Publications

Habitat selection by Iberian lynx

Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age, nature ecology and evolution (2025)

Killing animals in the name of conservation

The influence of culpability, harm to animals, and professional education on attitudes about killing animals in the name of conservation, Biological Conservation (2025)

Asia's Wolves and Synergies With Big Cats

Asia’s Wolves and Synergies With Big Cats, Conservation Letters (2025)

Who loves dogs?

Complexities of managing invasive species in semi-urban areas: the case of free-ranging dogs in southern Iran. Urban Ecosystems (2025)

Conservation and robotics

Movement phases make a difference in habitat selection: Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) diversity of responses to human modified landscapes Journal of Animal Ecology (2025)

Iberian lynx rewilding

Born to be wild: Captive-born and wild Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) reveal space-use similarities when reintroduced for species conservation concerns. Biological Conservation (2024)

Cheetahs in Sahara

Perilous state of critically endangered Northwest African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki) across the Sudano-Sahel. Animal Conservation (2024)

Asiatic cheetah's road to extinction

Asiatic cheetah’s road to extinction, Science (2023).

Larger protected areas in borders

Proximity and size of protected areas in Asian borderlands enable transboundary conservation, Frontiers in Conservation Science (2024).

Economics of conservation law enforcement in Asia

Economics of conservation law enforcement by rangers across Asia. Conservation Letters (2023).

Performance of conservation translocations

Evaluating the performance of conservation translocations in large carnivores across the world. Biological Conservation (2023)

Animal behavior informed by history

Animal behavior informed by history: Was the Asiatic cheetah an obligate gazelle hunter? PlosONE (2023)

Trophy hunting in Asia

A review of the ecological and socioeconomic characteristics of trophy hunting across Asia, Animal Conservation (2023).

Different effects of climate change across a species range

Spatially heterogeneous habitat use across distinct biogeographic regions in a wide-ranging predator, the Persian leopard Biodiversity and Conservation (2023).

Can Asian countries make 30 by 30?

Current trends suggest most Asian countries are unlikely to meet future biodiversity targets on protected areas. Communications Biology (2022)

Trophy hunting is not one big thing

Trophy hunting is not one big thing. Biodiversity and Conservation (2023).

horizon for community-based conservation

What’s on the horizon for community-based conservation? Emerging threats and opportunities. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. (2023).

Mitochondrial variation of caracal

Mitochondrial DNA variation of the caracal (Caracal caracal) in Iran and range-wide phylogeographic comparisons. Mamm Biol (2022).

Mineral lick use by herbivores

Mineral lick use by a community of large herbivores in northern Iran, Ecology and Evolution (2023).

Structural Connectivity of Asia’s Protected Areas

Structural connectivity of Asia’s protected areas network: identifying the potential of transboundary conservation and cost-effective zones. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (2022)

Coat polymorphism in Eurasian Lynx

Coat Polymorphism in Eurasian Lynx: Adaptation to Environment or Phylogeographic Legacy? Journal of Mammalian Evolution (2021)

Intraspecific interactions in leopards

Intraspecific interactions in a high-density leopard population. Ecology and Evolution. (2021).

Understanding debates about Asiatic cheetah conservation

Understanding debates about Asiatic cheetah conservation through media analysis, Conservation Science and Practice (2022)

Home range variation in leopards

Home range variation in leopards living across the human density gradient. Journal of Mammalogy. (2021).

Land use management in mountains

Contrasting responses of carnivores to land use management in west Asia. Biodiversity and Conservation. (2021)

Low density of leopards in drylands

Estimating the density of a small population of leopards in central Iran using multi-session photographic‐sampling data. Mammalian Biology. (2021).

Interactive effect of carnivores on conflict with humans

Wolves can suppress goodwill for leopards: Patterns of human-predator coexistence in northeastern Iran. Biological Conservation, 213, 210-217. (2017).

Belt and Road Initiative and Illegal Wildlife Trade

Belt and Road Initiative may create new supplies for illegal wildlife trade in large carnivores. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(9), pp.1267-1268 (2019)

Hidden Markov models in decision-making

Understanding decision making in a food-caching predator using hidden Markov models. Movement ecology, 8(1), p.9 (2020).

Anchoring and adjusting in leopards

Anchoring and adjusting amidst humans: Ranging behavior of Persian leopards along the Iran-Turkmenistan borderland. PlosONE, 13(5), p.e0196602

Vertical relief for montane predators

Vertical relief facilitates spatial segregation of a high density large carnivore population in the Asian highlands. Oikos. (2020)

Gap analysis for management planning

Species or Space: a combined Gap analysis to guide management planning of protected areas. Landscape Ecology. (2020).

