Sandra Lai is a terrestrial ecologist, carnivore researcher and conservationist who was born and raised on the small island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. Early on she developed a deep passion for extreme environments – such as the Arctic and high mountains – where she realized her dream is to work as a wildlife biologist. Sandra successfully completed her PhD field work in the Canadian High Arctic and now works in the Ethiopian Highlands. Her research investigates the movements, behavior and life-history traits of mammals in extreme environments that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and human activities. Sandra joined the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) as senior scientist in 2022, where she conducts research on the ecology, population dynamics and disease management of endangered Ethiopian wolves. 

Referred to as the “Roof of Africa”, the Afroalpine highlands in Ethiopia are a world unlike any other. This summer, Sandra will take WINGS FLAG #45 into the Bale Mountains as the Project co-leader on an expedition titled, “Guardians of the Highlands: Saving Ethiopia’s Endangered Wolves.” This will be the first time Ethiopian wolves are being tracked in the Bale Mountains since a 1988-1992 study by EWCP founder, Dr. Claudio Sillero. 

The Ethiopian Highlands are recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot and home to an extraordinary level of endemicity. There, the Ethiopian wolf, one of the rarest canids in the world, plays a critical ecological role as the apex predator. These highland carnivores regulate rodent populations and contribute to the maintenance of ecosystem balance. Yet, the wolves face an uncertain future. Disease spillover from domestic dogs, particularly rabies and canine distemper have reduced local wolf populations by a staggering 75%. Human encroachment and agricultural expansion, even on protected lands, fragment the Afroalpine habitat, further isolating wolves into shrinking patches of habitat. Sandra’s expedition seeks to uncover critical insights into how Ethiopian wolves navigate these challenges and coexist with local communities. By using cutting-edge technology such as satellite tracking and advanced ecological modeling, her team aims to shed light on previously unknown aspects of their movement patterns, habitat use, and behavioral adaptations. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023, conservationists have stated that if the Bale Mountains habitats were to disappear, more mammal species would go extinct than any other area of equivalent size on the planet. With this female-led expedition, and the support of the WINGS Women of Discovery Flag Carrier program, Sandra and her team hope to inspire action to protect the Roof of Africa, for generations to come.