Background
Studying animal movements is of paramount importance for understanding the
complex interactions between wildlife and their environment. Movement
ecology studies provide invaluable insights into species' and
individuals' behavioural patterns, resource utilisation, and adaptive
strategies, which are essential for effective conservation and management
efforts.

The study of post-release movement patterns in captive-bred animals
released into the wild is especially important for the success of
conservation and reintroduction programmes. Because the transition from
captivity to the wild is fraught with challenges, understanding how
released individuals navigate and use space within their new environment
is crucial for elucidating factors affecting individual survival and
long-term population viability. By examining the movement ecology of
released animals, and comparing it to their wild-born counterparts, it
is therefore possible to gain insights into the ability of captive-bred
individuals to locate resources, avoid predators, and establish
territories key behaviours that may be compromised by a captive
upbringing. This knowledge may eventually allow to refine rearing and
release strategies, optimise selection of sites for release, and identify
potential impediments to successful translocations.

Aims
This project will evaluate within- and among-individual variation in
movements and space-use of North African Houbara Bustards (Chlamydotis
undulata undulata) in Eastern Morocco, including captive-bred and
wild-born individuals. More specifically, it will address the following
questions:

  *   To what extent do individuals differ in their movement parameters
      (i.e. individual repeatabilities)
  *   How do movement parameters covary among individuals (movement
      syndromes)
  *   What is the relationship between individual movement syndromes and
      individual parameters such as sex, age, origin (captive-bred, wild-
      born), vs. local ecological conditions?

Data & Methods
The student will analyse a large multi-year GPS dataset, consisting
of relocations collected at 5-min intervals (24h), from more than 600
captive-bred and 50 wild-born houbaras released in Eastern Morocco. A
range of movement parameters will then be extracted from GPS data,
and analysed using linear mixed models (GLMMs), allowing estimation of
fixed effects (individual parameters: e.g. age, sex, origin; extrinsic
predictors: e.g. habitat type) and partitioning of movement variance
(e.g. individual repeatability).  Multivariate mixed models will further
allow modelling the co-variation between different movement parameters.

Working environment
The Master will be part of a long-term research project, established
and developed by Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC and the
International Fund for Houbara Conservation.

The successful candidate will be based at his/her chosen university
and will be expected to spend time at Reneco HQ in Abu Dhabi, UAE,
to conduct analyses under the supervision of Reneco PI, Dr. Enrico
Sorato. Additionally, the project will include a visit to the field
research site in Eastern Morocco to gain hands-on experience with the
study system.

For enquires and applications, please contact Enrico Sorato: esorato@reneco.org

Dr Enrico SORATO
Senior Researcher in Animal Behaviour and Ecology
RENECO INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE CONSULTANTS LLC
3902, Sky Tower
Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE
P.O. Box 61741
Mobile UAE: +971 (0) 502586746
Email: esorato@reneco.org

SORATO Enrico <esorato@reneco.org>

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