Dr. Tiffany Yap, DEnv/PhD

Tiffany Yap is a senior scientist and a wildlife corridor advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. As a conservation scientist, Yap is passionate about protecting biodiversity and environmental health, especially in the wildland urban interface. She is an expert on mountain lions, amphibians, wildlife connectivity, and wildfire. Her research includes how human activities and land use impact sensitive species and habitats. Yap’s work is influenced by her background as an Asian American woman with Chinese Filipino heritage working in STEM. Her studies have been published in various scientific journals, including Science Magazine, EcoHealth, and PLoS One. She has also been quoted as an expert in national media organizations such as The Los Angeles Times, KPCC-FM Radio, and Wired. Yap has a B.S. in biology from UC Berkeley, an M.S. in environmental health science and a doctorate in environmental science and engineering, both from UCLA.

Sub-Specialties:
Yap is particularly interested in wildlife and how humans interact with natural systems. She has been interviewed on mountain lions regarding their health; impacts of roads, development, and other human activities on their long-term survival; and the need to improve wildlife connectivity in California (for mountain lions and many other species, including newts, turtles, and snakes). She has also been interviewed on how human activities and land use affect wildfire risk, particularly in the wildland-urban interface, as well as the impacts of wildlife trade on amphibians and amphibian disease spread. Yap can speak about the importance of state and federal environmental regulations including the Federal and California Endangered Species Act, the Lacey Act, and the California Environmental Quality Act.