Khawla Bouali

Current Focus

I am a second-year PhD student at the University of Debrecen in Hungary. My research focuses on evaluating the effects of human disturbance on the breeding ecology of shorebirds, with particular emphasis on a genetically distinct population of Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) in West Africa. Specifically, I investigate how human presence influences shorebird behavior and reproductive success during the breeding season. Through this work, I aim to highlight the sensitivity of shorebirds to anthropogenic pressures and contribute to the development of effective conservation strategies in the study area.

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).

LINKS

Previous Research and Other Interests