What do Jamaica’s young people think about wildlife, its conservation – and conservationists? Do they think about these things at all?
Dr. Leo Douglas, Assistant Clinical Professor at New York University and a former President of BirdsCaribbean, has conducted some interesting research over four years in Jamaican schools. He has developed an interest in the relationships between humans and birds – wildlife trafficking being one negative aspect, as well as conservation education programs. He is also a staunch advocate for greater diversity among practitioners in his chosen field.
This year, Dr. Douglas will present BirdLife Jamaica’s annual lecture, named after Jamaican ornithologist Audrey Downer, at the University of the West Indies Mona’s School of Education on June 20th at 6:00 p.m. His topic will be based on his research: How Do Jamaican Students Feel About Wildlife and Those Who Conserve Them? A Four-Year Study of 400 Jamaican High School Students. For further information about the lecture (which is free), please contact BirdLife Jamaica at birdlifejamaica@gmail.com or (876) 806-2473.
Leo is an inspiration to me personally, as he knows – he was instrumental in getting me “involved with birds” again after many years, joining BirdsCaribbean and the now thriving BirdLife Jamaica group. We first met when he was a doctoral candidate as a Fulbright Scholar, and we have kept in touch ever since. Here is some more information about him, in bullet points:
Born in St. Andrew, Jamaica
Studied Zoology, Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology
Clinical Assistant Professor, New York University
Lecturer, Columbia University
Visiting Scientist at the American Museum of Natural History, New York
Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Development, University of the West Indies, Mona
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies, New York University
Co-founder, Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Fellowship Programme
Past President, BirdsCaribbean and BirdLife Jamaica
Awards include Government of Jamaica Millennium Scholarship (2001); Organisation of American States Fulbright Scholarship (2004); American Museum of Natural History International Graduate Student Fellowship (2006); Partners in Flight Leadership Award for bird conservation (2017); and the Institute of Jamaica’s Bronze Musgrave Medal (2018).
