The Conservation Behavior Research Lab
Prof. Oded Berger-Tal (PI)
I study the various ways in which behavioral ecology can be applied to improve the conservation and management of species and habitats.
Empirically, I am conducting behavioral research on various species and situations of conservation concern. Ideally, the motivation for the projects comes from the needs and questions of conservation practitioners in the field. In the recent past I have worked with endangered Persian fallow deer, Arabian oryx and California condors.
A second aspect of my work is developing the field of conservation behavior conceptually and making relevant behavioral data easily accessible for conservation practitioners. Without a clear understanding of the possible intersections between behavioral ecology and conservation, and even more importantly, without easy access to relevant behavioral evidence, the vast potential behavioral ecology has to improve conservation may remain untapped.
Dr. Emmanuel Lourie (Post-doc fellow)
I am a behavioral and movement ecologist. As a "generalist" of interests, I studied various species, including birds, bats, and horses. I enjoy many aspects of research, from engaging in fieldwork to applying advanced analytical approaches to big data, as well as writing, presenting, and simply spending time with the animals I admire and love to study.
My current project as a post-doc at the Conservation Behavior Research Lab focuses on gathering insights from the movement patterns of multiple tracked species in order to improve conservation planning throughout the country, in collaboration with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA). In my limited spare time, I find pleasure in bird-watching, meditation, and playing music.
e-mail: emm.lourie@gmail.com
Yael Lehnardt (PhD student, Clore fellow)
I am a birder. As such, I have spent countless hours in the field, following both birds and bird researchers, getting familiar with ecological and behavioral research. Since I was 11 years old I volunteered at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory and eventually this hobby of mine became a way of life. Birding has been a common thread in many of my decisions, habits and interests.
After graduating from high school, while working for the Society for the Protection of Nature Israel at various bird ringing stations, I spent some great years participating and leading scientific and educational projects. During this period my main scientific interest lay in studying birds' communication during migratory stopover sites.
I conducted my B.Sc. degree in Life Sciences and Environmental Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. As birds' communication and movement continued to fascinate me, I got the opportunity to further research this subject at the Movement Ecology Lab of Prof. Ran Nathan.
In my PhD I plan to study the effects of anthropogenic noise on the communication and movement of migratory birds during stopover.
e-mail: yaelbird@gmail.com
Yuval Zukerman (PhD student, Negev fellow)
I have always loved nature, but it was only ten years ago that I realized that for us to coexist with nature, we must make an effort to conserve it. Since then, I aim to be a part of these conservation efforts. For me, one of the most fascinating and important aspects of wildlife conservation is animal behavior; how is it affected by anthropogenic footprint? What are the consequences of such effects? And how can we reduce adverse outcomes? I did my B.Sc. degree at Ben-Gurion University in the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences and my M.Sc. degree at Ben-Gurion University in the Department of Desert Ecology under the supervision of Oded Berger-Tal. I studied the differences in behavioral responses to potentially threatening stimuli in five populations of Nubian ibex that are differently exposed to anthropogenic disturbances.
In my Ph.D., I continue studying the behavioral implications of human-wildlife interactions inside settlements and outside in natural areas. In particular, I am investigating inter-and intra-individual variation in tolerance behavior to humans among ibex individuals that are regularly exposed to humans and test different approaches to deal with the human-ibex conflict within these areas. In natural areas, I am investigating the impact of the presence of hikers on wildlife in relation to the planning and management of hiking trails.
e-mail: Yuval.zuk15@gmail.com
Einat Zahabian (PhD student)
My love for nature started at a young age. Through the years I became a field guide and I could pass my love for education and nature to other people. While I was traveling in nature, I was always so curious about the various animals, plants, and insects and their interactions. That's why I went to the Academic world - to answer those questions about nature that I was fascinated about.
I have always loved the desert area and therefore I went to study my B.Sc. at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, at the life sciences track. My first research project in Prof. Amos Bouskila's lab was about the subspecies of the common chameleon Chamaeleo chamaeleon musae in the western Negev sands habitat. I looked at the differences in habitat selection between the adult and the hatchlings, in order to understand how to maintain and protect these unique chameleon habitats. My M.Sc. project with Prof. Amos Bouskila and Prof. Bertrand Boeken was about the relationship between spiny tail lizards and their environment in the arid Arava valley. My PhD research with Dr. Oded Berger Tal and Prof. David Salz in collaboration with the INPA is about water in the desert as a source for human-wildlife conflict. I study the environmental impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on wildlife diversity and behavior around natural water sources in the Negev Highlands. Water is an important limiting factor in arid areas so it is important for us to understand how to manage this resource for the benefit of both animals and humans.
e-mail: einatza@post.bgu.ac.il
Dana Levy (PhD student)
Witnessing open lands gradually disappearing from the center of Israel, where I grew up, made me become increasingly aware of the importance of nature conservation. Believing in the power that planning had on the way built-up areas and modified landscapes affect both the natural world, and the way humans see the natural world, I completed Architectural studies at Tel Aviv University.
