Navigating Uncertainty in Conservation Science: A Galapagos Story

Being a bird in the wild can be downright tough with so many threats to survival- loss of habitat due to natural disasters, urbanization, or agriculture development, the myriad of impacts of climate change to our planet, migration hazards in the built environment, and invasive species of plants and animals to name a few. Scientists around the globe are working to identify, assess, and address these threats, which is no simple task. Join Dr Irene Bueno as she explains how scientists are taking on one of the most concerning threats to Galápagos bird populations, including some critically endangered species- the invasive parasitic fly Philornis downsi.

Irene Bueno is a veterinarian from Spain. She spent 5 years working as a raptor veterinarian at The Raptor Center, University of Minnesota (UMN) and holds a Master in Public Health and PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology from the UMN. Her research involves the use of eco-epidemiological approaches to assess risks to wildlife and the environment. She is a Board Member of the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis, and co-chair of the Education and Outreach team.

Irene will be talking through the goals of her study where the focus is to assist conservation and land management professionals to determine which combination of chemical (permethrin or cyromazine) and mode of application (injection, spray, and self-fumigation) will likely to be most effective to control P. downsi while minimizing toxicity to small land birds in Galápagos.