Expedition Team

Kimberley Marchant

I am pursuing a M.E.M. in Resource Ecology and Policy (Conservation Ecology) at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. My research will focus on the role of monitoring and evaluation within ecoregion, or broad-scale, conservation approaches. I am interested in the processes and tools used to incorporate socioeconomic data in conservation planning, including geospatial, situation (root causes), and social science survey analyses.
Working with communities in and around areas of high biodiversity, such as the Dry Forest Ecoregion encompassing Ankarafantsika National Park, I will also explore concepts including capacity building, community development, and protected area management. Traveling throughout Madagascar, I will collect both land cover ground-truthing data through observation and GPS positioning as well as monitoring data through survey and sampling frame design, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis.
Previously, I worked as a communications officer with World Wildlife Fund–United States (WWF), where I managed online and print communications for the conservation strategies unit. I also have worked in environmental education for WWF, Pathfinder Outdoor Education, and Environmental Explorations, Inc. I have a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, with a minor in Anthropology, from the University of Florida.