David A. O'connor

This site features a little bit about myself and my work as a conservation ecologist with the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, and as a senior researcher for National Geographic Magazine. I take a community-involved, multidisciplinary approach to conserving wildlife, land, livelihoods, and ecosystems through research, adaptive management, and collaborative stakeholder participation and engagement.  Currently, I'm involved in giraffe conservation in northern Kenya with pastoralists. In addition, I'm part of collaborative efforts supporting the RESCUE the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, Sera Rhino Sanctuary, Ishaqini Hirola Sanctuary and other programs in north Kenya. In Southeast Asia, I'm part of a team involved in innovative research to reduce demand for wildlife products, specifically bear parts, bear bile, saiga horn, and tiger parts in Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

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