Dan Challender is an interdisciplinary Conservation Scientist interested in wildlife trade and use, its sustainability, governance, and economics, including human behaviour, and pangolins and their conservation.
His current research focuses on (i) pangolins and (ii) wildlife trade policy. Regarding pangolins, the focus is on understanding consumer demand for pangolin products in Asia, examining the biological and economic feasibility of pangolin farming, and characterising online trade in pangolin products.
Concerning wildlife trade policy, the focus is largely on CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It encompasses evaluating the extent to which social-ecological factors have been considered in the establishment of CITES trade measures in recent decades and developing predictive approaches to identify the conditions under which these measures may benefit species. It further focuses on guiding policy directions for high-value traded species through participatory scenario planning, with a focus on pangolins and rhinos.
In 2012, Dan re-formed the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group and served as Chair of the group until early 2021.
Additional Affiliations
Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science (ICCS)