Down the road I felt that my knowledge and ability to contribute to nature conservation was limited as an architect, so I returned to the academy and completed a BSc in life sciences from Tel Aviv University. I continued to do MSc in Ecology with Dr. Takuya Iwamura, co-supervised by Prof. Noam Levin from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. During these studies I investigated the effects of historical land cover changes on the distribution of nesting birds in Israel.
After I graduated, I decided to apply my ecological education in the "real world" and worked as an environmental consultant and ecologist in various planning projects, and later as an environmental data manager at Israel's National Road Company. Over the years, through work and travels, I became fascinated with human-wildlife conflicts, specifically in India. Luckily, during my PhD with Prof. Oded Berger-Tal and Prof. Shomen Mukherjee (Ahmedabad University in Gujarat, India) I will be studying the effects of environmental factors on conflicts between humans and Asiatic lions within human dominated landscapes in Gujarat, India.
E-mail: dananalevy@gmail.com
Goni Barki (PhD student)
e-mail: gonib@post.bgu.ac.il
I have always been captivated by nature, particularly the desert, where I spent many of my childhood days hiking and exploring. As I grew older, I became increasingly aware of the rapid changes affecting my natural surroundings and felt compelled to take part in efforts to study and conserve them.
Following these interests, I completed my B.Sc. in Biology at Ben-Gurion University and continued with an M.Sc. at the Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology in Sde Boker, under the supervision of Prof. Uri Roll and Prof. Shai Meiri. My research focused on the world’s most range-restricted snakes, examining their conservation status, the macroecological factors contributing to their geographical rarity, and the impact of research gaps and biases on our understanding of their distribution.
After spending most of my master’s degree in front of a computer, I wanted my next steps to be based in field research. I was happy to join the Conservation Behavior Research Lab, where I plan to focus my PhD on the impacts of anthropogenic noise- particularly infrasonic noise- on wildlife.
Celine Jordan (MSc student)
I have always felt a deep connection with animals and nature, whether observing birds in the garden or spending time on outdoor hikes. Over time, this love for the natural world grew into a curiosity about why animals behave the way they do in their environments.
My academic background is in biology with a focus on behavioral ecology, where my fascination with birds and their songs began. During this time, I interned at a Nature Conservation Foundation, where I not only participated in regular bird monitoring but also discovered another passion—reaching out and educating others about conservation. Combining research with teaching school children about sustainability has shown me that building awareness is as important to me as the academic side of my work. That is why I have continued working as an environmental educator ever since.
Currently, I am pursuing my master’s in biodiversity at the University of Göttingen in Germany, with a focus on conservation biology. Through an exchange program, I came to Ben-Gurion University and joined the Conservation Behavior Lab as an intern. Now, for my master’s thesis under the supervision of Prof. Berger-Tal, I am studying how climate influences bird vocal behavior in the Hula Valley. I am excited to contribute to our understanding of how changing environments impact wildlife behavior.
e-mail: bbreslau96@gmail.com
Tamir Rozenberg (Lab Technician)
I am working as a lab technician in charge of starting the ATLAS project, in collaboration with Dr. Uri Roll from Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology.
The ATLAS system is an advanced wildlife tracking system, that provide the ability to track and locate large number of individuals (even species smaller than 30g) at an extremely high spatial and temporal resolution. You can find more on the ATLAS ground-breaking abilities here: https://www.tau.ac.il/~stoledo/tags/.
For me, the use of technological solutions to improve research quality and to expand the research questions we can ask is fascinating. Working in the ATLAS project and in the Mitrani Department for Desert Ecology is an opportunity to combine between my curiosity about animal ecology and behavior and my love for the desert environment.
Lab's advisory board (Shaked, Bar, Eitan, and Faran)
The hidden force behind all decisions made in the lab. Shaked is in charge of logistics, Bar brings the food, Eitan is in charge of social interactions, and the newest addition, Faran, is in charge of global expansion plans. Together, they have a 3-year plan for saving the world.
Lab alumni
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Prof. Uri Roll (Shamir Postdoctoral fellow)
Uri is now an associate professor at the Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev​
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Yuval Hadar (PhD student)
Yuval continues to be one of the best teachers and guides in the Negev desert
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Dr. Nitzan Segev (PhD student)
Nitzan is now the regional ecologist of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority for the Arava region
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Dr. Reut Vardi (PhD student)
The former lab chief is now a post-doc at Oxford University​
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Shahar Gofer (MSc student)
Shahar is working as an ecological consultant, saving the world one EIA at a time
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Dr. Ron Efrat (PhD student)
Ron is now a post-doc at Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
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Dr. Krista N. Oswald (Zuckerman Postdoctoral fellow)
Krista moved back to Canada where she studies birds, people, and conservaion
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Dr. Einat Bar-Ziv (PhD student)
Einat continues to do ecological work, and is the author of a new children's book about hyenas (in Hebrew)
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Dr. Eleanor Diamant (Zuckerman Postdoctoral fellow)
Ellie is now a visiting assistant professor at Bard College, NY
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Malay Pandey (MSc student)
Malay is now back in India and is looking for a PhD!
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Ben Breslau (MSc student)
Ben is working as a Environmental Education Specialist at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Pennsylvania
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Klil Shahar (MSc student)
Klil is now doing her PhD at Haifa University, in Yuval Itescu's lab