![Sarah Raymond](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/3340?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
I am a PhD researcher in the School of Biosciences, working alongside The Road Lab (previously Project Splatter) and the Otter Project. I am looking at the impacts of roads on wildlife, particularly focusing on the scale of wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs), influencing factors, and animal behaviour in response to roads and road mitigation. My thesis chapters focus on the following topics at a UK-scale:
- The effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on WVCs
- Mapping and assessing WVC-risk for the European badger
- The extent and distribution of remaining "roadless areas" and co-occurrence with WVCs
- Identifying potential causal factors for WVCs and assessing the risk faced by humans from road traffic accidents involving animals, using police "STATS19" data
Prior to this, I graduated from University of Nottingham with an MSci in Biology in 2019, during which I undertook research projects investigating the reliability of European nightjar calls as identifiers of individuals, and the spread of non-native invertebrates into the UK using species distribution modelling. Following this, I worked at an ecological consultancy, EMEC Ecology, for 6 months.
Publication
2024
- Raymond, S., Perkins, S. E. and Garrard, G. 2024. The Species at Risk Act (2002) and transboundary species listings along the US-Canada border. Humanities 13(1), article number: 38. (10.3390/h13010038)
2023
- Raymond, S., Spencer, M., Chadwick, E. A., Madden, J. R. and Perkins, S. E. 2023. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on wildlife-vehicle collisions in the UK. Journal of Animal Ecology 92(6), pp. 1244-1255. (10.1111/1365-2656.13913)
2021
- Raymond, S., Schwartz, A. L. W., Thomas, R. J., Chadwick, E. and Perkins, S. E. 2021. Temporal patterns of wildlife roadkill in the UK. PLoS ONE 16(10), article number: e0258083. (10.1371/journal.pone.0258083)
2019
- Raymond, S., Spotswood, S., Clarke, H., Zielonka, N., Lowe, A. and Durrant, K. L. 2019. Vocal instability over time in individual male European nightjars, Caprimulgus europaeus: recommendations for acoustic monitoring and surveys. Bioacoustics 29(3), pp. 280-295. (10.1080/09524622.2019.1603121)
Erthyglau
- Raymond, S., Perkins, S. E. and Garrard, G. 2024. The Species at Risk Act (2002) and transboundary species listings along the US-Canada border. Humanities 13(1), article number: 38. (10.3390/h13010038)
- Raymond, S., Spencer, M., Chadwick, E. A., Madden, J. R. and Perkins, S. E. 2023. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on wildlife-vehicle collisions in the UK. Journal of Animal Ecology 92(6), pp. 1244-1255. (10.1111/1365-2656.13913)
- Raymond, S., Schwartz, A. L. W., Thomas, R. J., Chadwick, E. and Perkins, S. E. 2021. Temporal patterns of wildlife roadkill in the UK. PLoS ONE 16(10), article number: e0258083. (10.1371/journal.pone.0258083)
- Raymond, S., Spotswood, S., Clarke, H., Zielonka, N., Lowe, A. and Durrant, K. L. 2019. Vocal instability over time in individual male European nightjars, Caprimulgus europaeus: recommendations for acoustic monitoring and surveys. Bioacoustics 29(3), pp. 280-295. (10.1080/09524622.2019.1603121)
Research
- Wildlife-human interactions
- Road and urban ecology
- Wildlife mitigation
- Spatial ecology
- Citizen and community science
My current research focuses on a combination of the above topics; however, I am also interested in landscape ecology, protected areas, species distributions and land-use change.
Teaching
- PGR demonstrator - Oct 2020-present - assisting with field courses, practical classes, and a number of undergraduate and Masters' statistics courses within the School of Biosciences
- PGR marking - April 2022-present
Biography
- Part-time Project/Survey Assistant, EMEC Ecology - May 2019-Jan 2020
- Assistant Ecologist, EMEC Ecology - Jul-Oct 2018 (funded internship)
- MSci Biology, University of Nottingham - 2015-2019
Honours and awards
- Shortlisted for Journal of Animal Ecology "Elton Prize" for Early-Career Researchers 2023
- Best "firetalk" for School of Biosciences - Speaking of Science conference 2021
- Best poster - Organisms and Environment Away Day, School of Biosciences 2021
Professional memberships
- British Ecological Society
Speaking engagements
- Talks given at Techniquest on 27/02/23
- Talk given to Glasgow Natural History Society on 12/10/21
Committees and reviewing
- BES Review College member
- CEEDER Review College member
- Peer reviewer for PLOS ONE, Journal of Environmental Management, Biodiversity and Conservation, and PeerJ
Engagement
I always enjoy and am keen to communicate my research to a wider audience. During my PhD, I have carried out a number of public engagement activities:
- BBC Radio Scotland interview - 06/05/2023: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001lqww (skip to 23 minutes in)
- Research featured in New Scientist - May 2023: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2371008-animal-deaths-on-uk-roads-fell-sharply-during-covid-19-lockdowns/
- Blog post for the Mammal Society - May 2023: https://www.mammal.org.uk/2023/05/how-covid-helped-our-understanding-of-wildlife-roadkill/
- Research featured on BBC Winterwatch Series 11, Episode 5 (32 minutes in): https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001hkqy/winterwatch-series-11-episode-5
- Bristol Festival of Nature 2022 - 12/06/22 - outreach stall for The Road Lab project
- Blog post for Field Studies Council: https://www.fscbiodiversity.uk/blog/project-splatter-recording
- Blog post for the Badger Trust: https://www.badgertrust.org.uk/project-splatter
- Interview with InterCardiff: https://cardiffjournalism.co.uk/intercardiff/science-environment/saving-wildlife-citizen-project-aims-at-preventing-animals-from-roadkill
Research themes
Specialisms
- Urban ecology
- Road ecology
- Behavioural ecology
- Landscape ecology
- GIS
