Dr Ricardo Rocha is a conservation biologist, with a specialisation in tropical forests and island ecosystems. Rocha’s particular focus lies in identifying ways to restore biodiversity in the aftermath of habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as managing human-modified landscapes to retain existing biodiversity, sometimes using nature-based agricultural solutions such as pest-suppression by bats and birds.  Dr Rocha has spent over 10 years conducting field research in and around Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar, on a project which uses tools like DNA metabarcoding and ecological networks to investigate predator-prey associations and interspecific interactions.  Beyond Madagascar, his research has taken him to Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe and the Madeira Archipelago, among other locations.

Dr Rocha is an Associate Professor in Conservation Science at Oxford University and Tutorial Fellow of Jesus College, University of Oxford.  Prior to this he was part of the Conservation Science Group within the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, where he worked on the Conservation Evidence project as a Post-Doctoral Fellow.