Areas of Interest:
Dr. Philip Nyhus' interdisciplinary research bridges the natural and social sciences to address human interactions with the environment. He is particularly interested in the policy dimensions of human-wildlife conflict and endangered species conservation. His current research includes biodiversity risk assessment, GIS-based spatial models, large landscape conservation, and tiger and large mammal conservation in the US and Asia.

Nyhus Selected Works

Recent Professional Experience:
2010-present: Associate Professor, Environmental Studies Program, Colby College, Waterville, Maine

2004-2010: Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program, Colby College, Waterville, Maine

2002-2003: Co-Chair, Environmental Studies Program, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

2001-2004: Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Department of Earth and Environment, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

1999-2001: National Science Foundation Award for the Integration of Research and Education Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Science, Colby College, Waterville, Maine

State of Maine's Environment Reports

• State of Maine's Environment 2010
• State of Maine's Environment 2009
• State of Maine's Environment 2008
• State of Maine's Environment 2007
• State of Maine's Environment 2005
• State of Maine's Environment 2004

• Atlas of Maine 2011
• Atlas of Maine 2010
• Atlas of Maine 2009
• Atlas of Maine 2008
• Atlas of Maine 2006
• Atlas of Maine 2005

Conference on Students as Catalysts for Large Landscape Conservation

Conference organizer, Students as Catalysts for Large Landscape Conservation, Colby College, March 1, 2013

Selected Recent Publications

Edited Books

Tilson, R. L., & Nyhus, P. J. (Eds.). (2010). Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Osofsky, S. A., Cleaveland, S., Karesh, W. B., Kock, M. D., Nyhus, P. J., Starr, L., & Yang, A. (Eds.). (2005). Conservation and Development Interventions at the Wildlife-Livestock Interface. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN.

Book Chapters

Nyhus, P. J., & Tilson, R. (2010). Panthera tigris vs Homo sapiens: Conflict, Coexistence, or Extinction. In R. L. Tilson & P. J. Nyhus (Eds.), Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Nyhus, P. J., & Tilson, R. (2010). The Next Twenty Years of Tiger Science, Politics, and Conservation. In R. L. Tilson & P. J. Nyhus (Eds.), Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.,). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Nyhus, P. J., Tilson, R., & Hutchins, M. (2010). Thirteen thousand and counting: How growing captive tiger populations threaten wild tigers. In R. L. Tilson & P. J. Nyhus (Eds.), Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.,). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Muntifering, J. R., Nyhus, P. J., Tilson, R. L., & Soule, M. E. (2010). Tiger restoration and biodiversity refugia in Asia: 'Picking up' the pieces. In R. L. Tilson & P. J. Nyhus (Eds.), Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.,). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Tilson, R., Nyhus, P., Muntifering, J., & Dahmer, T. (2010). The Yin and Yang of Tiger Conservation in China. In R. L. Tilson & P. J. Nyhus (Eds.), Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.,). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Tilson, R. L., & Nyhus, P. J. (2010). Tribe of Tigers: Introduction. In R. L. Tilson & P. J. Nyhus (Eds.), Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.,). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Tilson, R. L., & Nyhus, P. J. (2010). The biology and politics of Sumatran tigers: Crash of the conservation Garuda. In R. L. Tilson & P. J. Nyhus (Eds.), Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.,). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Tilson, R., Nyhus, P., Sriyanto, & Rubianto, A. (2010). Poaching and Poisoning of Tigers in Sumatra for the Domestic Market. In R. L. Tilson & P. J. Nyhus (Eds.), Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (2nd ed.,). New York: Elsevier/Noyes.

Nyhus, P. J., Osofsky, S. A., Ferraro, P., Fischer, H., & Madden, F. (2005). Bearing the costs of human-wildlife conflict: The challenges of compensation schemes. In R. Woodroffe, S. Thirgood & A. Rabinowitz (Eds.), People and Wildlife: Conflict or Coexistence? (pp. 107-121). Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.

Nyhus, P. J., Williams, J., Borovansky, J., Byers, O., & Miller, P. (2003). Incorporating local knowledge into population and habitat viability assessments: Landowners and tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea. In F. Westley & P. Miller (Eds.), Experiments in Consilience: Integrating Social and Scientific Responses to Save Endangered Species (pp. 161-184). Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

Nyhus, P., Tilson, R., & Franklin, N. (2001). Social and Administrative Guidelines for Field Conservation in Indonesia: Experiences from the Field. In W. G. Conway, M. Hutchins, M. Souza, Y. Kapetanakos & E. Paul (Eds.), AZA Field Conservation Resource Guide (pp. 198-207). Atlanta: Zoo Atlanta.

