Songer, Melissa

Melissa Songer is a Conservation Biologist leading international conservation projects at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, among them the Smithsonian Myanmar Biodiversity Initiative, the reintroduction of Scimitar-Horned Oryx in Chad, the Giant Panda Conservation & Capacity Building Program in China, and the restoration of Przewalski’s horse populations in China and Mongolia. Her research integrates ecological field work, remote sensing, and animal tracking with community-based conservation efforts to restore and maintain conservation-dependent species in the wild. She is also a leader in expanding Smithsonian’s conservation capacity-building programs through mentoring, training, and workshops in the U.S. and abroad, resulting in the training of over 1,000 conservation practitioners from over 40 countries. Melissa is a science lead for the Smithsonian's Conservation Commons, and a researcher with Working Land & Seascapes network and the Movement of Life initiative.