Niki Rust

As a trained carnivore conservationist and specialist in human-wildlife conflict, Niki Rust has recently completed a PhD on the social, political, historical and economic factors that affect predator conservation on unprotected lands in Namibia. She used predominantly qualitative methods to understand the in-depth, complex problems involved with this conservation challenge and enjoys exploring novel methods to gain a better understanding of the situation. She's now conducting human dimensions of wildlife research in Africa and Asia with the conservation division of San Diego Zoo Global.Along with her academic writing, Niki enjoys to engage with her creative side and write for the general public. As well as regular articles in The Conversation, she also writes for The Guardian and Mongabay.Niki has previously worked as an ecologist for Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia and as a lion behavioural researcher in Zimbabwe.