Dr. Paul Schuette

A man standing outdoors in a snowy forest, wearing a blue puffy vest over a dark hoodie, with trees in the background.

Instructor, Center for Wildlife Studies

Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Research Affiliate, University of Alaska Anchorage/Fairbanks
Research Affiliate, Zambian Carnivore Program

Ph.D. Montana State University
M.S. San Diego State University

Email: paschuette@gmail.com

Google scholar profile Research Gate

Paul Schuette is a wildlife ecologist focused primarily on mammals in sub-Saharan Africa and Alaska. He spent more than 10 years working in Kenya and Zambia, including his Ph.D. where he evaluated the dynamics among predators, prey, and people in a multiple use rangeland, and a postdoc with the Zambian Carnivore Program where he helped establish carnivore and herbivore population monitoring programs across a network of national parks. He studied moose in the Adirondack Park before moving to Alaska, where he taught undergraduate courses and initiated numerous projects on species of greatest conservation need (e.g., collared pika, Arctic ground squirrel) and species of high subsistence value (e.g., moose) with state and federal partners.

He then joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sea otter program where he carries out a sea otter population monitoring program across Alaska using aerial and boat-based methods. He also became a scientific diver to explore the ecological functional role of sea otters in nearshore ecosystems. He has a passion for remote fieldwork, developing partnerships with stakeholders, and building capacity through education.

    • Schuette, P., S.  Ebbert, A. Droghini, T. Nawrocki. 2022. Small mammal diet indicates plant diversity, vegetation structure, and ecological integrity in a remote ecosystem. Biodiversity and Conservation. 31: 909-924.

    • Vinks, M., S. Creel, P. Schuette, M. Becker, E. Rosenblatt, K. Young-Overton, C. Sanguinetti, K. Banda, B. Goodheart, X. Stevens, C. Chifunte, N. Midlane, C. Simukonda. Response of lion demography and dynamics to the loss of preferred larger prey. 2021. Ecological Applications. 31:1-12.

    • Vinks, M., S. Creel, P. Schuette, W. Matandiko, E. Rosenblatt, C. Sanguinetti, K. Banda, B. Goodheart, M. Becker, C. Chifunte, C. Simukonda. 2020. Evaluating the effects of anthropogenic pressures on a diverse African herbivore community. Ecosphere, 11:1-22.

    • Schuette, P., N. Namukonde, M. Becker, F. Watson, S. Creel, C. Chifunte, W. Matandiko, P. Millhouser, E. Rosenblatt, C. Sanguinetti. 2018. Boots on the ground: in defense of low-tech, inexpensive, and robust survey methods for Africa’s under-funded protected areas. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27:2173-2191.

    • Schuette, P., S. Creel, D. Christianson. 2016. Ungulate distributions in a landscape of competitors, predators, and pastoralists. Journal of Applied Ecology. 53:1066–1077.

    • Schuette P., S. Creel, D. Christianson. 2013. Coexistence of African lions, livestock, and people in a landscape with variable human land use and seasonal movements. Biological Conservation 157:148-154.

    • Schuette P., A. Wagner, M. Wagner, S. Creel. 2013. Occupancy patterns and niche partitioning within a diverse carnivore community exposed to anthropogenic pressures. Biological Conservation 158:301-312.