Dr Fiona McDuie

2016 - current: Pacific Flyway Waterfowl ecology, movement, migration, behavior, habitat and resource availability, disease, management and conservation. 

 

At: US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, California.

 

I have led 8 multi-disciplinary collaborations using our movement data to publish research addressing various aspects of movement ecology, migration and habitat use patterns, flight speed, brooding behavior, the impacts of anthropogenic factors such as wetland loss and disturbance and the infection risk and transmission potential of avian influenza between wild waterfowl and commercial livestock (see Publications & Outreach). 

 

Our team is also currently developing a paradigm shifting model of a system (AIMS for Wildlife) that will integrate animal movement data with environmental and habitat information and make this accessible early and easily to wildlife and habitat managers to improve and contribute to true applied management. We are collaborating directly with multiple governmental, academic and NGO partners to accomplish an effective and useful system with a bottom-up approach.

 

We have tracked over 1300 individuals of 20+ species over 8 years and have thus far collected ~16 million GPS data points (the worlds largest movement dataset, on the leading edge of electronic tracking research). 

 

Each research project is designed to directly inform management of Pacific Flyway waterfowl populations and the ecosystems they rely on by detailing waterfowl needs, habitat requisites and restoration, and optimizing conservation and management best practices of these very large populations.

 

To this end I inform, advise and directly engage with stakeholders including habitat and wildlife managers including private landowners, farmers, Joint Ventures, state and federal government agencies, industry, NGOs and academic institutions.