Harriet Ibbett

Conservation Scientist

I’ve always loved being outdoors and surrounded by nature. From an early age I was fortunate enough to have experiences that taught me that protecting our planet is more than just counting species, or putting up fences, it’s about working with people to find solutions. As an undergrad I studied Environmental Geography and International Development at the University of East Anglia, before specialising in Conservation Science with a Masters at Imperial College. In between degrees I spent time working on conservation projects around the world in countries such as Poland, Uganda and Madagascar.

My current research focuses on understanding the behaviour of poachers and anti-poaching patrols, in order to improve how Protected Areas are managed. I am very lucky in that I get to spend large amounts of time working in Cambodia. Much of my fieldwork involves walking around forests, learning from local people about wildlife hunting and talking to rangers about the challenges of trying to prevent illegal activity.

You can find out more about my research project here. https://www.iccs.org.uk/project/learning-observational-data-improve-protected-area-management