Wenjing Xu
PhD Candidate
Wenjing Xu's experience growing up in China and working on the Tibetan plateau resulted in her interest in fences. Her dissertation research attempts to connect fencing with land practices (the social aspect) and pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) movement (the ecological aspects) in Wyoming. She uses geospatial techniques and ecological modeling to integrate multi-scalar, multi-dimensional information from satellite and unmanned aerial images, GPS tracking data and in situ surveys. Her long-term goal is to offer evidence-based information on the social and ecological impacts of barriers (borders/fences), and to eventually inform and promote interdisciplinary and context-based conservation practices on marginal land and communities (e.g. pastoralists/ranchers on rangelands).