Daniel I. Rubenstein, Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology at Princeton University, gives a lecture as part of the Dean's Speaker Series titled "On Balancing Conservation & Development: Lessons from the arid lands of Kenya." The lecture is co-sponsored by U-M's Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute. At Princeton, Rubenstein is also professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, director of its Program in African Studies and chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Most of African’s wildlife lives on landscapes inhabited by people. Nowhere is this more evident than on grasslands and savannas where conflict between wildlife and livestock has always been common. In the past, economic development eclipsed conservation on these shared landscapes, but in today’s Africa, where pastoral herders and small-scale landholders seek enhanced lifestyles, the demise of wildlife need not be inevitable. Rubenstein will show that balancing conservation and development can occur if we understand the ecological needs of livestock and what limits wildlife species’ ability to withstand human induced environmental change and then work with people to alter how they use their landscape and profit from doing so. By examining the socio-ecology of two zebra species–one thriving, the other verging on extinction–he will show how resiliency emerges from understanding the link between a species’ ecology and its behavior, demography and population dynamics.

By working with livestock herders–private ranchers and pastoral communities–in creating this scientific knowledge, he will demonstrate how partnerships leading to better stewardship can foster environmentally friendly economic development.