People of Color in Wildlife Ecology database launched

The People of Color in Willdife Ecology database launched in December 2021. Christine Wilkinson is part of a team of graduate students and postdocs in the department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley that developed the project.    "We collectively realized that the wildlife-related syllabi in our department were lacking in literature and stories from diverse voices. As part of the effort to diversify these syllabi, we decided to attempt to build and maintain a digital database of students, scientists, and practitioners from historically underrepresented backgrounds working in the broad field of wildlife ecology," Christine shared.    Their aim is to increase the visibility of People of Color within the field of wildlife ecology and to begin a conversation on how to continue to expand it. They have begun by creating a public-facing database that can facilitate networking and mentorship opportunities within the community. This database is hosted on a public website in order to provide resources for community members and further facilitate efforts to diversify and enhance inclusion in this field.   People of Color in wildlife ecology are encouraged to add themselves to the growing database, and everyone is welcome to share this with others that may be interested in being included or relevant listservs.   The group is currently looking for grants to support the ongoing maintenance of the website. Christine would welcome any leads from the Switzer Network!