Who’s Who in the Tapir Specialist Group
The Tapir Specialist Group has over 140 members, including field researchers, educators, veterinarians, governmental agencies and NGO representatives, zoo personnel, university professors and students, from 28 countries worldwide (Argentina, Australia, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, and Venezuela).
All members are directly or indirectly involved in tapir field research and/or captive breeding in their respective regions. Over fifty percent of our members hail from developing countries.
Here’s just a few of our many members:
AGUSTIN PAVIOLO
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Researcher, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (CONICET an University of Misiones) and CeIBA
Contact Info: +54-9-3757-458930; paviolo4@gmail.com
Web: www.proyectoyaguarete.org.ar, www.ceiba.org.ar
Keywords: jaguars, felids, mammals, Atlantic Forest, population ecology, Argentina
Main Interests: Since 2001 I am working in research and conservation projects related with jaguars and other mammals in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. My studies are focused in the ecology and conservation of felines, approaching also investigations about other medium and big mammals that share the habitat with jaguars. My principal works approach topics related to the ecology of populations of these species, to the factors that threaten them and to the search of solutions to achieve his conservation and a harmonious conviviality with the local population.
AHIMSA CAMPOS-ARCEIZ
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Associate Professor in Tropical Conservation Ecology, School of Geography, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Contact Info: +60-0-389248734; ahimsa@camposarceiz.com
Web: http://www.meme-elephants.org; http://www.nottingham.edu.my/Science/People/Ahimsa.Camposarceiz
Keywords: megafauna, Asian elephant, Malayan tapir, seed dispersal, human-wildlife conflict
Main Interests: I am a conservation ecologist and my main research interest lies in the behavior, ecology, and conservation of Asian megafauna, such as elephants and tapirs. My work focuses mostly on two aspects: (1) understanding the ecological function that megafauna play in tropical forests, especially as seed dispersers; and (2) working towards evidence-based conservation strategies that facilitate human-megafauna coexistence. I am based in Peninsular Malaysia, where I lead the Management & Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME; www.meme-elephants.org) research project. My work is increasingly leaning towards the social sciences because I think that understanding (and changing!) human behavior is the main challenge for tropical conservation science in the 21st century.
ALAN SHOEMAKER
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: AZA Tapir TAG
Contact Info: sshoe@mindspring.com
ALBERTO MENDOZA
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Vet Tech Institute
Contact Info: alumen@aol.com; amendoza@vettechinstitute.edu
ÁLVARO SIMONS ALONZO
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Field Technician, Panthera Nicaragua and Proyecto Tapir Nicaragua
Contact Info: alvarosimonsalonzo@yahoo.es
Keywords: Baird’s tapir, Nicaragua, community-based conservation, traditional environmental knowledge
Main Interests: Alvaro is from the indigenous Ulwa community of Karawala. His primary interests include environmental education in rural communities, community-based conservation in indigenous villages, and wildlife ecology. He has worked for the past several years on large camera trapping efforts focused on jaguars and tapirs and a Baird’s tapir radio telemetry project.
AMABILI FALQUETO MISTURA
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Bióloga, Instituto Marcos Daniel
Contact Info: +55-27-99820-1494
Keywords: biologia da conservação, ecologia na Mata Atlântica, manejo
Main Interests: Bióloga pesquisadora no Instituto Marcos Daniel
ANDERS GONÇALVES DA SILVA
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Postdoctoral Researcher / Monash University (Australia)
Contact Info: andersgs@gmail.com
Web: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anders_Goncalves_Da_Silva
Keywords: population genetics, conservation genetics, phylogeography, phylogenetics, genomics, next-generation sequencing, Bayesian data analysis, Brazil
Main Interests: I am a computational evolutionary biologist. I combine biological, statistical, and computational skills to solve applied problems through a fundamental understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes re-constructed from genetic data. The three corner stones of my research are collecting high-quality data, processing it efficiently using modern computational biology methods, and extracting the most out of each data point through advanced statistical modelling. While I have applied my skills to a diverse set of systems, I have a soft spot for tapirs. In particular, I am interested in understanding their social structure, and the origins of their explosive diversity in the South American Pleistocene.
