Chris Jordan, Ph.D.
central america and tropical andes coordinator
Education
Ph.D. Michigan State University, USA Ph.D. Fisheries and Wildlife
B.S. Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Massachusetts
B.A. Spanish and Latin American Studies, University of Massachusetts
Dr. Chris Jordan is GWC’s point person for Central America and oversees GWC’s Nicaragua and Global Tapir Programs. Much of his work focuses on developing conservation solutions in the politically complex indigenous territories of Central America, such as Nicaragua’s Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. Chris is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University and a member of the steering committee of the IUCN SSC Tapir Specialist Group.
Chris received a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation and B.S. in Spanish with a Latin American Studies certificate from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where he worked on species monitoring projects for marbled salamanders, box turtles, wood turtles, spotted turtles, Puritan tiger beetles, and more. He then received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University from the department of Fisheries and Wildlife. In addition to his work with GWC, Chris has worked since 2014 through a collaborative agreement with Panthera to supervise work in Nicaragua and assist with site security collaborations regionally.
Publications
Schank, C., M.V. Cove, M.J. Kelly, E. Mendoza, G. O’Farril, R. Reyna-Hurtado, N. Meyer, C.A. Jordan, Jose F. González Maya, et. al. 2017. Using a novel model approach to assess the distribution and conservation status of the endangered Baird’s tapir. Diversity and Distributions. 23(12): 1459–1471
C.A. Jordan, C. Schank, G.R. Urquhart, and A.J. Dans. 2016. Terrestrial Mammal Occupancy in the Context of Widespread Forest Loss and a Proposed Interoceanic Canal in Nicaragua’s Decreasingly Remote Southern Caribbean Coast. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/
Schank, C., E. Mendoza, M.J. Garcia Vettorazzi, M.V. Cove, C.A. Jordan, G. O’Farril, N. Meyer, D.J. Lizcano, N. Estrada, C. Poot, and R. Leonardo. Integrating current range-wide occurrence data with species distribution models to map potential distribution of Baird’s tapir. Tapir Conservation. 2015. 24(33):15-25.
Dans, A.J., G. Luna, and C.A. Jordan. 2015. Estado poblacional del almendro como indicador de la disponibilidad de habitat de lapa verde en el sureste de Nicaragua. Ciencia e Interculturalidad. 15(2)
Jordan, C.A. 2015. The dynamics of wildlife and environmental knowledge in a bioculturally diverse coupled natural and human system in the Caribbean region of Nicaragua. Ph.D. diss., ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing.
Jordan, C.A., M.R. Galeano, and A. S. Alonzo. 2014. La Cacería Histórica de Tapires Centroamericanos (Tapirus bairdii) en la RAAS, Nicaragua. Estudios Ambientales. 1(1)
Jordan, C. A., G. R. Urquhart, and D. B. Kramer. 2013. On Using Mental Model Interviews to Improve Camera Trapping: Adapting Research to Costeño Environmental Knowledge. Conservation and Society. 11(2):159-175
Jordan, C.A. and G.R. Urquhart. 2013. Baird’s tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) in Nicaragua. Tapir Conservation. 22(30):14-21
Simons, A., C.A. Jordan and G.R. Urquhart. 2012. Nikaragua kus waupusa tanira daiwan wail nani rayaka ba. Managua.
Jordan, C.A. and K. Roe Hulse. 2010. Estado de la biodiversidad terrestre de la Región Autónoma Atlántico Sur (RAAS), Nicaragua. Ciencia e Interculturalidad. 7(2):136–154.
Jordan, C. A., K.J. Stevens, G.R. Urquhart, D.B. Kramer, and K. Roe. 2010. A new record of Baird’s tapir Tapirus bairdii in Nicaragua and potential implications. Tapir Conservation 19:11-15.
McComb, B., B. Zuckerberg, D. Vesely, and C. Jordan. 2010. Monitoring Animal Populations and Their Habitats: A Practitioner’s Guide. Taylor & Francis Group.Boca Raton, Florida.
