Adjunct Faculty: Stephen Blake

Stephen Blake is the Forest Elephant Conservation Coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society. He worked in central Africa from 1990 to 2001, primarily in the Nouabale-Ndoki Forest of northern Congo. He completed his Masters degree at the University of Edinburgh in 1993 and a PhD in 2002 also at Edinburgh. His dissertation research was on the ecology of forest elephant distribution and its implications for conservation. Recently he has coordinated Congo Basin wide surveys of elephants and apes under the Monitoring of the Illegal Killing of Elephants programme (MIKE), and has implemented an extensive telemetry study of elephants in critical conservation areas of Gabon and Congo (Brazaville). His current research interests remain in elephant ecology, particularly their role as ecosystem engineers, though his motivation for research is to guide management and conservation of central Africa's ecosystems. He will relocate back to Central Africa with his family in late August, but hopes to continue his affiliation with UMD which has been rewarding, productive, and enjoyable.

Example Publications:

Kinsella, J, M., Deem, S. L., Blake, S., and Freeman, A. S. 2004. Endoparasites of African forest elephants (Loxodonta africana cyclotis) from the Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. Comparative Parasitology. 71(2): 104–110.

Blake, S., and Hedges, S. 2004. Sinking the Flagship: The case for forest elephants in Asia and Africa. Conservation Biology. 18: 1191-1202.

Blake, S., and Inkamba-Nkulu, C. 2004. Fruit, minerals and forest elephant trails: do all roads lead to Rome? Biotropica. 36(3): 392-401.

Blake, S. 2004. Do leopards kill forest elephants? Evidence from northern Congo. Mammalia 68: 225-227.