ANDRÉS ARIAS ALZATE
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Estudiante de Doctorado PhD (cand), Laboratorio de Análisis Espaciales, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Medico-UNAM
Contact Info: andresarias3@yahoo.es
Web: https://analisisespaciales.wordpress.com/estudiantes/
http://www.mastozoologiaudea.com/i_andres_arias.php
Keywords: ecology, species distributions, ecological niche modeling, geographical ecology, urban ecology, conservation biology, Mammalogy, tapirs, carnivores, natural history
Main Interests: Areas of research interest have focused on ecology, urban ecology, geographical ecology, conservation biology, natural history and wild life conservation. Currently one of the main interests is to understand the effects of climate change on the ecological structure and distribution patterns of tapirs and carnivores in Americas, with respect to their ecological characteristics and requirements based on ecological niche and geographical distributions modeling. Thus contributing to understand these key species for their role in the ecosystems dynamics, towards their conservation and thus of environmental services protection not only in Antioquia, but also in Colombia and Latin America.
ANDRÉS TAPIA
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Researcher, Centro Ecológico Zanja Arajuno
Contact Info: sachacristo@gmail.com
Keywords: lowland tapir, mountain tapir, Amazonia
Main Interests: 1) Working with local communities in strategies to manage rainforest in a sustainable manner; 2) To know evolutionary and biogeographic aspects of the natural history of wildlife, specially tapirs and big Amazonian mammals.
ANDRES LAGUNA
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Director / Big Mammals Conservation Project north Ecuador - GPI
Contact Info: +593990760978; andresalagunac@gmail.com
Web: http://www.andeanbear.org/andres-laguna-biologist.html
Main Interests: Diagnosis population of large mammals, density, distribution, health, home range, diet, behavior, genetics and ecology; Andean Bear (Human Bear Interactions - Cattle and Tapir Predation); Mountain Tapir, Mountain Lion, Andean Fox, Deer; Environmental education programs focused on wildlife conservation; Development biological criteria for establishing public policies conservation, protected areas and conservation corridors; Development inter-institutional action protocols for managing interactions between large mammals - humans, research on automatic mechanisms to help minimize interactions big mammals - humans.
ANDRESSA GATTI
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Postdoctoral Researcher, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo; Coordinator, Pró-Tapir, Instituto Marcos Daniel (IMD)
Contact Info: +55-27-99646-0498; gatti.andressa@gmail.com
Web: https://protapir.wordpress.com/
Keywords: Atlantic Forest, lowland tapir, conservation
Main Interests: Ecology, conservation and management of wildlife, and survey of mammals, especially tapirs.
ARMANDO CASTELLANOS
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: President, Andean Bear Foundation; TSG Mountain Tapir Coordinator
Contact Info: +593-9-855-47376; iznachi@gmail.com
Web: www.andeanbear.org
Keywords: mountain tapir, Andean bear, conflicts, research
Main Interests: Our goal is to save the Mountain tapir and Spectacled Bear from extinction through in-field scientific studies to protect and conserve their populations.
conservation and management of wildlife, and survey of mammals, especially tapirs.
ARMANDO JASSETT DANS
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Assistant, Nicaragua Tapir Project
Contact Info: +505-88307874; arjadans@gmail.com
Keywords: Baird’s tapir, telemetry, camera traps
Main Interests: Since 2013, I have been involved with the research and conservation initiatives of the Nicaragua Tapir Project, assisting with camera trap sampling and helping to coordinate our GPS telemetry project, including tapir capture and radio tracking expeditions, I am ready to continue working with the project and increasing my collaboration internationally to ensure the conservation of tapirs in Nicaragua.
AUDE HAELEWYN-DESMOULINS
Job Position/Institutional Affiliation: Head of Science and Education / Parc ZOO du Reynou (France)
Contact Info: +33-612-727-273; aude.desmoulins@gmail.com
Keywords: zoo, Europe, Lowland Tapir, ex-situ activities, European Programme Coordinator
Main Interests: If a part of my time is dedicated to Lowland Tapir and the European Ex-situ Programme for this species, I have an interest in all South American mammals. Conservation and education are the 2 areas in which I am involved in my daily job and would like to get more involved. I find inspiration, goals and determination of priorities in IUCN organization, CBSG tools and the One-Plan Approach philosophy.
