Overview

Having worked in the environmental NGO sector for more than 25 years, I am interested in the interface between science and policy. Particular focus is examining population-level effects of individual behaviour, social interactions and social transmission.

Broad research specialisms:

Examining the implications of non-human culture and other forms of social complexity for conservation management of mammals, including investigating the potential role of individuals that act as repositories of social knowledge. Investigating the importance of maintaining phenotypic as well as genotypic diversity for conservation, with an emphasis on cetaceans.

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Marine Biology

MSc Biological Research Methods

PhD Behavioural Ecology and Conservation

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Research

Research projects

Project Title:  Social learning, animal culture and conservation management

Supervisors:
Dr Sasha Dall and Prof Stuart Townley

Funding Body:
Whale and Dolphin Conservation (www.whales.org)

Project Description:
Sociality has costs and benefits, some of which may be important to conservation efforts. Using demographic modelling techniques, this project hopes to investigate the relationship between the behaviour of individuals or social units and the population-level consequences of the spread (or inhibition) of certain behaviours, identifying elements that may inform conservation management.

Publications/Presentations:

Brakes, P. & Simmonds, M.P (Eds) (2011) Whales and Dolphins: cognition, culture, conservation and human perceptions,  Earthscan, London
www.tandf.net/books/details/9781849712255/

Butterworth, A., Brakes, P., Vail, S.C. & Reiss, D. (2013). A Veterinary and Behavioural Analysis of Dolphin Killing Methods Currently Used in the "Drive Hunt" in Taiji, Japan. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 16 (2)

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888705.2013.768925 

Altmetric score 1450

Brakes, P. (2014) Social Complexity, Culture and Modern Conservation Efforts, presentation to the Convention on Migratory Species Scientific Council Workshop on the Conservation Implications of Cetacean Culture

Brakes, P. (2014) Welcome to the club, New Scientist, 15th Dec 2014, New Scientist link

Brakes P and Dall SRX (2016) Marine Mammal Behaviour: A Review of Conservation Implications Front. Mar. Sci., 20 June 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00087
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2016.00087/full

Brakes, P. (2017) Social Change in Cetacean Populations Resulting from Human Influences, In: Marine Mammal Welfare: Human Induced Change in the Marine Environment and its Impacts on Marine Mammal Welfare, Butterworth, A. (ed),  volume 17 of the series Animal Welfare, Springer

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-46994-2_10

Research networks

UNEP CMS Expert Group on Animal Culture (Chair)

ExeterMarine

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External Engagement and Impact

Advice to Government, Parliament, devolved and English regional administrations, other national, international, regional or local agencies; advice to non-government organisations and to private practice

Chair UNEP Convention of the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals Expert Group on Animal Culture and Social Complexity

Research Fellow Whale and Dolphin Conservation

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