Spotlight: Professor Josh Linder

Dr. Joshua Linder, biological anthropologist, has been a member of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology since 2009.  His research and teaching focus is on primate ecology and conservation, but extends into three specific areas:  the impact of bushmeat hunting on primate community structure, the expansion and ecological/socioeconomic impact of industrial agriculture in tropical Africa, and the biological and human dimensions of protected area management.  Dr. Linder has received international attention for his efforts in demonstrating the deleterious effects of industrial agriculture on wildlife habitats.  

A true teacher-scholar, he has taken students to Cameroon four times during the May semester of summer school, has been recognized as Professor of the Month by the Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners and has received the JMU Dolly Leadership Award.  Dr. Linder has been a Board Member, Project Manager, and Scientific Advisor for SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund and a member of the World Conservation Union Species Survival Commission, Primate Specialist Group.

For his research, Dr. Linder is a part of a large, collaborative project (with Cornell, Oxford, WWF, and Cameroon government).The project received a $25,000 grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to install acoustic sensors in the Rumpi Hills forest region of Cameroon, West Africa. This builds on a project funded by the UK's Darwin Initiative that monitors primates, elephants, and illegal hunting in Cameroon's Korup National Park. By acoustically tracking the sound of gun shots in these forests, Josh and his colleagues can determine the degree to which Cameroon's anti-poaching efforts are successful. This kind of tracking through these sensors may revolutionize anti-poaching efforts in protected areas and help to safeguard threatened species throughout Africa.

Dr. Linder’s efforts have been widely recognized as his research has been used by Greenpeace International and New Scientist magazine. He has even been interviewed by Al-Jazeera and the Daily Beast for his efforts. JMU is lucky to have Dr. Linder as a leading voice educating the community.