Tilson, R., Manansang, J., Brady, G., Armstrong, D., Traylor-Holzer, K., & Nyhus, P. (2001). Training, Transferring Technology, and Linking In Situ and Ex Situ Tiger Conservation in Indonesia. In W. G. Conway, M. Hutchins, M. Souza, Y. Kapetanakos & E. Paul (Eds.), AZA Field Conservation Resource Guide (pp. 245-255). Atlanta: Zoo Atlanta.

Tilson, R., Nyhus, P., & Franklin, N. (2001). Tiger restoration in Asia: Ecological theory vs. sociological reality. In D. S. Maehr, R. F. Noss & J. L. Larkin (Eds.), Large Mammal Restoration: Ecological and Sociological Challenges in the 21st Century (pp. 277-291). Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

Nyhus, P., Sumianto, & Tilson, R. (1999). The tiger human dimension in southeast Sumatra, Indonesia. In J. Seidensticker, S. Christie & P. Jackson (Eds.), Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conservation in Human-dominated Landscapes (pp. 144-145). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Peer-reviewed Research Articles

Driscoll, C. A., I. Chestin, H. Jungius, O. Pereladova, Y. Darman, E. Dinerstein, J. Seidensticker, J. Sanderson, S. Christie, S. J. Luo, M. Shrestha, Y. Zhuravlev, O. Uphyrkina, Y. V. Jhala, S. P. Yadav, D. G. Pikunov, N. Yamaguchi, D. E. Wildt, J. L. D. Smith, L. Marker, P. J. Nyhus, R. Tilson, D. W. Macdonald, and S. J. O’Brien. (2012). A postulate for tiger recovery: the case of the Caspian Tiger. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 4(6), 2637-2643 [online]: http://threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2012/June/o299326vi122637-2643.pdf.

Nyhus, P. J., Lacy, R. C., Westley, F. R., Miller, P. S., Vredenburg, H., Paquet, P. C., & J. Pollak. (2007). Tackling biocomplexity with meta-models for species risk assessment. Ecology and Society, 12(1), 31 [online]: www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss1/art31.

Nyhus, P. J., & Tilson, R. (2004). Agroforestry, elephants, and tigers: Balancing conservation theory and practice in human-dominated landscapes of Southeast Asia. Agroforestry, Ecosystems, and the Environment, 104, 87-97.

Nyhus, P. J., & Tilson, R. (2004). Characterizing tiger-human conflict in Sumatra, Indonesia: Implications for conservation. Oryx, 38(1), 68-74.

Tilson, R., Defu, H., Muntifering, J., & Nyhus, P. J. (2004). Dramatic decline of wild South China tigers: Field survey of priority tiger reserves. Oryx, 38(1), 40-47.

Nyhus, P. J., Fisher, H., Madden, F., & Osofsky, S. (2003). Taking the bite out of wildlife damage:� The challenges of wildlife compensation schemes. Conservation in Practice, 4(2), 37-40.

Nyhus, P. J., Sumianto, & Tilson, R. (2003). Wildlife knowledge among migrants in southern Sumatra, Indonesia: Implications for conservation. Environmental Conservation, 30(2), 192-199.

Nyhus, P. J., Tilson, R. L., & Tomlinson, J. L. (2003). Dangerous animals in captivity: Ex situ tiger conflict and implication for private ownership of exotic animals. Zoo Biology, 22(6), 573 - 586.

Nyhus, P. J., Westley, F. R., Lacey, R. C., & Miller, P. S. (2002). A role for natural resource social science in biodiversity risk assessment. Society and Natural Resources, 15(10), 923-932.

Nyhus, P., Sumianto, & Tilson, R. (2000). Crop-raiding elephants and conservation implications at Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia. Oryx, 34(4), 262-275.

Tilson, R., & Nyhus, P. (1998). Keeping problem tigers from becoming a problem species. Conservation Biology, 12(2), 261-262.

Tilson, R., Siswomartono, D., Manansang, J., Brady, G., Armstrong, D., Traylor-Holzer, K., Byers, A., Christie, P., Salfifi, A., Tumbelaka, L., Christie, S., Richardson, D., Reddy, S., Franklin, N. & Nyhus, P. (1997). International co-operative efforts to save the Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae. International Zoo Yearbook, 35, 129-138.

Pedagogy Publications (* designates student co-author)

Nyhus, P. J., Cole, F. R., & Firmage, D. H. (2007). Tigers, wolves, and moose, Oh My: Challenges and opportunities for promoting undergraduate research in Environmental Studies with GIS. Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Quarterly, 27(3), 97-102.

Nyhus, P. J., Cole, F. R., Firmage, D. H., Tierney, D., Cole, S. W., Phillips, R. B., and Yeterian, E. H. (2007). Environmental Studies: Interdisciplinary research on Maine lakes. In D. Sinton & J. Lund (Eds.), Understanding Place: GIS and Mapping Across the Curriculum (pp. 187-198). Redlands, CA: ESRI Press.

