About

Ryan Klataske graduated in 2006 from Kansas State University, where he studied Anthropology and Spanish. He received his Masters degree in Anthropology from Michigan State University in 2009, and is currently working toward his PhD. His graduate studies have also included interdisciplinary coursework in geography, ecology, and environmental science and policy. His current research in Namibia and Southern Africa focuses on cooperative conservation on private land, community-based natural resource management, sustainable utilization and wildlife-based land uses, as well as the politics of land and conservation. This research reflects a number of Ryan’s broader interests, including rural sustainability, social and cultural dimensions of conservation, global environmental change, and the ecology and people of the world’s grasslands and rangelands. Ryan is passionate about the U.S. Great Plains and cares deeply about the region’s landscapes and communities. In particular, he holds a special affection for his home and family ranchland in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Ryan has worked on issues related to wildlife and prairie conservation for a non-profit organization in Kansas and is currently assisting on ecotourism projects for a wildlife sanctuary along the Niobrara River in northern Nebraska. An avid photographer, Ryan’s photographs reflect his love for travel and exploration, as well as his interest in the everyday places and ordinary lives of people he meets along the way.

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