Trial lecture and disputation - MSc in Biology Ann Mikaela Simmonds

Later, at 12.15 she will defend her thesis entitled: "From mechanisms to management: A structural causal modelling approach to life-history tactics and impact assessment"

Head of Department at AMB, Hanne Risan Johnsen will lead the disputation.

Popular Science Summary

Reindeer in Norway face long harsh winters with limited food, where females to use body reserves built up during summer both to survive and reproduce. When too many animals compete for the same resources, body condition declines and fewer viable calves are bord This thesis examines how population density and climate together shape reindeer body condition and reproduction, using data from herds across Norway. By applying  causal statistical methods, we traced the pathways linking environmental conditions, body reserves, and reproductive success. We then tested whether large reductions in herd size in Finnmark improved calf body mass and increased harvests. Herd reductions did improve calf body mass, but harvest gains only followed when herders also harvested a bigger proportion of female calves. This shows that ecological improvements do not automatically  translate into their intended outcomes, unless stakeholder decision making is addressed in parallel. The methods developed here offer a transparent tool for designing and evaluating wildlife management interventions elsewhere.

Evaluation Committee

• Dr Suchinta Arif, University of New Brunswick, Canada (1. opponent)
• Associate Professor Torbjørn Håkan Ergon, University of Oslo (2. opponent)
• Professor Lars Folkow, AMB (internal member and leader of the committee)

Supervisors

• Professor Audun Stien, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology
• Senior researcher Torkild Tveraa, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
• Professor Nigel Yoccoz, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
• Senior researcher John-André Henden, Institute of Marine Research
• Professor Sandra Hamel, University of Laval, Canada

Streaming

Both the trial lecture and defense and will be streamed and recorded:

• Trial lecture
• Defense

Thesis

 The thesis will be available in Vitenarkivet.