缅北禁地

Phil is interested in research that can inform global policy on biodiversity and especially species conservation. He is particularly interested in looking more broadly and systematically at species research that has potential to inform both the development of policy and its effective implementation. Phil is Chair of the  that contributed to species aspects of the negotiations on the Convention on Biological Diversity’s  and which is now working to support implementation. He is also involved in promoting the potential of universities to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals through . He recently stepped down as the founding chair of the university's Sustainable Development Goals Committee.

He joined 缅北禁地 in 2013 having worked for many years in international species conservation. Phil conducted research on critically endangered species in Asia, Africa and South America, with a particular focus on the Galliformes, a highly threatened group of birds that includes pheasants, partridges, grouse and the wild ancestor of the chicken. 25% of Galliformes are currently at risk of extinction, typically because of people hunting them for food, and, because of this are thought to be important indicators of overall pressures facing bird species. All of this work was carried out with a large network, especially in Asia, conducting fieldwork in order to build better conservation projects and improve policy responses to increase biodiversity. He continues to work with a large global network and is committed to capacity development for species conservation research in areas where resources are limited, and biodiversity is under pressure.

Phil's work has expanded from a relatively narrow disciplinary focus on a single group of species, albeit a highly important one, to close engagement across species science-policy issues. In the 1980s and 1990s his research sought to uncover the basic ecology of a highly threatened, yet little known, group of birds (Galliformes: pheasants, partridges and allies), typically in parts of the world with little infrastructure, challenging terrain and little resident research expertise. During that time significant collaborations were established, in particular in Asia (but also in the Americas and Africa), that led to applied ecological research to inform management and resulted in many collaborators producing postgraduate theses and publications. 

These diverse collaborations increasingly undertook interdisciplinary research to understand the local human dimension of natural resource use and conservation. His current research and engagement focusses on the interface of science and management/policy, and capacity building. Particular issues are conservation planning for species, global biodiversity targets, developing robust and meaningful indicators for such global targets, and developing global standards for practice and reporting on species conservation.

Phil works closely with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an intergovernmental body that has observer status at the UN General Assembly since the 1990s. He led the compilation of several  for threatened bird groups (including  and ) in the 1990s and a range of guidelines for global management issues, such as ,  and . He has had leadership roles within IUCN’s Species Survival Commission (SSC) for a decade. SSC is a conservation science-practitioner body whose >10,000 members includes more than 2,000 academics in 130 countries. This leadership role was critical in the run up the 2020 reporting by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on existing global biodiversity targets, and the setting of a new global framework for biodiversity, which are closely linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Phil is the Degree Programme Director for the new MSc Global Conservation and is very happy to answer any questions about the course. Details of the MSc can be found here.

He is also module leader for a third year module on biodiversity science and management and supervises final year undergraduate and Masters (MSc, MBiol and MRes) projects. 

• Articles

  • Oswald AM, Mannion N, Willis SG, Stephens PA, McGowan PJK. . Environmental Evidence 2025, 14(1), 3.
  • Stevenson EA, Lucas S, McGowan PJK, Smallegange IM, Mair L. . Ecology and Evolution 2025, 15(6), e71488.
  • McGowan PJK, Hutchinson A, Brooks TM, Elliott W, Hoffmann M, Mair L, McDougall A, Raimondo DC, Butchart SMH. . BioScience 2024, 74(9), 614-623.
  • Ridley FA, Rushton SP, Hickinbotham EJ, Suggitt AJ, McGowan PJK, Mair L. . Conservation Biology 2024, 38(4), e14271.
  • Mair L, Elnahass M, Xiang E, Hawkins F, Siikamaki J, Hillis L, Barrie S, McGowan P. . Conservation Letters 2024, 17(4), e13024.
  • Mair L, Amorim E, Bicalho M, Brooks TM, Calfo V, de T Capellao R, Clubbe C, Evju M, Fernandez EP, Ferreira GC, Hawkins F, Jimenez RR, Jordao LSB, Kyrkjeeide MO, Macfarlane NBW, Mattos BC, de Melo PHA, Monteiro LM, Nic Lughadha E, Pougy N, Raimondo DC, Setsaas TH, Shen X, de Siqueira MF, Strassburg BBN, McGowan PJK. . Conservation Biology 2023, 37(1), e14046.
  • Bolam FC, Ahumada J, Akcakaya HR, Brooks TM, Elliott W, Hoban S, Mair L, Mallon D, McGowan PJK, Raimondo D, Rodriguez JP, Roe D, Seddon MB, Shen X, Stuart SN, Watson JEM, Butchart SHM. . Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2023, 21(2), 64-70.
  • Hoban S, Bruford MW, da Silva JM, Funk WC, Frankham R, Gill MJ, Grueber CE, Heuertz M, Hunter ME, Kershaw F, Lacy RC, Lees C, Lopes-Fernandes M, MacDonald AJ, Mastretta-Yanes A, McGowan PJK, Meek MH, Mergeay J, Millette KL, Mittan-Moreau CS, Navarro LM, O'Brien D, Ogden R, Segelbacher G, Paz-Vinas I, Vernesi C, Laikre L. . Conservation Genetics 2023, 24, 181-191.
  • Ridley FA, Hickinbotham EJ, Suggitt AJ, McGowan PJK, Mair L. . Environmental Evidence 2022, 11(1), 26.
  • Chaudhary A, Mair L, Strassburg BBN, Brooks TM, Menon V, McGowan PJK. . Environmental Research Letters 2022, 17(5), 054022.
  • Nuttall MN, Griffin O, Fewster RM, McGowan PJK, Abernethy K, O'Kelly H, Nut M, Sot V, Bunnefeld N. . Conservation Science and Practice 2022, 4(2), e614.
  • Gupta G, Grainger M, Dunn JC, Sanderson ROY, McGowan PJK. . Bird Conservation International 2022, 32(3), 360-369.
  • Rios E, McGowan PJK, Collar NJ, Benchimol M, Canale GR, Olmos F, Santos-Filho M, Bernardo CSS. . Oryx 2021, 55(3), 412-420.
  • Díaz S, Zafra-Calvo N, Purvis A, Verburg PH, Obura D, Leadley P, Chaplin-Kramer R, De Meester L, Dulloo E, Martín-López B, Shaw MR, Visconti P, Broadgate W, Bruford MW, Burgess ND, Cavender-Bares J, DeClerck F, Fernández-Palacios JM, Garibaldi LA, Hill SLL, Isbell F, Khoury CK, Krug CB, Liu J, Maron M, McGowan PJK, Pereira HM, Reyes-García V, Rocha J, Rondinini C, Shannon L, Shin Y-J, Snelgrove PVR, Spehn EM, Strassburg B, Subramanian SM, Tewksbury JJ, Watson JEM, Zanne AE. . Science 2021, 370(6515), 411-413.
  • Yao H, Wang P, Davison G, Wang Y, McGowan PJK, Wang N, Xu J. . Ecology and Evolution 2021, 11(24), 18331-18341.
  • Gant JR, Mair L, McGowan PJK. . Oryx 2021, 55(4), 573-580.
  • Mair L, Byers O, Lees CM, Nguyen D, Rodriguez JP, Smart J, McGowan PJK. . Conservation and Society 2021, 19(1), 25-33.
  • Williams BA, Watson JEM, Butchart SHM, Ward M, Brooks TM, Butt N, Bolam FC, Stuart SN, Mair L, McGowan PJK, Gregory R, Hilton-Taylor C, Mallon D, Harrison I, Simmonds JS. . Conservation Letters 2021, 14(3), e12778.
  • Mair L, Bennun LA, Brooks TM, Butchart SHM, Bolam FC, Burgess ND, Ekstrom JMM, Milner-Gulland EJ, Hoffmann M, Ma K, Macfarlane NBW, Raimondo DC, Rodrigues ASL, Shen X, Strassburg BBN, Beatty CR, Gomez-Creutzberg C, Iribarrem A, Irmadhiany M, Lacerda E, Mattos BC, Parakkasi K, Tognelli MF, Bennett EL, Bryan C, Carbone G, Chaudhary A, Eiselin M, da Fonseca GAB, Galt R, Geschke A, Glew L, Goedicke R, Green JMH, Gregory RD, Hill SLL, Hole DG, Hughes J, Hutton J, Keijzer MPW, Navarro LM, Nic Lughadha E, Plumptre AJ, Puydarrieux P, Possingham HP, Rankovic A, Regan EC, Rondinini C, Schneck JD, Siikamaki J, Sendashonga C, Seutin G, Sinclair S, Skowno AL, Soto-Navarro CA, Stuart SN, Temple HJ, Vallier A, Verones F, Viana LR, Watson J, Bezeng S, Bohm M, Burfield IJ, Clausnitzer V, Clubbe C, Cox NA, Freyhof J, Gerber LR, Hilton-Taylor C, Jenkins R, Joolia A, Joppa LN, Koh LP, Lacher TE, Langhammer PF, Long B, Mallon D, Pacifici M, Polidoro BA, Pollock CM, Rivers MC, Roach NS, Rodriguez JP, Smart J, Young BE, Hawkins F, McGowan PJK. . Nature Ecology and Evolution 2021, 5, 836-844.
  • Ridley FA, McGowan PJK, Mair L. . Environmental Evidence 2020, 9, 23.
  • Kuunal S, Mair L, Pattison Z, McGowan PJK. . Conservation Science and Practice 2020, 2(12), e294.
  • Rust N, Ridding L, Ward C, Clark B, Kehoe L, Dora M, Whittingham MJ, McGowan P, Chaudhary A, Reynolds CJ, Trivedy C, West N. . Science of the Total Environment 2020, 718, 137208.
  • Bolam FC, Mair L, Angelico M, Brooks TM, Burgman M, Hermes C, Hoffmann M, Martin RW, McGowan PJK, Rodrigues ASL, Rondinini C, Westrip JRS, Wheatley H, Bedolla Guzman Y, Calzada J, Child MF, Cranswick PA, Dickman CR, Fessl B, Fisher DO, Garnett ST, Groombridge JJ, Johnson CN, Kennerley RJ, King SRB, Lamoreux JF, Lees AC, Lens L, Mahood SP, Mallon DP, Meijaard E, Mendez Sanchez F, Percequillo AR, Regan TJ, Renjifo LM, Rivers MC, Roach NS, Roxburgh L, Safford RJ, Salaman PS, Squires T, Vazquez Dominguez E, Visconti P, Woinarski JCZ, Young RP, Butchart SHM. . Conservation Letters 2020, 14(1), e12762.
  • Boakes EH, Fuller RA, Mace GM, Ding C, Ang TT, Auffret AG, Clark NE, Dunn J, Gilbert J, Golovnyuk V, Gupta G, Irlich U, Joachim E, O' Connor K, Potapov E, Potapov R, Schleicher J, Stebbing S, Townshend T, McGowan PJK. . Scientific Data 2020, 7(1), 344.
  • Farhadinia MS, Johnson PJ, Zimmermann A, McGowan PJK, Meijaard EK, Stanley-Price M, Macdonald DW. . Conservation Biology 2020, 34(4), 988-996.
  • Watts K, Whytock RC, Park KJ, Fuentes-Montemayor E, Macgregor NA, Duffield S, McGowan PJK. . Nature Ecology and Evolution 2020, 4, 304-311.
  • Gupta G, Dunn J, Sanderson R, Fuller R, McGowan PJK. . Global Ecology and Conservation 2020, 21, e00788.
