Research Group-- Clinton Jenkins
The focus of my research is the conservation of biodiversity. The pursuit of any question that might aid in that effort is of interest.
Currently I have four main projects:
Biodiversity patterns in the Americas – This project is to analyze the patterns in species diversity in the Americas. Even after decades of study, the scientists have yet to find a full explanation for why species occur where they do. I hope to shed some light on that question. A fundamental part of this project is applied conservation. I am refining the existing range maps for mammals, birds, and amphibians in the Americas. Most existing maps are simple extent of occurrence maps, which reflect the historical range rather than where a species occurs today. Such maps are limited when evaluating areas for conservation action. This project is collaborative with Chandra Giri at the USGS, who is developing landcover data for the models.
The Florida Everglades and Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow – This project focuses on changes in the Everglades ecosystem of southern Florida. It is part of an effort to model the habitat of the endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, which survives only in Everglades National Park. Using aerial photos, satellite images, and field data, I am reconstructing the history of the landscape since 1940. During that period, the Everglades underwent huge changes in hydrology and fire regimes due to intensive management for agricultural and development. The goal of the project is to document how this management changed, and continues to change, the prairie ecosystems within Everglades National Park. Ultimately, I hope to make recommendations to improve management practices.
Conservation Priorities in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest – I have been involved in this research for nearly a decade. My colleagues and I are identifying conservation priorities in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and evaluating the existing protected area system. Much of this project focuses on birds in Rio de Janeiro state, although I plan to expand to other areas and taxa in the future. A key finding is that extensive data on where species occur may not be necessary to identify priority areas. Simple maps of habitat types and their loss over time may give us the same answer, and be easier to produce.
Conservation in the Northwest Amazon – This work is relatively recent and is collaborative with the NGO, Save America’s Forests. We are working to understand and eliminate threats to biodiversity and indigenous peoples in the northwest Amazon. This is one of the most diverse areas in the world, both biologically and ethnically. In particular, we work with the Huaorani indigenous people to protect their rights to the land and stop the damage from irresponsible oil companies. Oil development is perhaps the major threat to this part of the Amazon. Other projects that I have worked on include an analysis of how much of the planet humans have disturbed, a giant panda conservation project in China, and the design of a biological corridor in Rio de Janeiro. Each year I teach a class in remote sensing and GIS for conservation professionals at the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas in Nazaré Paulista, Brazil (www.ipe.org.br).
Email: Clinton.Jenkins@duke.edu
Human actions are fragmenting habitats throughout the world
at an unprecedented rate. This process endangers animal
and plant populations and is degrading or destroying
many ecosystems. To address these problems, conservationists
have increasingly turned to biological corridors, areas
of land set aside to facilitate the movement of species
and ecological processes. The idea is that through
biological corridors we can restore or maintain the
connectivity between habitats and thus ensure their
survival.
Applying Nature's Design offers a comprehensive and
insightful overview of the design and effectiveness
of corridors. The authors' multifaceted analysis combines
a succinct review of the conceptual issues with tangible
examples of how the implementation of corridors has
played out in the real world. Their work is also the
first to consider the importance of socioeconomic and
political issues in creating and maintaining corridors.
Selected publications:
Finer, M., C.N. Jenkins, S.L. Pimm, B. Keane, C. Ross. (2008) Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples. PLoS ONE 3(8): e2932. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002932
Jenkins, C.N. & C. Giri. (2008) Protection of Mammal Diversity in Central America. Conservation Biology. 22:1037-1044. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.00974.x
Alves, M.A.S., S.L. Pimm. A. Storni, M. Raposo, M.deL. Brooke, G. Harris, A. Foster, C.N. Jenkins. (2008) Mapping and exploring the distribution of the Vulnerable grey-winged cotinga Tijuca condita. Oryx 42(4):1-5. doi:10.1017/S0030605308001014
Jenkins, C.N. and S.L. Pimm. (2006). Defining conservation priorities in a global biodiversity hotspot. Chapter in Biologia da Conservação. (in English & Portuguese)
Rocha, CFD, HG Bergallo, MAS Alves, M Van Sluys e C Jenkins. (2006). Ecological Corridors and Conservation of Biodiversity. (in Portuguese)
Anthony Anderson & Clinton N. Jenkins. (2006). Applying Nature’s Design: Corridors as a Strategy for Biodiversity Conservation. New York: Columbia University Press.
Harris, G.M., C.N. Jenkins & S.L. Pimm. 2005. Refining biodiversity conservation priorities. Conservation Biology 19:1957-1968.
Giri, C. & C. Jenkins. 2005. Land cover mapping of Greater Mesoamerica using MODIS data. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 31:274-282.
Pimm, S.L. and C.N. Jenkins. 2005. Sustaining the Variety of Life. Scientific American 293(3): 6
Jenkins, C.N. & S.L. Pimm. 2003. How big is the global weed patch? Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 90: 172-178
Jenkins, C.N., R.D. Powell, O.L. Bass, Jr. & S.L. Pimm. 2003. Demonstrating the destruction of the habitat of the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow. Animal Conservation 6:29-38
Jenkins, C.N., R.D. Powell, O.L. Bass, Jr. & S.L. Pimm. 2003. Why sparrow distributions do not match model predictions. Animal Conservation 6:39-46
Jenkins, C.N. 2003. Will Atlantic Forest birds survive the next 50 years? Chapter in Índice de Qualidade dos Municípios – Verde II. Fundação CIDE, 2003, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (in English & Portuguese)
Anderson, A.B., P.H. May, & C.N. Jenkins. 2003. Cordão de Mata: Planning and Implementation of a Biological Corridor in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro. Chapter in Índice de Qualidade dos Municípios – Verde II. Fundação CIDE, 2003, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (in Portuguese)