Research interests
Caroline’s work focuses on the sustainability and conservation of tropical savanna landscapes in relation to threats associated with climate change, changing fire regimes and habitat fragmentation. This involves work on landscape evolution, multi-scale vegetation dynamics, and the evolution of plant attributes related to disturbance. Caroline undertakes these projects using landscape ecology, remote sensing, ecophysiology, plant demography, population genetics and statistical modelling. A quarter of Caroline’s time is dedicated to Bushfires NT, managing and extending datasets associated with the accounting for the West Arnhem Land fire abatement scheme and the development of the Central Arnhem and Gulf region abatement schemes.
Caroline has taught and co-ordinated WLM 404: Natural resources and livelihoods with Prof. Tony Cunningham. This Masters level course teaches an understanding of enterprise development of non-timber forest products and payment for environmental services as a means for livelihood development of indigenous peoples.
Caroline submitted her PhD on spatio-temporal savanna vegetation dynamics in Kakadu National Park and the Australian continent in the latter half of 2007. Caroline is strongly engaged in promoting the development of evidence-based fire management policy in conservation areas across north Australia.
 Current projects
Young Scholars Network Interdisciplinary Workshop: on Cultural Uses and Impacts of Landscape Fires: Past, Present and Future, Colorado
14 - 18 July 2008. Visit www.aimes.ucar.edu/ysn.shtml
 Working Group on Savanna structure,
24-28 August 2009, Macqurie University, Sydney
17 - 26 September 2008, Darwin.
Visit www.vegfunction.net/wg/49/49_Savanna_Structure.htm
Arnhem Land Fire Management Projects - Data manager
See media - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6726059.stm
Teaching
2008 - Course co-ordinator WLM 404: Natural resources and livelihoods
- Field trip intensive to Tennant Creek and Barkly region 29 June – 5 July 2008
More information >>
Publications
Peer reviewed papers
Lehmann, C. E. R., Ratnam, J. and Hutley, L. B. 2009 Which of these continents is not like the other? Continental comparisons of tropical savanna systems: key questions and challenges. New Phytologist. 181: 508-511
Lehmann, C.R., Prior, L.D., Williams, R.J. and Bowman, D.M.J.S. 2008. Spatio-temporal trends in tree cover of a tropical mesic savanna are driven by landscape disturbance. Journal of Applied Ecology 45: 1304-1311 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01496.x
Bowman, D.M.J.S., Riley, J.E., Boggs, G.S., Lehmann, C.E.R. and Prior, L.D. 2008. Do feral buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) explain the increase of woody cover in savannas of Kakadu National Park, Australia? Journal of Biogeography. 35, 1976–1988
Petty, A.M., Werner, P.A., Lehmann, C.E.R., Riley, J.E., Banfai, D.S. and Elliott, L.P. 2007. Savanna Responses to Feral Buffalo In Kakadu National Park, Australia. Ecological Monographs 77:3, 441-463.
Lehmann, C.E.R., Prior, L.D., and Bowman, D.M.J.S. (accepted) Fire controls variation in stand structures of dominant tree species in Australian mesic savanna. Oecologia.
Lehmann, C.E.R., Prior, L.D., and Bowman, D.M.J.S. (accepted) Multi-decadal savanna dynamics in the Australian monsoon tropics. Austral Ecology.
Lehmann, C.E.R., Bradshaw, C.J.A., Woinarski, J.C., Russell-Smith, J., Franklin, D., Prior, L.D., and Bowman, D.M.J.S. (in revision) Rainfall – Fire interactions determine persistence and patterns of biomass in tropical mesic savannas. Global Ecology and Biogeography.
Reports
Lehmann, C. E. R. (2008) The relationship between plant species diversity, plant attributes and fire regimes in the Kakadu Region. Internal report for the Office of the Supervising Scientist.
Lehmann, C.E.R. and Prior, L.D. (2008) Savanna dynamics. In Kakadu National Park Landscape Symposia Series 2007–2009. Symposium 1: Landscape Change Overview, 17–18 April 2007, South Alligator Inn, Kakadu National Park. Internal Report 532, April, Supervising Scientist, Darwin. Unpublished paper, 20 - 28. http://www.environment.gov.au/ssd/publications/ir/532.html
Grants
2009 - ARC-NZ Vegetation Function Network - travel funding for developing collaboration between labs with Niall Hanan at Colorado State University
2008 - 2009 ARC-NZ Vegetation Function Network funding for WG49
2008 - Tropical Savannas CRC funding
2008 - CDU/CSIRO fast track research grant on soil carbon
2008 - Environmental Futures Network - Early Career Grant
Committees
Environmental Defender’s Office (NT) Management Committee http://www.edo.org.au/edont/
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