Too often, efforts aimed at improving environmental sustainability are conventionally siloed in their various disciplines. And yet all agree that realistic solutions must incorporate cohesive, coordinated research and action across disciplines and at local, national and international levels. Saving elephants from extinction demands an understanding of the complex biophysical, sociocultural, and political landscapes in which the elephant poaching crisis is occurring, and the collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and multi-sector approaches that are required to successfully address it.
Tufts University is uniquely positioned for such a research challenge. Together, our campuses provide the broad expertise this problem requires with scholars in human and veterinary medicine, environmental sciences, engineering, public health, diplomacy, conflict studies, urban planning, economics, and epidemiology. And while elephant conservation is our first goal–particularly with our legacy interest in this species—research efforts on elephant conservation will provide a foundation for more work on future wildlife protection challenges.
TECA research partnerships promise a unique understanding of the complex biophysical, sociocultural, and political landscapes in which the elephant poaching crisis is occurring. For our student and research populations, this initiative will foster a thorough grounding in wildlife conservation issues, their impact on global security, and an opportunity to contribute to the development of novel solutions.
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