what we do

Malawi has exceptionally high rates of urbanisation and land use change, which threatens all wildlife including carnivores.  The current conservation frontline is in our communities and unprotected areas which are experiencing the highest rate of environmental change. 

 

Lilongwe City has a good network of green spaces and river corridors, supporting a population of urban spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta). However, conflict is frequent, often resulting in persecution, and extermination.

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Our ethos

The core ethos of CRM is to promote human wildlife coexistence outside of protected areas rather than focus on creating a network of isolated fenced areas where animals and humans are separated. Key to this, is understanding both the ecology and resource requirements of carnivores occurring in anthropogenic habitats as well as the human dimensions and social cultural aspects of human wildlife interactions (HWI). We aim to understand the urban ecology of carnivores to understand the ecology and drivers of conflict between people and spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) in urban areas in Malawi. 

 

The core work of CRM is the Urban Hyaena Research Project, established in 2013. The project aims to assess the behavioural ecology and conservation biology of spotted hyaena populations living outside protected areas.  Our research will not only provide information on carnivore presence, but also reveal diet, spatial behaviour and resources requirements to inform conservation and human wildlife conflict management.

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We work inside and outside protected areas and have a Conservation Research Centre and Lab in Lilongwe city and a field research camp in Kuti Wildlife Reserve near Salima. Click the buttons below to learn about our work.