Ms Alex Zimmermann

Raised in Indonesia, Lebanon, France, Germany and Canada, I moved to the UK in 1997 to study for my BSc in Zoology at Leeds University. This was followed by internships at IUCN in Switzerland and at Fauna & Flora International in the Philippines, and then my MSc in Conservation Biology at the Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, for which I researched human-jaguar conflicts in the Pantanal of Brazil.

I then joined Chester Zoo in 2000 as their first full-time conservation scientist, where I helped to set up the Conservation Department, became involved in zoo conservation policy, mission strategy, and conservation impact assessment, and developed overseas field projects. The latter included a jaguar-rancher mediation project in the Pantanal in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Assam Haathi Project (a community-based conflict management and research programme in Northeast India), as well as similar work in Sumatra, and was Project Leader on three Darwin Initiative grants from 2007-2012.

I am based at WildCRU, where I am finishing my DPhil on patterns of human-jaguar conflicts across the whole species’ range in Latin America, while also managing the Assam Haathi Project and continuing my role as Senior Conservation Scientist for Chester Zoo.   

Projects

Assam Haathi Project   www.assamhaathiproject.org

Jaguar Conservation Network www.jaguarnetwork.org

Chester Zoo Field Conservation Division www.chesterzoo.org/conservation-and-research/field-conservation

Conservation Impact Assessment www.waza.org/en/site/conservation/conservation-impact

Publications

Human-wildlife conflict:

Wilson, S., Davies, T.E., Hazarika, N. & Zimmermann, A. (in press) Understanding Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Human-Elephant Conflict in Assam. Oryx.

Chartier, L., Zimmermann, A. & Ladle, R.J. (2011). Habitat loss and human–elephant conflict in Assam, India: does a critical threshold exist?. Oryx. 45 (04): 528-533.

Davies, T. E., Wilson, S., Hazarika, N., Chakrabarty, J., Das, D., Hodgson, D. J. and Zimmermann, A. (2011), Effectiveness of intervention methods against crop-raiding elephants. Conservation Letters. 4: 346-354 

Zimmermann, A., Baker, N., Inskip, C. Linnell, J.D.C., Marchini, S., Odden J., Rasmussen G. & Treves, A. (2010) Contemporary views of human-carnivore conflicts on wild rangelands. In: Wild Rangelands: Conserving Wildlife While Maintaining Livestock in Semi-Arid Ecosystems. Editors: J. du Toit, R. Kock & J.C. Deutsch. Wiley-Blackwell, UK. 129-151.

Cavalcanti, S., Marchini, S., Zimmermann, A. , Gese, E.M. & Macdonald, D.W. (2010). Jaguars, livestock and people in Brazil: reality and perceptions behind the conflict.  Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids. Eds D.W. Macdonald & A.J. Loveridge. Oxford University Press. Oxford UK. 383-402

Inskip, C. & Zimmermann, A. (2009).  Human-Felid Conflict: A Review of Patterns & Priorities Worldwide. Oryx 43 (1): 1-17.

Zimmermann, A., Davies, T.E., Hazarika, N., Wilson, S., Chakrabarty, J., Hazarika, B. & Das, DJ. (2009). Community-based human-elephant conflict management in Assam. Gajah. IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group. 30: 34-40.

Wilson, S., A. Zimmermann, N. Hazarika, J. Chakrabarty, P. Mitra, D.J. Das, B. Hazarika, L. K. Nath, M. Narayanan, D. Barua, P.J. Deka, A. Baruah, & G Narayan. (2009). Living with Elephants in Assam. EcoSystems-India and North of England Zoological Society. Guwahati, Assam, India.  Assam Haathi Project. 58pp. Shailesh Art Print, Guwahati, India.

Zimmermann, A., Walpole, M. J., & Leader-Williams, N. (2005) Cattle ranchers’ attitudes to conflicts with jaguars in the Pantanal of Brazil. Oryx. 39 (4): 406-412.

Zoos and conservation:

Zimmermann, A. (2010). The role of zoos in contributing to in situ conservation. In: Wild Mammals in Captivity. 2^nd Edition. D.G. Kleiman, K.V. Thompson, and C. Kirk Baer (Editors).  Chicago University Press, Chicago. USA. pp 281-287.

Zimmermann, A., Hatchwell, M., Dickie, L. & West, C.D. (2007) Zoos in the 21st Century: Catalysts for Conservation? Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK

Zimmermann, A. & Wilkinson, R. (2007). The conservation mission in the wild: Zoos as conservation NGOs? In: Zoos in the 21^st Century: Catalysts for Conservation? Ed. A. Zimmermann et al. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK. pp. 303-321

Mace, G., Balmford, A., Leader-Williams, N., Manica, A., Walter, O., West, C., & Zimmermann, A. (2007) Measuring zoos’ contributions to conservation: A proposal and trial. In: Zoos in the 21^st Century: Catalysts for Conservation? Ed. A. Zimmermann et al. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK. pp. 322-342

Leader-Williams, N., Balmford, A., Linke, M., Mace, G., Smith, R.J., Stevenson, M. Walter, O., West, Cd., & Zimmermann, A. (2007). Beyond the ark: Conservation biologists’ views of the achievements of zoos in conservation. In: Zoos in the 21^st Century: Catalysts for Conservation? Ed. A. Zimmermann et al. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK. pp.236-256.

Balmford, A., Leader-Williams, N., Mace, G., Manica, A., Walter, O., West, C., &  Zimmermann, A. (2007) Message received? Quantifying the conservation education impact of UK zoos. In: Zoos in the 21^st Century: Catalysts for Conservation? Ed. A. Zimmermann et al. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK. pp. 120-138.

Zimmermann, A., Hatchwell, M., Dickie, L. & West, C.D. (2007) Zoos in the 21^st Century: Catalysts for Conservation? Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK. 

Human-wildlife conflict (conflict dynamics, spatial patterns, community-based conflict management, alternative livelihoods), Zoos and conservation (roles in situ, policy, organisational strategy, conservation impact assessment). Felids, jaguars, elephants.