Michael W. Klemens, Ph.D.
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Michael W. Klemens received his doctorate in conservation biology and ecology at the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. He received his BS (Education) and MS (Zoology) from the University of Connecticut. He is a Senior Conservationist at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and has been on the scientific staff of the American Museum of Natural History since 1979. His career is founded on almost three decades of herpetological research in the United States and Africa.
Dr. Klemens’ research has led him to the conclusion that, in order to bring about tangible conservation results, scientific research cannot be conducted in a vacuum. Based on this conclusion, Dr. Klemens founded the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance (MCA), a WCS program to bridge the gap between conservation science and land use planning. Through MCA, he has translated biological data and conservation concepts into planning tools that achieve better conservation at local and regional scales. Specifically, the MCA has created five multi-town conservation planning compacts, in Connecticut and New York. These compacts seek to improve biodiversity conservation at the inter-municipal level by intelligently planning for the needs of both wildlife and people. This pioneering approach to balancing the needs of ecological and human communities has led to interest in Dr. Klemens’ work both nationally and internationally.
Dr. Klemens has also authored numerous publications pertaining to the distribution and conservation of amphibians and reptiles, as well as papers on the effects of suburban sprawl on wildlife and ecosystems. His most recent book, Nature in Fragments: The Legacy of Sprawl, is the definitive book on this subject to date. He strongly advocates that scientists have a responsibility to actively engage in conservation efforts and to this end, serves on local, regional, and national steering committees and technical advisory boards.
Contact:
Michael Klemens, Ph.D.
Founding Director and Senior Conservation Scientist
Wildlife Conservation Society's
Metrapolitan Conservation Alliance
25 Prospect Street, Suite 205
Ridgefield, CT 06877
p (203) 894-1863
f (203) 894-8192
michaelklemens@humansandnature.org