Khawla Bouali

Current Focus

I am currently pursuing my PhD at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, under the supervision of Prof Tamas Székely. My PhD research will focus on assessing the influence of human presence on avian abundance and reproductive outcomes, with a specific focus on the Kentish Plover population inhabiting the Maio Islands in Cape Verde. Having been a subject of study for the past 16 years, our research endeavors seek to estimate the population size and comprehensively unravel the multifaceted consequences of human disturbance on Kentish Plover behavior throughout their life stages, particularly during the critical breeding season. Ultimately, our goal is twofold: to contribute to a better understanding of this delicate ecosystem and to initiate conservation efforts aimed at its preservation.

I'm a Tunisian environmental activist and ecologist. I have been active in Tunisia’s civil society since 2017, participating in campaigns for environmental education and biodiversity preservation with local NGOs such as WWF North Africa, Stop Pollution Movement, and the association of safeguarding wetlands in the south of Tunisia, where I hold the position of a Sea turtles stranding responder in the Gulf of Gabes. I had the opportunity to get involved into conservation efforts during my MSc project with the Marine Mammal Research Association (DMAD) where I worked on estimating bottlenose dolphin’s population in Antalya Bay, Turkey (2021). Additionally, I held the position of a National observer of the “BFT-ROP” Project set up by ICCAT in Tunisia (2022) and this year I joined on a new shorebirds research in Tunisia, focusing on Kentish plover breeding ecology, in collaboration with ÉLVONAL research group (2023).

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Previous Research and Other Interests