We welcome Dr. Matt Geary, a Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology at the University of Chester, who will be describing his research into the behaviour of the urban population of Hispaniolan parakeets to understand how they survive in the city.

Hispaniolan parakeets are found only on the island of Hispaniola, where they are currently listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their numbers have declined considerably across the island in the past century. One of the largest populations is found in the city of Santo Domingo  – the capital city of the Dominican Republic.

Understanding animal behaviour is a crucial element of effective conservation, therefore Matt’s research project explored how these birds were using this highly urban area.

Matt is a conservation ecologist with an interest in how and why populations grow spatially and over time. He gained his PhD in Conservation Ecology at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2012 and, soon after, took up a position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Southampton. He began his current role at the University of Chester in 2013 where he focuses his teaching and research on conservation issues. The majority of his work focuses on bird conservation, including conservation projects in the UK (e.g. Capercaillie, Golden Eagle, Tawny Owl), the Canary Islands (e.g. Houbara Bustard) and the Caribbean (e.g. Grenada Dove, Hispaniolan Parakeet). He also works on mammals, amphibians and invertebrates (particularly dragonflies) as well as ecological projects on forest landscapes.