My Expertise
Species translocations, desert ecology, threatened mammals, feral cats, reintroduction biology, biodiversity conservation, prey naivety, arid environments, rewilding
Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Conservation and biodiversity, Terrestrial ecology, Behavioural ecology, Ecology, Conservation and BiodiversitySEO tags
Biography
I am a wildlife ecologist and conservation biologist who is passionate about conserving our desert ecosystems. My research interests include rewilding, mammal behaviour, threatened species management and predator/prey interactions. I aim to improve the plight of threatened species through conducting applied research and applying the learnings to conservation management. I study a range of species including bilbies, quolls, bandicoots,...view more
I am a wildlife ecologist and conservation biologist who is passionate about conserving our desert ecosystems. My research interests include rewilding, mammal behaviour, threatened species management and predator/prey interactions. I aim to improve the plight of threatened species through conducting applied research and applying the learnings to conservation management. I study a range of species including bilbies, quolls, bandicoots, bettongs, numbats, malleefowl, woma pythons, phascogales and stick-nest rats. My research focuses on large scale field experiments designed to improve adaptive management and translocation success. I have a special interest in creating conservation partnerships that combine research with on ground outcomes (Arid Recovery, Tetepare Island, Wild Deserts and Middleback Alliance). I supervise students who wish to conduct field experiments in desert areas that will directly contribute to improved conservation outcomes.
My Qualifications
BSc Hons in Zoology and Environmental Biology
PhD in Reintroduction Biology
My Research Activities
I am currently conducting research on the following topics. Please contact me if you are interested in Honours, Masters or PhD projects on these topics or other arid zone ecology projects. At present I am involved in research at field sites at Arid Recovery (SA), Secret Rocks Nature Reserve (SA), Yellabinna Regional Reserve (SA), Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park (SA), Sturt National Park Wild Deserts (NSW) and Tetepare Island (Solomon Islands).
-Improving reintroduction success through prolonged low level exposure of naive prey to introduced predators (ARC Linkage Grant)
-Extreme heat impacts on native desert mammals (ARC Discovery Grant)
-Impact of Feral Cats on reptiles (ARC Discovery Grant)
-Trophic cascades triggered by fenced conservation reserves (partnership with Arid Recovery)
-Long term ecological trends in arid zone fauna and rainfall driven changes
-Movements, nesting and survival of the threatened malleefowl
-Improving reintroduction success through manipulation of habitat and release protocols
-Predator hunting behaviour and impact on native species
-Optimising feral animal control methods
-Patterns and drivers of post release population change in threatened reintroduced mammals
-Novel and native predator prey interactions