Though I have been primarily trained as an ecologist, I try to be pragmatic in addressing questions of interest. For example, in examining larkspur poisoning of cattle, a persistent and costly challenge to livestock producers in the Western US, I integrated agent-based modeling and more traditional quantitative field studies. When I had the opportunity to study lion-livestock conflict in southern Kenya, qualitative social science methods were the most appropriate way to understand how herding practices can exacerbate or mitigate conflict. If the only tool you have is a hammer, problems tend to look like nails. I try to have a variety of tools on hand.
Ultimately, I want to add value to conversations about the most pressing challenges related to animal agriculture. I admit to deep ambivalence about the role of science in addressing these issues; I believe it is necessary but not sufficient. To the compelling explanations developed by scientific inquiry, we must add humility, propriety, and love for the natural world and each other. To the extent that my work does this, I consider it to have succeeded.
Some recent works that I am proud of:
Jablonski, K.E., Merishi, J., Dolrenry, S., Hazzah, L., 2020. Ecological Doctors in Maasailand: Identifying Herding Best Practices to Improve Livestock Management and Reduce Carnivore Conflict. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00118
Jablonski, K.E., Boone, R.B., Meiman, P.J., 2020. Predatory Plants and Patchy Cows: Modeling Cattle Interactions with Toxic Larkspur Amid Variable Heterogeneity. Rangeland Ecology & Management 73, 73–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2019.08.016
Kevin Jablonski 