Martha is PhD student in the Department of Geography, King’s College London, co-supervised by the Natural History Museum. She is interested in Bats' ecology and how increasing urbanisation and habitat fragmentation in cities such as London may affect their population status.

Martha hold a BSc in Biology and MSc in Biosystematics and Management of Natural and Agricultural Resources.

Research

Thesis title: 'Distribution mapping and habitat suitability modelling of bats in London as urbanised habitat'.

As a group, bats represent the second-largest order of mammals (Chiroptera). Since 1981, all bats in the UK have been under legal protection. However, the statement that bat populations have declined is often stated. It is primarily due to environmental stresses and human impacts on their habitats. Increasing urbanisation causes habitat fragmentation in cities such as London. For bats, this is causing a loss of foraging habitat and roosting sites. Therefore, understanding their spatial ecology and behaviour is essential for effective management and conservation. By combining predictive methods such as remote sensing for habitat mapping and passive acoustic monitoring (bat detectors), this research intends to understand the impacts of habitat fragmentation on bat communities and identify suitable habitat configurations for bats in London.

PhD supervision

• Principal supervisor: Terry Dawson
• Secondary supervisor: Rob Francis

Further details

See Martha's research profile