Ex situ management as insurance

Ex situ management as insurance against extinction of mammalian megafauna in an uncertain world. Conservation Biology. (2020).

Cross-border leopard populations in Asia

Big cats in borderlands: challenges and implications for transboundary conservation of Asian leopards. Oryx. (2020).

Predation patterns of leopards in borderland

Persian leopard predation patterns and kill rates in the Iran–Turkmenistan borderland. Journal of Mammalogy, 99(3) 713-723. (2018).

Allometric scaling of home range

Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements. Conservation Biology. (2020).

Ecological correlates of the spatial co‐occurrence

Ecological correlates of the spatial co‐occurrence of sympatric mammalian carnivores worldwide. Ecology letters, 21(9) 1401-1412. (2018).

Attitudes towards human-leopard conflict

Socio-economic consequences of cattle predation by the Endangered Persian leopard in a Caucasian conflict hotspot, northern Iran. Oryx, 51(1) 124-130. (2017).

Intraspecific killing among leopards

Intraspecific killing among leopards in Iran. Zoology in the Middle East, 64(3), pp.189-194. (2018).

Predator–prey relationships

Predator–prey relationships in a middle Asian Montane steppe: Persian leopard versus urial wild sheep in Northeastern Iran. European Journal of Wildlife Research: 60(2): 341-349. (2014).

Exceptionally long movements of Asiatic cheetah

Movements of Asiatic cheetah across multiple arid reserves in central Iran. Oryx, 47(3), 427–430. (2013).

Feeding ecology of Asiatic cheetah in low prey habitats

Feeding ecology of the Asiatic cheetah in low prey habitats in northeastern Iran: Implications for effective conservation. Journal of Arid Environments, 87: 206-211. (2012).

Prey of Persian Leopard in Golestan NP

Prey of the Persian leopard in a mixed forest-steppe landscape in northeastern Iran. Zoology in the Middle East, 62(1), pp.1-8. (2016).

Prey selection by Asiatic cheetah

Prey selection by critically endangered Asiatic cheetah in central Iran. Journal of Natural History, 44 (19–20): 1239–1249. (2010).

Reproduction of brown bears

Litter sizes of brown bears in the Central Alborz Protected Area, Iran. Ursus, 22(2), 167-171. (2011).

Sexual dimorphism in Persian leopard

Patterns of sexual dimorphism in the Persian leopard and implications for sex differentiation. Zoology in the Middle East, 60(3), pp.195-207. (2014).

Reproductive ecology of Persian leopard

Reproductive ecology of Persian leopard in Sarigol National Park, Zoology in the Middle East, 48:13-16. (2009).

Habitat preference of goitered gazelle

Goitered Gazelle: its habitat preference and conservation needs in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, north-eastern Iran. Zoology in the Middle East, 46: 9-18. (2009).

Sex-age structure of ungulates

Sex-age structure of bovids in Ghameshlou, Central Iran. Zoology in the Middle East. 51: 3-8. (2010).

Morphometric study of gazelles

Morphological study and comparison of western and eastern goitered gazelle populations in Iran. International Journal of Environmental Research, (2011).

Status of caracal in central Iran

Ecology and status of caracal in the Abbas Abad Naein Reserve, Iran. Zoology in the Middle East, 47(1) (2007).

Demographic baseline of brown bear

A preliminary baseline status of the Syrian Brown Bear in Golestanak, northern Iran. Journal of Threatened Taxa, (2015).

IUCN/SSC Newsletters

Transboundary conservation of leopards in West Asia/Caucasus

Priority areas for transboundary conservation of Persian leopards in West Asia and the Caucasus. Cat News. (2022).

Status of leopards in northern Iran and Central Asia

Status of Persian leopards in northern Iran and Central Asia Cat News. (2022).

Mapping the distribution of Persian leopard

Mapping the distribution and habitat of Persian leopard across its historical range. Cat News. (2022).

Capturing an old problem leopards

Capturing an old problem Persian leopard close to the Iran-Turkmenistan border. Cat News. (2015).

Transboundary movements of Persian leopards

GPS collars reveal transboundary movements by Persian leopards in Iran. Cat News. (2017).

Recent review of Asiatic cheetahs

A review of ecology and conservation status of Asiatic cheetah in Iran. Cat News. (2016).

The largest lesser cat in Iran

The largest lesser cat in Iran – current status of the Eurasian lynx. Cat News. (2016).

Status assessment of the Pallas’s cat

Baseline information and status assessment of the Pallas’s cat in Iran. Cat News. (2016).

Current state of knowledge on caracal

The caracal in Iran – current state of knowledge and priorities for conservation, Cat News, (2016).