University of Oxford
11a Mansfield Rd
OX1 3SZ
UK
Elliot Carlton
Background
Growing up on a farm, I have always been surrounded and amazed by wildlife; setting up a camera trap to watch badgers and foxes, identifying waders on the coast, or watching the latest David Attenborough series. From here, my passion for the natural world grew and led me to studying biology at undergraduate level in hopes of pursuing a career in conservation. During my degree I enjoyed delving into a broad range of topics including animal behaviour, global food security, ecology, and conservation. I hope to make a positive difference in the world, both for nature and people, and this is why an interdisciplinary approach to conservation is so exciting to me.
Current Research
I am currently completing my masters supervised by Dr Molly Grace. My research aims to use the IUCN Green Status of Species to investigate recovery and depletion in carnivores. The IUCN Green Status of Species is a new component of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which provides a standardised measure of species recovery and conservation success. Whilst the Red List quantifies extinction risk, the Green Status looks to tell a more complete conservation story by measuring success not just as avoiding extinction but as restoring species to ecological functionality across their indigenous range.
My research applies the Green Status of Species to carnivore species – beginning with Felidae. Many carnivore species play important roles in ecosystem functioning and/or have suffered dramatic range contractions due to human activity. The Green Status framework will be able to capture these (and other) elements of carnivore conservation more completely than the Red List on its own to better inform conservation decision making and motivate policy makers.