Kyran Kunkel

Research Associate

Dr. Kyran Kunkel has led large and successful multi collaborator wildlife conservation, restoration, and management programs in the western US for over 30 years. In 2003, he founded and continues to direct the Conservation Science Collaborative. Kyran is an Affiliate Professor in Wildlife Biology at University of Montana, a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution, and a National Geographic Explorer. He is a board member for Northern Plains Resource Council.

Kyran served as American Prairie (AP) founding Director of Wildlife Restoration and Science working to create the largest wildlife reserve in the contiguous US and the largest restoration science program in the ecoregion, directing innovative research and conservation including initiating the largest bison restoration program in North America. Kyran served as one of the founders of WWF’s Great Plains program. He was senior biologist for Turner Endangered Species Fund and the regional biologist for the Alaska Region of the National Park Service.

Kyran has co-led dozens of successful conservation science collaborations including the first top carnivore (cougar) research in the Great Plains, swift fox reintroductions, desert bighorn sheep and cougar restoration, the first large scale and long term study of wolves and other top predators and prey in the western US, and a wolf-grizzly-livestock conflict prevention program in seven western states. The latter project is a co-production with watershed groups and ranchers merging with Kyran’s long-time range rider work with ranchers in Montana. Kyran prides himself in trusted relationships with farmer, rancher, and indigenous partners. 

For over a decade, Kyran has collaborated with a Nepalese team in eastern Nepal that has built community based conflict mitigation projects for dholes and snow leopards. He collaborates on similar projects with large mammals in Kenya, Cameroon, Botswana, and South Africa.