Nyhus, P. J., Cole, F. R., Firmage, D. H., & Yeterian, E. H. (2004). Teaching fellows: An innovative approach to facilitate the integration of research and education at Colby College. In L. Kauffman & J. Stocks (Eds.), Reinvigorating the Undergraduate Curriculum: Lessons from the Integration of Research and Education. http://www.cur.org/publications/aire_raire/toc.asp. Council of Undergraduate Research: Washington, D.C.

Nyhus, P. J., Cole, F. R., Firmage, D. H., & Lehmann, P. S.* (2002). Enhancing education through research in the environmental science laboratory: Integrating GIS and project-based learning at Colby college. Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Quarterly, (September), 34-40.

Nyhus, P. J., Cole, F. R., Firmage, D. H., & Yeterian, E. H. (2002). Developing and implementing an interdisciplinary undergraduate research symposium at a small liberal arts college. Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Quarterly, (September), 16-23.

Burgess, A. D., Dehring, P., Nyhus, P., & Carlson, G. (1995). Biocore Style Manual. Madison, WI: Biology Core Curriculum, University of Wisconsin (unpublished).

Other Professional Publications

Nyhus, P. J., & Tekancic, L. A. (2010). Quite a year and new life for Panthera tigris: The St. Petersburg Declaration and the future of wild tigers . Journal of the Wildcat Conservation Legal Aid Society, 4(winter), 1-18 [online]: http://www.wcclas.org/publications.html.

Nyhus, P. J., & Tilson, R. (2010). Where the tiger Survives, biodiversity thrives. Kyoto Journal, 75, 86-87.

Nyhus, P. J., Ambrogi, M.*, Dufraine, C.*, Shoemaker, A, & Tilson, R. (2009). The status and evolution of laws and policies regulating privately owned tigers in the United States. Journal of the WildCat Conservation Legal Aid Society 1 (Summer), 47-64.

Nyhus, P. J., & Tilson, R. (2009). The Conservation Value of Tigers: Separating Science from Fiction. Journal of the WildCat Conservation Legal Aid Society 1 (Summer), 29-41.

Nyhus, P. (2008). Panthera tigris sp. amoyensis (South China Tiger). In 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. .

Nyhus, P.J. and R. Tilson.� (2008). Can private owners help save a species? Natural History Magazine Factotem blog

Breitenmoser, U., Tilson, R., & Nyhus, P. (2006). Reintroduction of the Chinese Tiger. Cat News, 44, 15.

Tilson, R., & Nyhus, P. (2005). Zoos, private ownership, and accreditation: The right thing to do. Communiqu�, December, 34.

Nyhus, P. J., & Tilson, R. (2003). The conservation value of privately-owned tigers. In E. Doherty & K. Girton (Eds.), AZA ANNUAL Conference Proceedings 2003 (pp. 55-59). Silver Spring, MD: American Zoo & Aquarium Association.

Nyhus, P. J., Tilson, R., Franklin, N., Bastoni, Sriyanto, Yunus, M, & Sumianto. (2000). Tigers, cameras, and satellites: Interdisciplinary efforts to map the habitat and threats to the last Sumatran tigers. In Proceedings of the ESRI International User Conference 2000. San Diego: ESRI.

Tilson, R., Nyhus, P., Jackson, P., Quigley, H., Hornocker, M., Ginsberg, J., Phemister, D., Sherman, N., & Seidensticker, J. (2000). Securing a Future for the World's Wild Tigers. Washington, D.C.: Save The Tiger Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation http://si-pddr.si.edu/dspace/handle/10088/6653.

Borovansky, J., Byers, O., Miller, P., Nyhus, P. J., & Williams, J. (1999). Facilitiating local participation in a conservation planning workshop. TRI News (Yale University), Spring 1999, 12-16.

Nyhus, P., Sumianto, & Tilson, R. (1999). People, politics, and village-level conservation in Sumatra, Indonesia. In Proceedings of the 1999 AZA Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN. Bethesda, MD: AZA.

Tilson, R., Nyhus, P., & Franklin, N. (1997). Steps in the forest: Efforts to protect the last Sumatran tigers. Minnesota Zoo Magazine, 13-14.

Tilson, R., Franklin, N., Nyhus, P., Bastoni, Sriyanto, Siswomartono, D., & Manansang, J. (1996). In situ conservation of the Sumatran Tiger in Indonesia. International Zoo News, 43(5), 316-324.

Nyhus, P., & Adams, M. (1995). Biosphere Reserves of the World: Principles and Practice. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin and Institute for Environmental Studies (unpublished, used as class text in two courses at UW-Madison).

Nyhus, P. (1994). Tenure and information constraints to conservation in upland farming systems in Java, Inodnesia. In W. A. Hamel (Ed.), Proceedings of the Ecol-Environ-Management Group:� The Association of Management 12th Annual International Conference, August 10-13, 1994. Dallas, TX: Association of management.

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