Society for Conservation Biology (SCB)

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Oceania Section Board

Pacific Conservation Biology

Current Members

Name and Email	Office	Organization Affiliation	Country
James Atherton (jatherton at conservation.org)	Member At Large	Conservation International Pacific Islands Program	Samoa
Jo Hoare (jhoare at doc.govt.nz)	Member At Large	New Zealand Department of Conservation	New Zealand
Liana Joseph (l.joseph at uq.edu.au)	Member At Large	University of Queensland	Australia
Richard Kingsford (richard.kingsford at unsw.edu.au)	Member At Large	University of NSW	Australia
Carolyn Lundquist (c.lundquist at niwa.co.nz)	Member At Large	National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research	New Zealand
Craig G. Morley (cmorley at doc.govt.nz)	Member At Large	Department of Conservation	New Zealand
Nicky Nelson (nicola.nelson at vuw.ac.nz)	Member At Large	Victoria University of Wellington	New Zealand
James Watson (james.jameswatson at gmail.com)	President	University of Queensland	Australia

Future Members

If you are interested in being a member of the Oceania Board you must be a member of SCB and a member of the Section. Generally 2 to 4 board members are elected annually. The Call for Nominations goes out in September or October and the election runs in October or November. Each year section members receive an email about the open positions and the start of the election process. For more information about getting involved with this board, please contact a board member or scb@conbio.org.

Current Board Profiles
	Aaron Gove SCBO web and list server manager Postdoctoral Researcher, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia Conservation interests: I am generally interested in plant-animal interactions and the integration of conservation with human land-uses. My farm-scale research (e.g., management of isolated trees or crop diversity) focuses on insects (ants) and birds, while my studies at broader biogeographical scales tend to focus upon plants. I am currently developing research in the biodiversity hotspot of south western Australia, but have also worked in Mexico and Ethiopia on similar questions. My hope for the Oceania section of the SCB is that it becomes one of the more influential institutions in the region, and becomes an important forum for land-managers and conservation researchers. Personal web site: http://muresk.curtin.edu.au/about/staff_profile.cfm?id=41

	Jo Hoare SCBO Secretary Scientist, Department of Conservation, Christchurch, New Zealand Conservation interests: I am committed to the translation of knowledge gained from scientific research into conservation management. I am currently working as a part of a team interpreting national indicators of ecological integrity for environmental reporting in New Zealand. My focus is on trends in threatened species as an indicator of the wider benefits of conservation management. Previously I have worked on the ecology, behaviour and conservation of herpetofauna in New Zealand.

	Wendy Jackson Student representative (ex officio) PhD Candidate, Lincoln University, New Zealand / Senior CITES Officer, Department of Conservation, New Zealand Conservation interests: My area of interest is the effectiveness of international environmental agreements, and in particular, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Effectiveness may exist at the institutional level, but this may not necessarily lead to conservation benefits. The nexus between institutional and environmental effectiveness is my research focus. I am finishing my doctoral studies over the next year while also working on CITES issues for the Department of Conservation in New Zealand.

	Liana Joseph SCBO Chief Financial Officer Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Conservation interests: I have a broad interest in conservation science and practice. My experiences included managing teams to conduct biodiversity surveys in remote regions of East Africa, policy development for threatened species in New Zealand and Australia, and examining the conflict that exists between conservation objectives and human rights of indigenous and tribal groups in protected areas in India. My research is focused on solving applied conservation problems. I am interested in the science behind making cost-efficient decisions to maximize benefits to biodiversity but my interest in the conservation of biodiversity is underpinned by economic and humanitarian issues. I believe that integrating ecology, economics, politics and sociology is crucial step towards effective conservation of biodiversity. It is important to me that my research is relevant and accessible to agencies that make conservation decisions. Currently, I am working with the Department of Conservation, New Zealand, and State and Federal authorities and conservation NGOs in Australia to develop frameworks for prioritising management actions for the conservation of threatened species and ecosystems. I also volunteers as a Director of a community group dedicated to conservation of a critically endangered wallaby (the Bridled Nailtail Wallaby Trust) where I am intimately involved in the practical aspects of species management. The Bridled Nailtail Wallaby Trust provide science and management expertise for species recovery and assists to facilitate community engagement. Personal website: www.uq.edu.au/~uqljosep Spatial Ecology website: www.uq.edu.au/spatialecology Bridled Nailtail Wallaby Trust: www.bntwallaby.org.au

	Richard Kingsford SCB- Board member Professor of Environmental Science, Australian Wetlands and Rivers, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of NSW, NSW 2052, Australia Conservation Interests: At the age of six, a pair of binoculars was hung around my neck when my grandmother took me bird watching around her garden in Kenya. She taught me how to identify birds which she meticulously ticked off on her long-term bird list. It engrained in me a long lasting love and appreciation of the environment. East Africa was a spectacular place to learn about the environment, with more than a thousand bird species. At the age of 12, my family emigrated to Australia and after completing my Phd on the ecology of the Australian wood duck, I joined the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service as a research scientist. Here I worked for the next 18 years, initially running one of the longest running aerial surveys in the world, the Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey, which I continue to run. This drew me to looking at the magnificent wetlands of arid Australia and the importance of variable flow regimes in providing habitats not just for waterbirds but all organisms. Increasingly, I became aware from our long-term waterbird survey data that the status of waterbirds and wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin was grim. Decreasing flows meant less extensive inundation and lower flood frequencies. My attention became equally focused on the long-term sustainability of the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin and the effects of building dams, floodplain developments and extractions on the long-term viability of magnificent wetland ecosystems. These are global challenges as human populations increase and demand more of the products of water resource development (food and fibre). Determining environmental flows, protecting wetlands and designing policies for protection of free-flowing rivers remain the critical challenges for me and my research.

