Wildlife and Landscape Science

Theme leader: Michael Lawes

The Wildlife and Landscape Science theme focuses on research that:

Provides a historical and geographic context to understand the landscape-scale ecological processes critical to the sustainable management of wildlife and other biodiversity assets
Delivers practical and innovative solutions to natural resource management through the development and application of state-of-the-art scientific techniques and analyses
Serves the needs of all those with a stake in biodiversity conservation, wildlife management, sustainable harvests of plants and animals, feral animal control and fire management
Works collaboratively with Indigenous communities to ensure a two-way transfer of knowledge required for landscape and wildlife management

The focus on applied science is complemented by fundamental biological and ecological research including classical and molecular taxonomy, historical biogeography, palaeoecology, prehistoric human impacts, population modelling, animal behaviour, ecophysiology and functional ecology.

Research

Research in the Wildlife and Landscape Science Theme focuses on three areas:

Landscape Change

Investigates the physical, biological and socio-economic drivers of landscape change across the short, medium and long term and determines the consequences of these changes for wildlife habitat quality and human health and well being.

Applied and Theoretical Conservation Biology

Provides the scientific underpinning for the management of wildlife, control of pest species, sustainable harvest of plants and animals and determination of the ecological and economic cost and benefits of various management scenarios.