Courses:
WIS6576 Human and Wildlife Conflict
Academic Qualifications:
Dr. Manuel Morales is a wildlife biologist with more than 25 years of professional experience in research, conservation, and natural resource management throughout the Americas. His research interests include tropical herpetology, protected areas management, fisheries and watershed management, ethnozoology, the human dimensions of conservation, social-ecological systems, and human–wildlife interactions.
Dr. Morales has worked extensively in wildlife conservation and management, primarily in Ecuador and the broader Neotropical region. His interest in human–wildlife interactions originated from his early research on the hunting practices of the Waorani and Kichwa communities in Yasuní National Park in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In 2018, he joined the University of Florida to pursue a Master of Sustainable Development Practice (MDP). His master's research examined human–wildlife conflict in the Sangay–Podocarpus Connectivity Corridor in southern Ecuador, where he collaborated with Indigenous communities and other local stakeholders to identify conflict-prone areas using mixed quantitative and qualitative methods.
From 2020 to 2025, Dr. Morales completed his Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, specializing in the human dimensions of conservation. His dissertation examined the social-ecological system of the Galapagos grouper (Mycteroperca olfax) in the Galápagos Islands, a globally threatened and regionally endemic species of significant ecological, commercial, and cultural importance. His research demonstrated that effective conservation requires addressing underlying stakeholder conflicts while promoting sustainable livelihood opportunities that support both biodiversity conservation and local communities.
As an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Dr. Morales teaches Human–Wildlife Conflict and continues to pursue research on human–wildlife coexistence, social-ecological systems, stakeholder engagement, and conservation planning across terrestrial and marine ecosystems.