implications of rainforest use patterns: mature forests provide more resources but secondary forests supply more medicine. Journal of Applied Ecology
Tang, R. and Gavin, M. C. In press. Traditional Ecological Knowledge Informing Resource Management: Saxoul Conservation in Inner Mongolia, China. Society & Natural Resources.
Blank, S. G. and Gavin, M. C. In press. The randomized response technique as a tool for estimating non-compliance rates in fisheries: a case study of illegal red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) fishing in Northern California. Environmental Conservation.
Gavin, M. C. and Solomon, J. N. 2009 (in press). Active and Passive Bait-fishing by Black-crowned Night Herons. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 121(4):844-845.
Gavin, M. C. and G. J. Anderson. 2007. Socioeconomic predictors of forest use values in the Peruvian Amazon: A potential tool for biodiversity conservation. Ecological Economics 60(4): 752-762.
Solomon, J. N., Jacobson, S. K., Wald, K. D. and Gavin, M. C. 2007. Estimating illegal resource use at a Ugandan park with the randomized response technique. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 12(2): 75-88.
Gavin, M.C. 2007. Foraging in the fallows: Hunting patterns across a successional continuum in the Peruvian Amazon. Biological Conservation 134: 64-72.
Gavin, M. C., Wali, A. and Vasquez, M. 2007. Parks, people, and participation: towards collaborative and community-based natural resource management. In: S. Kindon, R. Pain and M. Kesby (Eds.), Connecting People, Participation and Place: Participatory Action Research Approaches and Methods. London: Routledge.
Dunn, R.R., Gavin, M. C., Sanchez, M., and Solomon, J. N. 2006. Pigeon paradox: the dependence of global conservation on urban nature. Conservation Biology 20(6): 1814-1816.
Gavin, M. C. and Anderson, G. J. 2005. Testing a rapid quantitative ethnobiological technique: first steps towards developing a critical conservation tool. Economic Botany 59(2):112-121.
Gavin, M. C. 2004. Changes in forest use value over ecological succession and their implications for land management in the Peruvian Amazon. Conservation Biology 18(6): 1562-1570
Postgraduate Students
PhD:
Edy MacDonald, Urban conservation attitudes and behaviours
Abu Conteh, Impacts of war on biodiversity conservation in Sierra Leone
Joe McCarter, Conservation of traditional ecological knowledge in Vanuatu
Ruifei Tang, Loss and conservation of traditional ecological knowledge
Gaius Wilson, Diet and habitat use by elephant in response to weed invasion in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, South India (secondary supervisor)
Awuh (Harrison) Essam, Traditional ecological of the Baka (Cameroon) (secondary supervisor)
Masters:
Mohammad Shahidul Hasan Swapan, Livelihoods and shrimp farming in Bangladesh (Completed 2006, currently: PhD candidate Curtin Univ.)
Ruifei Tang, Traditional ecological knowledge and management of saxoul in Inner Mongolia, China (Completed 2007, currently: PhD candidate VUW)
Caroline Ammundsen, Attitudes and behaviours towards wetland conservation in Wairarapa, NZ(Completed 2007, currently: Kapiti Coast District Council)
Amanda Leathers, Collective sustainable resource management in Vanuatu (Completed 2008, currently: Te Puni Kokiri / Ministry of Maori Affairs)
Erneus Kaijage, Costs and benefits of certification for forest conservation projects in Vanuatu (Completed 2008 - secondary supervisor)
Sara Blank, Illegal fishing and abalone management: utilizing the randomized response technique (Completed 2008)
Grace Leung, The impact of Fair Trade on livelihoods and natural resource management of Samoan commodity producers (Completed 2008 – currently at Caritas)
Emilio Rodriguez, People, protected areas, and participation in Peru (Completed 2009)
John Parker, Knowledge and behaviour of urban residents towards wildlife in Wellington, NZ (Please click here for 'Information for urban wildlife and ecological knowledge in Wellington survey' Please click here for 'Urban wildlife and ecological knowledge of Wellington survey' )
Babs Lake, Home gardening in Wellington
