Reyhane Rastgoo

Conservation Social Scientist Interested in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Human-Wildlife Interactions.

About

I am Reyhane Rastgoo, a Ph.D. student in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation program at Virginia Tech, working in Dr. Ashley Dayer's Human Dimensions Lab. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a master’s in Biodiversity Conservation and Management from the University of Tehran, Iran. As a conservation social scientist, my research focuses on the intersection of conservation and social science, particularly the human dimensions of natural resources, private land conservation, and human-wildlife interactions. As a Graduate Research Assistant at Virginia Tech, I am investigating the motivations behind longleaf pine landowners' participation in the Conservation Reserve Program.

Education

Ph.D. Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. 2024-Present.M.S. Biodiversity Conservation, University of Tehran, Karaj, Alborz, Iran. 2021B.S. Environmental Science, University of Tehran, Karaj, Alborz, Iran. 2019

Research Interest

  • Human Dimensions of Natural Resources

  • Human Dimensions of Wildlife

  • Private Land Conservation

  • Quantitative Social Research

  • Qualitative Social Research

  • Human-Wildlife Conflict

Publications

  • Rastgoo, R., Holland, K. K., Oppong, K., Jennings, K., Draper, H., Allred, S., & Dayer, A. A. (2026). Landowners and Conservation: A Review and Synthesis of the Motivations and Barriers for Participation in Federal Conservation Programs. Society & Natural Resources, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2026.2707609

  • Badelu, N., & Rastgoo, R. (2026). Habituated Brown Bears on Mount Sabalan: Rising Risks for Bears and Hikers. International Bear News. (Vol. 35 no. 1, Pp 18-19).

  • Stukes, K. A., Larson, L., Leggett, Z., Jeffries, S., Webb, J., Holland, K., Dayer, A., Allred, S., Rastgoo, R., & Oppong, K. D. (2026). Factors affecting minority forest landowners’ participation in conservation programs. Journal of Forestry, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44392-026-00083-y

  • Nayeri, D., Hysen, L.,Pilgreen, D., Rastgoo, R., Sardari, P., Mohammadi,A., Kashfi, S. M., Dayer, A., & Kyle, G. (2025).Socio-psychological determinants of beekeeperconflict with bee-eaters. Conservation Science and Practice, e70219. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70219

  • Rastgoo, R., Oppong, D. K., Allred, S., Holland, K., & Dayer, A. A. (2025). A Practitioner’s Guide to Landowner Participation in the Longleaf Pine Restoration and the Conservation Reserve Program. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech. https://hdl.handle.net/10919/136896

  • Rastgoo, R., Nayeri, D., Mohammadi, A., Bath, A. J., & Farhadinia, M. S. (2025). Who welcomes the bear: Evidence for a disconnect between attitudes and acceptability of killing brown bears. People and Nature, 7, 2106-2118. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70099

  • Nayeri, D., Rastgoo, R., Mohammadi, A., Farhadinia, M. S., Bruskotter, J. T., & Vucetich, J. A. (2025). The influence of culpability, harm to animals, and professional education on attitudes about killing animals in the name of conservation. Biological Conservation, 307, 111204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111204

  • Nayeri, D., Arianejad, M., Rastgoo, R. (2022). Challenges of Human-Bear Conflict Management: Case Studies from Iran. International Bear News. (Vol. 31 no. 3, Pp 21-22).

  • Rastgoo, R., Nayeri, D., Mohammadi, A., Bath., A. J., Alizade Shabani, A. (2021). Attitudes toward Brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Northern Iran. International Bear News. (Vol. 30 no. 3, Pp 18-19).

Welcome to the photo album of my master's thesis, titled "A Study of Attitudes of Local Communities in Rural Areas of Golestan Province toward Brown Bears"