Team skills
The Animal Movements Group was set up by Landcare Research in 2013 to provide expertise in collecting, handling and analysing animal location data.
The group aims to forge national and international collaborations to advance research on the spatial ecology of threatened and pest animal species in New Zealand and overseas. The Group brings together wildlife biologists and quantitative ecologists with a diverse set of skills:
Dean Anderson
Dean’s expertise is in applying hierarchical Bayesian models in a two-stage process to address applied ecological questions related to the abundance, distribution and movement behaviour of animal populations over space and time. The first stage provides explanatory models that estimate parameters describing observation and biological processes. The estimated parameters are then used in the second stage to forecast/simulate population responses to complex interactions and novel changes in the environment (e.g. due to changes in management). View profile
Mandy Barron
Mandy has experience in Bayesian catch-effort modelling which can be used to describe the relationship between a hunter’s movements and the probability of detecting and killing a target animal. These models allow you to estimate how much hunter effort is required to keep the target population at a defined level or how much hunter searching is required to confidently declare that the target animal has been eradicated from the area. View profile
Andrea Byrom
Andrea leads a portfolio of research on Managing Invasive Weeds, Pests & Diseases. She has a background in the ecology and population dynamics of small mammals, with a specific interest in movements and dispersal patterns. View profile
Jennyffer Cruz
Jen’s research interests are in analysing animal location data using resource selection functions and Bayesian state-space models to answer ecological questions relating to predator-prey dynamics, habitat-wildlife interactions and animal behaviour, amongst others. View profile
Al Glen
Al has experience in collecting and analysing data on animal movement at scales ranging from microhabitats to landscapes. This has included various animal taxa, from highly mobile carnivores to relatively sedentary lizards and small mammals. View profile
Andrew Gormley
Andrew has experience in the analysis of movement data using state-space models. He has a specific interest in methods for inferring behaviour from animal location data. He was a co-organiser of an international workshop (Emerging Directions in the Analysis and Modelling of Animal Location Data), held in Melbourne, Australia in 2010. View profile
Cecilia Latham
Cecilia is a quantitative ecologist whose research interests include landscape influences on animal movements; animal resource selection; and human disturbance-wildlife interactions. Cecilia has extensive experience in managing large datasets obtained through GPS technology, geographic information systems, and statistical modelling.
David Latham
Dave is a wildlife ecologist whose research interests include vertebrate pest research; predator–prey ecology; large mammal ecology, conservation and management; and human disturbance–wildlife interactions. Dave’s expertise lies in designing and implementing field programmes to obtain telemetry data and field-derived ancillary data to increase our insights into these types of ecological questions. View profile
Grant Norbury
Grant’s expertise has been in using traditional radio-telemetry approaches (mainly VHF) to describe the home range, mobility and denning behaviour of a variety of species in Australia and New Zealand. View profile
Roger Pech
Roger's expertise is in the use of animal location data to research ecological processes influencing animal movements; population-level effects of individual variability in animal movements, and the effects of animal movements on the spread of disease. View profile
Carlos Rouco
Carlos’ current research is on the ecology and epidemiology of brushtail possums in dryland areas and native forest of New Zealand. He is focused on assessing seasonal changes in animal movements and habitat preferences after control operations. View profile
Ivor Yockney
Ivor is a field technician with 17-years’ experience in capturing, collaring and tracking multiple species (ferrets, possum, pigs, deer, stoats, cattle) using a variety of VHF, GPS and data logging hardware. Ivor has trained in chemical immobilisation of wildlife in South Africa to assist in the capture and restraint of large animals. He specialises in the practical aspects of animal movement studies including capture logistics, animal handling, animal ethics, telemetry, animal re-capture or recovery and database set ups. Ivor is a commercial fixed wing pilot experienced in aerial telemetry and the use of either directional yagis or the new automated SkyRanger on board a VHF telemetry system for locating animals in remote areas. View profile