Howard Nelson is a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

ecologist Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

and

wildlife biologist A wildlife biologist studies animals and their behavior along with the role each animal plays in its natural habitat. The duties of a wildlife biologist can include: developing and conducting experiments/studies on animals in their natural habitats, ...

. Nelson earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of the West Indies and his doctoral work at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

under the guidance of Stanley Temple. For his MPhil degree he conducted an ecological study of the mammalian community of Trinidad, including the first camera trapping study of the ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') on Trinidad and the first survey of game mammals. For his doctoral work Nelson completed a re-classification of the vegetation communities of Trinidad and Tobago, a massive undertaking which updates John Stanley Beard's 1946 classification. He was the CEO and

Conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

Manager at the

Asa Wright Nature Centre The Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge is a nature resort and scientific research station in the Arima Valley of the Northern Range in Trinidad and Tobago. The centre is one of the top birdwatching spots in the Caribbean; a total of 256 specie ...

located in the

Arima Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three boroughs of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geographically adjacent to Sangre Grande and Arouca at the south central foothills of th ...

Valley in Trinidad's

Northern Range The Northern Range is the range of tall hills across north Trinidad, the major island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The hills range from the Chaguaramas peninsula on the west coast to Toco in the east. The Northern Range covers approx ...

between 2003 and 2008. He went on to help establish and become the programme lead of a regional masters programme at the University of the West Indies, the MSc Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Caribbean. Since 2014 he has worked at the

University of Chester , mottoeng = "He that teacheth, on teaching" , former_names = , established = (gained university status in 2005) , type = Public , endowment = £395,000 (2018) , budget = £118.3 million , chancellor = Gyles Brandreth , vice_chancell ...

, where he is currently a senior lecturer in conservation. While working as the Environmental Biologist in the Ministry of the Environment between 2000-2001 and 2008-2009, Nelson played an important role in the drafting of laws to establish a National Parks and Wildlife Authority which, had it been implemented, would have radically altered the responsibility for environmental management in Trinidad and Tobago. Subsequently, as a member of cabinet appointed committees, he co-led the writing of the ne
National Wildlife, National Forest and National Protected Areas Policies for Trinidad and Tobago.

References

* Nelson, Howard P. 2004. Tropical forest ecosystems of Trinidad: Ecological patterns and public perceptions. PhD Dissertation, University of Wisconsin, Madison * Nelson, Howard P. 1996. Ecological studies of forest mammals in the West Indies, with a focus on Trinidad. MPhil Thesis, University of the West Indies - St. Augustine, Trinidad

(references Nelson as CEO of Asa Wright)

(references Nelson as CEO and Conservation Manager). * Fairhead, J. and M. Leach, 2000, Science, policy and national parks in Trinidad and Tobago. Working paper, draft mimeo, ID
pdf
(background and context for the drive to develop a national parks system).
National Forest Policy. Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (2011) National Forest Policy 44pp.

National Protected Areas Policy. Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (2011) National Protected Areas Policy 57pp.

National Wildlife Policy. Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (2013) National Wildlife Policy 56pp.
Living people University of the West Indies alumni Wildlife biologists Trinidad and Tobago ecologists Year of birth missing (living people) {{Trinidad-bio-stub