IUCN SSC Peccary Specialist Group

Prof Richard Bodmer FRSA carried out his undergraduate studies in Ecology, Ethology and Evolution at the University of Illinois, USA, and received a master’s degree in Biology from the same university with a thesis on Okapi. He undertook a PhD in Zoology at the University of Cambridge, UK under the supervision of Prof Tim Clutton-Brock on the ecology of Amazonian ungulates. Richard had two post-docs, one in Indonesia and the other at the Goeldi Museum in Brazil. He took on an assistant professor position at the University of Florida, and in 2000 moved to the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent, UK where he currently holds a position of Honorary Professor of Conservation Ecology. Richard has spent over 30 years working on the ecology, management and conservation of wildlife in the Peruvian Amazon of Loreto. The National University of the Peruvian Amazon awarded Richard with an honorary doctorate, and he has received other awards by international institutions, including two presidential awards by the Chicago Zoological Society. He is the Red List Coordinator of IUCN Peccary specialist group and member of the Tapir specialist group, and he is on the board of ComFauna. Richard’s research on ecology, wildlife population dynamics, community wildlife management and conservation in the Amazon can be found in over 120 publications, including journal articles, books and book chapters. Today, Richard is dedicated to finding real solutions to the conservation of Amazonian forests, with an emphasis on sustainable wildlife management, community-based conservation, climate change, protected areas, and developing a green economy. Richard is president of the foundation FundAmazonia, which runs research stations in the Peruvian Amazon.