Phil has worked for many years in international species conservation. His research on critically endangered species spans countries in Asia, Africa and South America with areas of study in India, Nepal, China and Brazil. His research assesses endangered species and indicators of biodiversity and ecology, particularly Galliformes, an order of birds that includes turkeys, pheasants, grouse and the wild ancestor of the chicken. 25% of Galliformes are currently at risk of extinction, typically because of people hunting them for food, and, because of this are thought to be important indicators of overall pressures facing bird species.

Before joining Newcastle University in 2013 Phil worked with a large network, especially in Asia, to assess the conservation status of bird species in order to build better conservation projects and improve policy responses to increase biodiversity. Since methods for surveying bird populations have advanced significantly, the improved ability to assess bird populations can inform measures to increase biodiversity and improve conservation efforts. Phil has a special interest in evidence-based species conservation that looks more broadly and systematically at species research to inform policy. Phil served as Co-chair of the SSC Policy Subcommittee of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature until 2016 and has extensive experience in the interface between policy and science to develop strategies to safeguard species and their habitats.

• Thunhikorn S, Grainger MJ, McGowan PJK, Savini T. Methods used to survey avian species and their potential for surveying ground-dwelling birds in Asia. Forktail 2016, 32, 5-13.
• Thunhikorn S, Grainger MJ, McGowan PJK, Savini T. Assessing the population status of Grey Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum) in Huai Kha Khaeng, a key conservation landscape in Southeast Asia. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 2016, 64, 302-312.
• McGowan PJK. Conservation: Mapping the terrestrial human footprint. Nature 2016, 537(7619), 172–173.
• McGowan PJK, Holzer-Taylor K, Leus K. IUCN guidelines for determining when and how ex situ management should be used in species conservation. Conservation Letters 2017, 10(3), 361-366.
• Dunn JC, Buchanan GM, Stein RW, Whittingham MJ, McGowan PJK. Optimising different types of biodiversity coverage of protected areas with a case study using Himalayan Galliformes. Biological Conservation 2016, 196, 22-30.
• Mallari NAD, Collar NJ, McGowan PJK, Marsden SJ. Philippine protected areas are not meeting the biodiversity coverage and management effectiveness requirements of Aichi Target 11. Ambio 2016, 45(3), 313–322.
• Boakes EH, Fuller RA, McGowan PJK, Mace GM. Uncertainty in identifying local extinctions: the distribution of missing data and its effects on biodiversity measures. Biology Letters 2016, 12(3).
• Zwart MC, Dunn JC, McGowan PJK, Whittingham MJ. Wind farm noise suppresses territorial defense behavior in a songbird. Behavioral Ecology 2016, 27(1), 101-108.
• Sukumal N, McGowan PJK, Savini T. Change in status of green peafowl Pavo muticus (Family Phasianidae) in Southcentral Vietnam: a comparison over 15 years. Global Ecology and Conservation 2015, 3, 11-19.
• Woodhouse E, Mills MA, McGowan PJK, Milner-Gulland EJ. Religious Relationships with the Environment in a Tibetan Rural Community: Interactions and Contrasts with Popular Notions of Indigenous Environmentalism. Human Ecology 2015, 43(2), 296-307.
• Geary M, Fielding AH, McGowan PJK, Marsden SJ. Scenario-led habitat modelling of land use change impacts on key species. PLoS One 2015, 10(11), e0142477.
• Zwart MC, Robson P, Rankin S, Whittingham MJ, McGowan PJK. Using environmental impact assessment and post-construction monitoring data to inform wind energy developments. Ecosphere 2015, 6(2), 26.
• Hochkirch A, McGowan PJK, vanderSluijs J. Biodiversity reports need author rules. Nature 2014, 516, 170.
• Mallari NAD, Collar NJ, McGowan PJK, Marsden SM. Science-driven management of protected areas: a Philippine case study. Environmental Management 2013, 51(6), 1236–1246.
• Boakes EH, Isaac NJB, Fuller RA, Mace GM, McGowan PJK. Examining the relationship between local extinction risk and position in range. Conservation Biology 2018, 32(1), 229-239.
• Yeo DCJ, Luz S, Cai Y, Cumberlidge N, McGowan PJK, Ng DJJ, Raghavan R, Davison GWH. Conservation first: Strategic planning to save the critically endangered Singapore freshwater crab, Johora singaporensis. In: Kawai T; Cumberlidge N, ed. A Global Overview of the Conservation of Freshwater Decapod Crustaceans. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2016, pp.359-372.
• Boakes EH, Fuller RA, McGowan PJK. The extirpation of species outside protected areas. Conservation Letters 2019, 12(1), e12608.
• McGowan PJG, Stewart GB, Long G, Grainger MJ. An imperfect vision of indivisibility in the Sustainable Development Goals. Nature Sustainability 2019, 2, 43-45.
• Grainger MJ, Garson PJ, Browne SJ, McGowan PJK, Savini T. Conservation status of Phasianidae in Southeast Asia. Biological Conservation 2018, 220, 60–66.
• Thunhikorn S, Grainger M, McGowan P, Savini T. Spatial distribution of display sites of Grey Peacock-pheasant in relation to micro-habitat and predators during the breeding season. Avian Research 2018, 9, 17.
• Mair L, Mill AC, Robertson PA, Rushton SP, Shirley MDF, Rodriguez JP, McGowan PJK. The contribution of scientific research to conservation planning. Biological Conservation 2018, 223, 82-96.
• McGowan PJK, Mair L, Symes A, Westrip JRS, Wheatley H, Brook S, Burton J, King S, McShea WJ, Moehlman PD, Smith AT, Wheeler JC, Butchart SHM. Tracking trends in the extinction risk of wild relatives of domesticated species to assess progress against global biodiversity targets. Conservation Letters 2019, 12(1), e12588.
• Bolam FC, Grainger MJ, Mengersen KL, Stewart GB, Sutherland WJ, Runge MC, McGowan PJK. Using the Value of Information to improve conservation decision making. Biological Reviews 2019, 94(2), 629-647.