Alpenzoo and the IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group (SMSG) – who have collaborated to create a Centre for Species Survival – are pleased to welcome Nora Weyer to the team. Nora is based at Alpenzoo in Austria and will be working closely with the SMSG on lots of small mammal Red List work. Hear more from Nora below.
“I am a passionate conservation biologist with over a decade of experience in wildlife research, conservation planning, and international collaboration. I hold a Ph.D. in Biology, specializing in the ecophysiology of large and small mammals, with extensive fieldwork in southern Africa.
As the Conservation Officer at Alpenzoo Innsbruck, I coordinate the 19th IUCN Centre for Species Survival and lead conservation programs focused on small mammals worldwide and alpine species in the region, including the Bavarian pine vole. I work closely with the IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group, the Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG), governments, and NGOs to drive impactful conservation initiatives.
Before joining Alpenzoo, I worked with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). My background in wildlife conservation physiology includes extensive research on wild animal species in southern Africa. For my Ph.D., I studied the impacts of climate change on free-living aardvarks in the Kalahari semi-desert, while my M.Sc. research focused on torpor patterns in the African woodland dormouse. I have also contributed to research on other wild species, including marine turtles and pangolins.
In addition to my role with the IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group, I am an active member of the IUCN SSC Afrotheria Specialist Group.
I have played a key role in species conservation action plans and assessments, international policy frameworks, and ecological research. I am dedicated to bridging science, policy, and conservation practice, contributing to species survival through evidence-based strategies and collaboration.”
