ESI Challenge of the Month
Dr Sarah Crowley, Senior Lecturer in Human & Animal Geography, has taken up the very first ESI Challenge of the Month for September 2024.
Relevant research (to be updated throughout this month):
Some of her work under 'introduced species'
- Crowley, S. L., Hinchliffe, S., & McDonald, R. A. (2019). The parakeet protectors: understanding opposition to introduced species management. Journal of environmental management, 229, 120-132.
- Crowley, S. L., Hinchliffe, S., & McDonald, R. A. (2017). Conflict in invasive species management. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 15(3), 133-141.
- Her current project under this theme is Fish Futures: Reimagining freshwater ecosystem management in Aotearoa.
Some of her work under 'domestic animal management'
- Cecchetti, M., Crowley, S. L., Goodwin, C. E., & McDonald, R. A. (2021). Provision of high meat content food and object play reduce predation of wild animals by domestic cats Felis catus. Current Biology, 31(5), 1107-1111.
- This study was among the 5 most popular scientific papers of March 2021 in the Nature Index journals
- It was featured in The Guardian, CNN, Science and more!
- Crowley, S. L., Cecchetti, M., & McDonald, R. A. (2020). Our wild companions: Domestic cats in the Anthropocene. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 35(6), 477-483.
- Crowley, S. L., Cecchetti, M., & McDonald, R. A. (2020). Diverse perspectives of cat owners indicate barriers to and opportunities for managing cat predation of wildlife. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 18(10), 544-549.
- Read the University press release
- This study was featured in the Independent, yahoo news, CNN, iNews, Science Daily and the IFL Science.
- Her projects under this theme:
- The Cat Accord: Developing shared guidance on domestic cat management
- RENEW "Paws for Thought" ExCases project on dog walking and the environment
- Cats, Cat Owners, and Wildlife (2017 - 2020)
Some of her work under 'reintroduced species'
- White, R. L., Jones, L. P., Groves, L., Hudson, M. A., Kennerley, R. J., & Crowley, S. L. (2023). Public perceptions of an avian reintroduction aiming to connect people with nature. People and Nature, 5(5), 1680-1696.
- Dando, T. R., Crowley, S. L., Young, R. P., Carter, S. P., & McDonald, R. A. (2023). Social feasibility assessments in conservation translocations. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38(5), 459-472.
- Crowley, S. L., Hinchliffe, S., & McDonald, R. A. (2017). Nonhuman citizens on trial: The ecological politics of a beaver reintroduction. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 49(8), 1846-1866.
- Her project under this theme: Social feasibility work for the South West Wildcat Project.
Dr Sarah Crowley will deliver the ESI Challenge of the Month talk "The Species in Between: negotiating animal management in a changing world" on Monday 30 September 1 - 2pm in the ESI Trevithick Room.
Do parakeets belong in Britain? Do Scottish wildcats belong in England? Do domestic cats belong outdoors? Much of my work focuses on disagreements and negotiations about which animals belong where, and about whether or how people should intervene in the lives of other species. The subjects of these debates are often ‘liminal’ animals, living on the thresholds between contested categories: native and non-native, wild and domestic, pet and pest. These categories reflect complex human ideas about belonging, which draw on natural and cultural histories, ecological and social interactions, and concerns for the future of disturbed and changing ecosystems. This seminar is based on ten years of research into the social dimensions of managing introduced, reintroduced, and domestic animals in the UK. I will draw on a range of case examples, including protests to protect urban parakeets, scientific debates about the provenance of wildcats and white storks, and neighbourly disputes over outdoor cats. I will explain and explore the concept of species belonging, demonstrate why this matters, and argue that where an animal belongs should always be a matter open to negotiation.
#esiChallengeOfTheMonth
Please email esidirector@exeter.ac.uk if you would like a Teams link to attend this talk.
Please note: We are rebranding the “ESI State of The Art” talks to “ESI Challenge of the Month.” In the former, the talks were focussed around the speaker’s career. For the Challenge of the month, we now hope to put the emphasis on the broader environmental challenge that is being tackled through their research.
