Tim Tear
Africa Program Science Director

Contact Information
1210 Hempstead Road
Niskayuma, NY 12309
Phone: (518) 690-7855
Email: ttear@tnc.org

Brief Biography 

Tim has been working in conservation for 25 years. In the 1980’s, Tim worked in Eastern Africa on national park management in Kenya and Southern Sudan, as well as in Arabia on the reintroduction of the Arabian Oryx to the deserts of Oman. After receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Idaho in the early 1990s, Tim returned to work in Tanzania where he worked with Tanzania National Parks to establish a visitor and education center for Serengeti National Park, and to provide technical advice to park management. Since 1998, Tim has worked for The Nature Conservancy. During the first seven years, he worked on developing statewide science programs for two chapters of The Nature Conservancy, focusing on a variety of topics including: restoration ecology, linking small and large-scale conservation planning efforts, measuring conservation strategy effectiveness, goal-setting, and improving the relationship between the Conservancy and academic institutions. From 2005-2008, Tim worked for the Conservancy’s global conservation programs, leading an effort to establish conservation measures across the organization. Recently, Tim returned to work on chapter-wide science in New York, as well as for the Conservancy’s Africa program. His most recent scientific publications include evaluating the impacts of air pollution on biological diversity in the Eastern United States, improving resource management in the face of climate change, and setting objectives in conservation.

Sample Publications:

Lovett, G.M., T.H. Tear, D.C. Evers, S.E.G. Findlay, B.J. Cosby, J.K. Dunscomb, C.T. Driscoll, and K.C. Weathers. (In Press). Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States. (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: The Year In Ecology and Conservation Biology 2009)

Lawler, J.J, T.H. Tear, C. Pyke, R. Shaw, P. Gonzalez, P. Kareiva, L. Hansen, L. Hannah, K. Klausmayer, A. Aldous, C. Bienz, and S. Pearsall. (In press). Resource management in a changing and uncertain climate. Frontiers in Ecology.

Hoover, J.P, T.H. Tear, and M.E. Baltz. 2006. Edge effects reduce the nesting success of Acadian flycatchers in a moderately fragmented forest. Journal of Field Ornithology 77(4): 425-436.

Tear, T.H., P. Kareiva, P. Angermeier, P. Comer, B. Czech, R. Kautz, L. Landon, D. Mehlman, K. Murphy, M. Ruckleshaus, J. M. Scott, and G. Wilhere. 2005. How much is enough? The recurrent problem of setting measurable objectives in conservation. BioScience 55:835-849.

Tear, T.H., and E. Ables. 1999. Social system development and variability in a reintroduced Arabian oryx population. Biological Conservation 89(1999):199-207.

Tear, T.H., J. Mosley, and E. Ables. 1998. Landscape-scale foraging decisions by reintroduced Arabian oryx. Journal of Wildlife Management 61(4):1142-1154.

Scott, J.M., T.H. Tear, and L.S. Mills. 1995. Socioeconomics and the recovery of endangered species: Biological assessment in a political world. Conservation Biology 9(1):218-220.

Tear, T.H., J.M. Scott, P. Hayward, and B. Griffith. 1995. Recovery plans and the Endangered Species Act: Are criticisms supported by data? Conservation Biology 9(1):182-195.

Tear, T.H., J.M. Scott, P. Hayward, and B. Griffith. 1993. Status and prospects for the Endangered Species Act: A look at recovery plans. Science 262:976-977.

Tear, T., and D. Forester. 1992. The role of social theory in reintroduction planning: A case study of the Arabian oryx in Oman. Society and Natural Resources 5(4):359-374.

Scott, J.M., T.H. Tear, and F. Davis (editors). 1996. Gap Analysis: A landscape approach to biodiversity planning. The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Bethesda, MD. 320 pages.

Lovett, G, and T. Tear. 2008. Threats from Above: Effects of air pollution on ecosystems and biological diversity in the Eastern United States.