Dennis Rentsch, Ph.D.

Education

• Ph.D. – Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota
• B.A. – Psychology, Carleton College

Areas of Expertise

• Serengeti ecosystem management
• Economics of bushmeat hunting
• Community-based natural resource management
• Conservation incentives
• Community-based conservation monitoring
• Conservation biology

About Dennis Rentsch

Dennis joined Lincoln Park Zoo in October, 2016. Dennis began his career as a Conservation & Science intern at Lincoln Park Zoo in 2002-2003. He then went on to spend the next 12 years working in Tanzania, primarily in the Serengeti. He first conducted his doctoral research in the Serengeti through the University of Minnesota, where he examined the potential of improving poultry health through disease control to help improve food security as a strategy for reducing bushmeat hunting.

Dennis went on to join the Frankfurt Zoological Society as the Project Leader of the Serengeti Ecosystem Management office, based at the Serengeti National Park Headquarters from 2008-2016. He managed a number of conservation projects aimed at reducing threats to the Serengeti ecosystem through empowering local communities to engage in wildlife conservation and adopt conservation-compatible livelihoods. During his time there, Dennis oversaw the growth of the project, including raising significant external project funding and mentoring a strong team of local staff who continue to work to achieve long-term governance and conservation targets at the ecosystem level.

Dennis has developed strong partnerships with local partners and worked together with the Tanzanian government to develop strategies for anti-poaching, livestock health initiatives, land-use planning and community-based natural resource management. Together with National Park authorities, Dennis spearheaded an initiative to review the benefit-sharing mechanisms of the national parks to local communities in an effort to strengthen the link between conservation and development investments. Dennis believes that successful ecosystem management requires integrating our knowledge of the park’s ecology and wildlife management with an understanding of the role of local communities on the ecosystem. Through Lincoln Park Zoo’s Tanzania Research Program, Dennis will work closely with protected area managers to ensure that research results are integrated into conservation strategies and provide the opportunity for implementation and scaling up based on high-quality research findings.