Megan Jennings, Ph.D.
Research Ecologist
Assistant Adjunct Professor

​I am a conservation ecologist and Co-Director of San Diego State's Institute for Ecological Monitoring and Management. My research is primarily focused on informing conservation and management planning in terrestrial systems with particular interest in incorporating landscape dynamics into connectivity planning. 

I received my undergraduate degree in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology from Dartmouth College and I completed my Ph.D. in Ecology at San Diego State University and the University of California, Davis studying the effects of fire on carnivores. Between 2003 and 2014, I worked as a wildlife biologist for the US Forest Service in San Diego. My years of experience in land management for a federal agency have informed my perspective as a researcher. I strive to work at the interface of science and management - developing applied research to address management and conservation issues, co-producing research with end-users, and communicating results and real-world recommendations to decision-makers and managers.

My current research interests focus on wildlife movement, landscape connectivity, and climate adaptation using field, lab-based, and analytical techniques to inform conservation planning, wildlife management, and supporting resilience to climate change in our natural landscapes and local communities. 

Research

My current work covers a range of conservation and wildlife management issues including:

• Developing a climate resilient connectivity strategy for California's south coast ecoregion
• Building on that connected lands strategy to assess the multiple benefits of conserving lands for climate resilient communities
• Advancing ecological, cultural, and community resilience with tribal nations in southern California
• Developing a climate-informed conservation strategy for southern California's montane forests
• ​Assessing the state of the science for quantifying carbon storage and sequestration in San Diego's natural landscapes
• Evaluating population persistence for desert bighorn sheep in the Peninsular Ranges of California
• Monitoring across San Diego County to determine the efficacy of an intergovernmental effort to eradicate pigs​

Past research projects I have led or supervised focused on wildfire, roadways, and climate change impacts on wildlife and connectivity. These projects included:

• Improving techniques for estimating mule deer abundance and density for conservation and management purposes
• Modeling connectivity within the protected area network to design a linkage strategy and an accompanying wildlife crossing infrastructure plan for a highway that bisects the network
• Assessing the ecological impacts of climate change in San Diego
• A regional assessment of bobcat genetics across southern California
• Studying the effects of wildfire on mammalian carnivore habitat use and connectivity
• Assessing connectivity in San Diego's protected area network using bobcats as an indicator species

Contact Information

Megan Jennings, Ph.D.
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive 
San Diego, CA 92182-4614 
Office: North Life Science 204D
Office Phone: 619-594-8698
Mobile Phone: 760-214-2145
Email: mjennings@sdsu.edu
Twitter: @megankjennings