Ciarán Ó Cuív

I am a PhD student at the SLU in Umeå at the department of wildlife, fish and environmental studies. I study moose and their habitat. My interest for the topic developed when I worked as a wildlife manager at the County Administrative Board in Västra Götaland. I have a background in zoology and animal ecology, having taken my undergraduate degree in Trinity College Dublin and my masters degree at Lund University.

My research project is focused on how the availability and distribution of forage influences their usage by moose in Swedish forests, with a particular focus on Västerbotten county. I am particularly interested in the influence of forest management on moose foraging via its infleunce on the availability, quality, distribution of forage. I am also investigating the role of comeptition on forage use. Understanding how the ecological context influences the use of pine forests is important since browsing on young regenerating pine can influence growth and reduce timber quality upon harvest. In my research I use a combination of national management data, monitoring data from reference areas and data from GPS collared moose. In this way we can identify and investigate the patterns influencing forage availability and use, which can in turn provide insights into how undesirable browsing disturbances may be mitigated.

Teaching in Higher Eduction, basic course (3 weeks)