Applications are open for a fully funded (UK fees) PhD to work with me (Prof Anna Nekaris) and my colleague Dr Victoria Maguire-Rajpaul at Cambridge's Anglia Ruskin University within the School of Life Sciences and the Global Sustainability Institute.
The project is entitled "Advancing Wildlife-Friendly Coffee and Cocoa Farming for Conserving Endangered Primates in Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire" and in part will be linked to the Little Fireface Project and examining impact of certification by Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network.
The project description is summarised below:
The deadline for applications is 16th March 2025, with the project beginning in September 2025. In this PhD project the student will investigate how changing to more sustainable and pro-wildlife farming techniques for coffee and cocoa cultivation can alleviate pressures on endangered primates while empowering smallholder farmers. Focusing on Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire, the researcher will explore integrating biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic improvements into global commodity/coffee and cocoa supply chains.
The student will examine the potential for Wildlife Friendly™ certification to transform agricultural landscapes into tools for conservation. Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire are biodiversity hotspots, hosting remarkable primate diversity, with 64 and 22 species . 2/3 are threatened with extinction, with three species from each country (Indonesia: Pongo tapanuliensis, Simias concolor, Nycticebus javanicus; Côte d’Ivoire: Cercopithecus diana roloway, C. atys lunulatus, Procolobus badius waldroni) considered to be amongst the 25 most threatened primates on earth. With Indonesia as the world’s 4th largest coffee producer & 3rd largest cocoa producer, and Côte d’Ivoire as the world’s 14th largest coffee producer & foremost cocoa producer, unsustainable farming practices has led to habitat loss and primate declines. The global trade of coffee and cocoa both rely predominantly on smallholder farmers. Indonesia and Côte d'Ivoire offer an opportunity for empowering resource-poor farmers to produce these agro-commodities in more sustainable ways to improve crop quality and profit.
The Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN) certification scheme, which is one of few global certifications to require protection of endangered species, has shown promise in promoting biodiversity and socio-economic benefits. The broader feasibility of such certification remains understudied. This doctoral project evaluates WFEN certification’s potential to restore forest connectivity, improve primate habitats and populations, and enhance smallholder livelihoods.
If you would like to discuss this PhD opportunity, please send me an email to anna.nekaris@aru.ac.uk