Christian J. Rivera

Conservation Science & Urban Ecology

The Rivera Lab

Welcome to the Conservation Science and Urban Ecology Lab at UMass Boston

We integrate approaches in the natural and social sciences towards the conservation of biodiversity in a rapidly changing and urbanizing world.

Wildlife in captive and semi-captive settings in the city of Iquitos, Peru, from a recent study on tourism and human-wildlife interactions in the urbanizing Amazon.

LAB NEWS

12/7/25: Our new paper titled “A Framework to Analyze Primate Species Vulnerability to Trade in Urban Markets” was published in the American Journal of Primatology! In this paper, we integrate concepts in primatology and conservation criminology to develop a framework that relates primate characteristics to supply- and demand-side variables. This tool is both explanatory and predictive and can be used to better understand why certain species of primates may be observed in urban markets over others. Check out the open-access paper here!

9/1/25: After three years as an Environmental Research and Teaching Fellow at Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute, Christian Rivera starts a new position as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston.