Picture of Danielle Rivet

Danielle Rivet BSc, MSc PhD Candidate Biology, School of Environment and Sustainability

Research Area(s)

  • Conservation biology
  • Mammalogy
  • Wildlife biology
  • Carnivore conservation
  • Predator-prey interactions
  • Human-wildlife conflict

Qualifications

Bachelor of Science, Zoology, State University of New York at Oswego (2010)

Master of Science, Zoology, Washington State University (2015)

Research Description

With climate change forcing polar bears on shore for longer periods of time during the year, the occurrence of human-polar bear interactions and conflicts are bound to rise. Thus, it is imperative that park officials and wildlife managers across the Arctic understand the relationships among polar bear behavior, human activities, and sea ice dynamics. Currently, these relationships have not been thoroughly investigated in the Western Hudson Bay region, making it difficult to make management decisions aimed at protecting both bears and people. Remote cameras have been in use in Wapusk National Park at three field camps since 2011 in order to determine when bears are visiting certain areas, and the demographics of the bears using the areas surrounding the camps. My research focuses on identifying specific drivers behind bear movement within the park. Determining what is causing polar bears to move through and visit certain areas in the park at specific times will help to provide officials and wildlife managers with information regarding how best to avoid human-polar bear conflicts and interactions. As the sea ice is changing rapidly due to warming in the Arctic, more bears will be forced to spend more time on land, thus increasing potential for conflict.  Establishing which anthropogenic and environmental factors are driving bear movement will allow managers to develop plans to help protect both bears and people.

Publications & Awards

Publications:

Clark, D.A, Brook, R. K., Oliphant-Reskanski, C., Laforge, M., Olson, K., and Rivet, D. Novel range overlap of three ursids in the Canadian subarctic. Arctic Science, doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/AS-2018-0013.

Rivet D. (2018) Bear Life History. In: Vonk J., Shackelford T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6.

Rivet, D.R., Nelson, O.L., Vella, C.A., Jansen, H.T., and Robbins, C.T. 2017. Systemic effects of a high saturated fat diet in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 95: 797-807.

Awards:

Northern Research Fund, CNSC Research and Education Committee (2019).

Mitacs Accelerate Internship, Churchill Northern Study Centre (2018).

Northern Research Fund, CNSC Research and Education Committee (2018).

Alberta Conservation Association, Biodiversity Grant (2016).

Dean’s Scholarship, University of Saskatchewan (2015).