Sean Glynn

Sean Glynn

Profile

I graduated from the University of Sussex in 2019 with a Distinction in Global Biodiversity Conservation ( MSc). My Masters thesis investigated the temporal interactions between felid predators and their prey within the Chocoan rainforest in Ecuador. My research interests are in rainforest ecology and conservation, especially in the Amazon rainforest.

This interest began during my undergraduate degree where I studied Geography (BSc) at the University of Brighton. I volunteered for Operation Wallacea and studied birds on a remote archipelago in Indonesia which began my passion for field research.

From 2017-2018 I worked at a remote field station within the Madre de Dios region of Peru, teaching students about rainforest ecology and research methods. Here I was able to learn from other researchers and conducted research on birds, mammals and invertebrates. This has given me the drive to continue in the field of research and contribute to the scientific knowledge on the anthropogenic impacts on vertebrate and invertebrate communities.

Sean Glynn

Ecology and Biodiversity

PhD title: After the Gold Rush: Vertebrate Communities in Abandoned Gold Mines and Implications for Restoration.

Across Amazonia, small scale gold mining is on the rise. Over the last decade, this has led to a sharp increase in localised deforestation. The impacts of mines on biodiversity are largely unknown, but since mining removes entire areas of vegetation and soils, impacts are likely to be marked. Vertebrates are ideal for studying the responses of biodiversity to mining because they are likely to play a vital role in the regeneration of these areas via seed dispersal and other functions.

My PhD will undertake a comprehensive field survey in a landscape dominated by gold mines scattered throughout the tropical forests of central Guyana. Employing a paired, mine-forest study design, the study will seek to understand the relationship between biodiversity and different characteristics of existing mines (e.g. size, shape, age, and vegetation). Data will be collected on birds, mammals, and regenerating patches of vegetation, and will seek to understand the relationship between vertebrates and regeneration, and use this to conduct cutting-edge land-use planning across the landscape.

Other information

I currently volunteer for an animal rehabilitation centre in per called Esperanza Verde with various tasks including social media management and outreach and engagement.

ORCiD

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3071-1415