Paul C. Paquet

Paul Paquet, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Professor of Biology and Associate Professor of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. He is also an Adjunct Professor at University of Saskatchewan College of Veterinary Medicine, Brandon University, University of Manitoba; and Faculty Associate at Guelph University and University of New Brunswick. He previously held academic appointments at University of Calgary and University of Alberta in the Departments of Biology. Dr. Paquet, who has studied wolves and coyotes for more than 35 years, obtained his PhD degree from the University of Alberta, Canada. He is an internationally recognized authority on mammalian carnivores, especially wolves, with research experience in several regions of the world.

He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed reports and articles. Dr Paquet was co-editor of the book Wolves of the World: Perspectives of Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation (Harrington, Fred H. and Paul C. Paquet. eds.. 1982. Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Publications). The book has been a best seller and is still viewed as a essential source of information on wolves. Dr Paquet has worked for decades on the relationship between wolves and their prey and on possible top-down effects from predators to prey. A research group lead by him has recently described unique behavioural aspects of wolf predator-prey ecology in western Canada . He has also studied the distinctive features of predator-prey systems in the tundra environment. Dr Paquet has been instrumental in describing the complexities of wolf management given the difficulties in characterizing wolf (sub)species.

Research projects led by Dr Paquet have addressed in-depth the importance of carnivores as focal species for conservation planning. In 1996, the journal Conservation Biology produced a special issue on this topic, which Dr Paquet co-edited and authored several papers. He also worked and produced scientific papers on various ecological aspects of North American ecosystems focusing on species such as ungulates, wolves, coyotes, black and grizzly bears.

Finally, Dr Paquet has worked extensively on real-world management, which according to him depends largely upon human attitudes. Dr Paquet serves on various international government and NGO advisory committees dedicated to conservation of carnivores, including the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of IUCN-World Conservation Union (Gland, Switzerland), the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe, WWF International, and the European Union. He is a long-time fellow of World Wildlife Fund Canada, and Senior Science Advisor with the Raincoast Conservation Society. He was founder and director of the Central Rockies Wolf Project, Canmore, Alberta, Canada, and the Conservation Biology Institute, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.