Sarah Elmeligi, PhD

Executive Director of the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society

From her undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Alberta to her graduate work, Sarah has focused on large mammal behaviour, landscape ecology, and wildlife conservation. Her Masters, from the University of Northern British Columbia, and her PhD, from Central Queensland University, applied interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the impacts of tourism and recreation on grizzly bear behaviour, visitor satisfaction, and user expectations of management in protected areas in British Columbia and Alberta. By integrating biological and social data, Sarah’s research examines how grizzly bears and people share the landscape holistically, resulting in management recommendations that are effective, applicable, and supported by user groups. Sarah believes that most wildlife management is really about managing people. Throughout her work, she has worked closely with communities, stakeholders, First Nations Governments, and park visitors. also has experience working with local environmental non-profit organizations (CPAWS Southern Alberta, Y2Y, Prairie Conservation Forum) to influence the creation of new protected areas, improve land management, and to effectively engage communities in conservation. As a Planner for Alberta Parks, Sarah designed recreation areas to improve the ecological integrity of Kananaskis Protected Areas while creating high-quality recreation opportunities. She currently works as the Executive Director of the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society, bringing wildlife professionals together to ensure land use planning is informed by robust science. She believes in the inherent value of Alberta’s wilderness and focuses her career towards ensuring human practices are sustainable and in balance with the needs of wildlife and ecosystems. Her first full length book, What Bears Teach Us, released in November 2020 focuses on the human-bear relationship and how we can achieve coexistence. She also currently owns and operates Sarah E Consulting and lives in Canmore, Alberta.