The University of Debrecen, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, offers expertise in bird ecology, biodiversity monitoring, survey design, data management and ecological modelling. Our team has experience in designing and conducting bird surveys, including sampling design, field data collection, observer training, data management and advanced statistical analysis of species distribution, abundance and habitat use.

We have expertise in forest bird ecology, including habitat-preference studies of woodpeckers and research on the effects of forest management on their distribution and habitat use, as well as the development and testing of multi-species indicators for modelling the distribution and abundance of target species.

We also have extensive experience with biodiversity data storage and management through OpenBioMaps (OBM), an open-source biodiversity data management system developed in collaboration with researchers and conservation professionals. OBM supports structured field-data collection, storage, validation, querying, processing and integration with analytical tools such as R and QGIS.

Our research group additionally has experience developing machine-learning tools for species identification from camera-trap images, particularly for mammals.

Potential contribution: study and survey design; bird and biodiversity monitoring; field data collection; biodiversity indicators; data storage and management; habitat, distribution and abundance modelling; machine learning and automated species identification; and evaluation of forest-management effects.

We seek projects evaluating how different forest management techniques affect biodiversity, with the aim of identifying trade-offs among forest-management objectives and biodiversity, and management approaches that provide the most favourable outcomes for biodiversity while maintaining other important forest functions. We are particularly interested in projects combining field-based biodiversity monitoring, robust data management and quantitative modelling to evaluate management alternatives and support evidence-based adaptive forest management.

University of Debrecen – Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology

The Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology is part of the Institute of Biology and Ecology at the Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Hungary. The Department conducts research and teaching in animal behaviour, conservation ecology, evolution and population biology, covering a broad range of animal taxa, including birds and mammals. The Department has strong expertise in field-based ecological research, quantitative analysis and the study of animal populations and communities. Research activities combine field observations and experiments with statistical and theoretical approaches, and include collaborations with researchers and institutions in Hungary and internationally.