  • Bolam FC, Grainger MJ, Mengersen KL, Stewart GB, Sutherland WJ, Runge MC, McGowan PJK. . Biological Reviews 2019, 94(2), 629-647.
  • McGowan PJK, Mair L, Symes A, Westrip JRS, Wheatley H, Brook S, Burton J, King S, McShea WJ, Moehlman PD, Smith AT, Wheeler JC, Butchart SHM. . Conservation Letters 2019, 12(1), e12588.
  • Boakes EH, Fuller RA, McGowan PJK. . Conservation Letters 2019, 12(1), e12608.
  • McGowan PJG, Stewart GB, Long G, Grainger MJ. . Nature Sustainability 2019, 2, 43-45.
  • Mair L, Ridley FA, Fleming LV, McGowan PJK. . Biological Conservation 2019, 239, 108260.
  • Mair L, Mill AC, Robertson PA, Rushton SP, Shirley MDF, Rodriguez JP, McGowan PJK. . Biological Conservation 2018, 223, 82-96.
  • Thunhikorn S, Grainger M, McGowan P, Savini T. . Avian Research 2018, 9, 17.
  • Boakes EH, Isaac NJB, Fuller RA, Mace GM, McGowan PJK. . Conservation Biology 2018, 32(1), 229-239.
  • Grainger MJ, Garson PJ, Browne SJ, McGowan PJK, Savini T. . Biological Conservation 2018, 220, 60–66.
  • McGowan PJK, Holzer-Taylor K, Leus K. . Conservation Letters 2017, 10(3), 361-366.
  • Zwart MC, Dunn JC, McGowan PJK, Whittingham MJ. . Behavioral Ecology 2016, 27(1), 101-108.
  • Boakes EH, Fuller RA, McGowan PJK, Mace GM. . Biology Letters 2016, 12(3).
  • Mallari NAD, Collar NJ, McGowan PJK, Marsden SJ. . Ambio 2016, 45(3), 313–322.
  • Dunn JC, Buchanan GM, Stein RW, Whittingham MJ, McGowan PJK. . Biological Conservation 2016, 196, 22-30.
  • Thunhikorn S, Grainger MJ, McGowan PJK, Savini T. . Forktail 2016, 32, 5-13.
  • Thunhikorn S, Grainger MJ, McGowan PJK, Savini T. . Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 2016, 64, 302-312.
  • Zwart MC, Robson P, Rankin S, Whittingham MJ, McGowan PJK. . Ecosphere 2015, 6(2), 26.
  • Geary M, Fielding AH, McGowan PJK, Marsden SJ. . PLoS One 2015, 10(11), e0142477.
  • Woodhouse E, Mills MA, McGowan PJK, Milner-Gulland EJ. . Human Ecology 2015, 43(2), 296-307.
  • Sukumal N, McGowan PJK, Savini T. . Global Ecology and Conservation 2015, 3, 11-19.
  • Mallari NAD, Collar NJ, McGowan PJK, Marsden SM. . Environmental Management 2013, 51(6), 1236–1246.

• Book Chapter

  • Yeo DCJ, Luz S, Cai Y, Cumberlidge N, McGowan PJK, Ng DJJ, Raghavan R, Davison GWH. . In: Kawai T; Cumberlidge N, ed. A Global Overview of the Conservation of Freshwater Decapod Crustaceans. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2016, pp.359-372.

• Letters

  • McGowan PJK. . Nature 2016, 537(7619), 172–173.
  • Hochkirch A, McGowan PJK, vanderSluijs J. . Nature 2014, 516, 170.

• Note

  • Farhadinia MS, Johnson PJ, Zimmermann A, McGowan PJK, Meijaard E, Stanley-Price M, Macdonald DW. . Conservation Biology 2021, 35(4), 1331-1333.

• Report

  • Seah S, McGowan P, Low Yu Xing M, Martinus M, Ghoshray A, Lorusso M, Wong R, Poh Onn L, Elliott L, Setyowati A, Rahman S, Joy Quirapas-Franco M. . British High Commission Singapore, 2021. UK-Singapore COP26 Universities Network policy reports.

• Review

  • Sargent R, Deere NJ, McGowan PJK, Bunnefeld N, Pfeifer M. . Mammal Review 2022, 52(1), 39-51.