	Carolyn Lundquist SCB Oceania Board Member Research Scientist, Marine Ecology National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New Zealand Gate 10, Silverdale Road PO Box 11-115 Hamilton 3251 New Zealand +64-7-859-1866 +64-7-856-0151 FAX c.lundquist@niwa.co.nz Conservation interests: I am a marine ecologist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Hamilton, New Zealand, and an honorary lecturer at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. I completed my undergraduate degree in marine biology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, 1993), and my PhD degree in conservation ecology at the University of California, Davis (2000). I moved to New Zealand to take on a postdoctoral position in 2000, and soon took on a permanent position here. As a member of SCB since 1994, I remain committed to ensuring that conservation science is incorporated into resource management and policy. I have a strong interest in communicating conservation science to the public and to policy makers, and regularly organize workshops, symposia and presentations at scientific conferences, with regional policy makers, and to local community groups. My research focuses on the effects of human disturbances on marine communities, using a combination of empirical research and modeling to advise regional councils and government agencies, and community organisations on both conservation and utilisation of marine resources. I have been active on the SCB Board since 2002, serving as board member and president of the SCB Marine Section in 2002-2004 before joining the Oceania Section Board in 2008. I have assisted with SCB Section meetings; as program chair for the Biodiversity Extinction Crisis Conference – the AA section’s first (and extremely successful) regional meeting; and on the program committee for the upcoming SCB Marine section meeting in May 2009. I have participated on various SCB committees, including the SCB Membership, Student Affairs, and Awards committees. I look forward to continuing to serve the AA section, representing both New Zealand conservationists and the AA marine realm.

	Craig Morely Board Member Kaiwhakahaere Koiora Rereketanga (Programme Manager Biodiversity), Department of Conservation, New Zealand I started my life as a conservation biologist after my travels through Africa and India in the late 1980’s. Prior to this I worked in a variety of jobs, from bartending to auditing. It was from my experience in Africa that I really knew I wanted to do something with wildlife. I went back to England and worked at Regent’s Park Zoo as a carnivore keeper before returning to NZ. Having shocked many people with my new direction and focus in life and I started my undergraduate degree at Massey University, where I obtained my BSc. (Hons. 1). I then went to obtain my PhD from the University of Canterbury researching the impact of ferrets in New Zealand – thus, my career as an invasive species biologist started. I moved to the University of the South Pacific, in Suva Fiji to teach Conservation Biology and Terrestrial Ecology (something that was quite rare in this island nation). My primary research work was on the problems created by mongoose, rats and cane toads in Fiji. I also worked on crested iguanas. Tired of working in a university environment where I all I felt I did was talk about conservation, I decided to toss this all aside to work for the Department of Conservation in New Zealand as a Programme Manager which is “almost” on the coal-face of conservation. I now manage 4 staff who work on kiwi, kokako, kukupa, NZ dotterel, Galaxiid, short-tailed, bats, marine mammals, threatened plants, and kauri trees. I also have 4 staff that control introduced possums, rats, goats, pigs and weeds. I am a member of the IUCN Invasive species specialist group (ISSG) and a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). I am the past President of the SCB-O section and I am now organising the SCB global conference with the University of Canterbury in 2012.

	Edward Narayan Member at Large Postdoctoral Researcher, Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia Conservation interests: For my four years of PhD research (2006-2009) at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji Islands, I studied the Biology of the endangered Fijian ground frog (Platymantis vitiana): Breeding and Reproductive Endocrinology and collaborated with the Landcare Research Centre (LRC) in New Zealand to develop non-invasive enzyme-immunoassay technology to study the reproductive and stress hormones of these terrestrial breeding frogs. I have sound laboratory skills in histological techniques, immunology, comparative animal physiology, captive management and field based experiences with herpetological surveys, community based conservation and experimental designing for ecological studies. My PhD research in Fiji was of exceptional importance and value to the fauna and to the peoples of the Fiji Islands. With this research, I further elucidated the reproductive physiology of the Fijian ground frog which immensely contributed to the scientific understanding of the species biology and conservation of this very important and endangered species. With this research, I have contributed to be one of the pioneering scientists in conservational physiology of the Pacific fauna. In 2010, I have recently joined the Environmental Futures Centre (EFC) as a post doctoral fellow at the Griffith University conducting research on the conservation of frogs in South-east Queensland. I will be studying the physiological responses of frog species living along various altitudinal gradients (thermal gradients) in South-east Queensland. I will focus on the adaptive mechanisms (reproductive and stress endocrine systems) of frog species living under extreme climatic conditions. Furthermore, I will also investigate the reproductive and immune functions of these frogs and their susceptibility to diseases such as the pathogenic Chytridiomycosis. This project will provide novel knowledge about the importance of physiological mechanisms and its interactions with ecological processes responsible for the survival of frog species in relation to present and future environmental challenges.

	Nicky Nelson Senior Lecturer, Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Conservation interests: In 1989 I completed a BSc in Plant and Microbial Sciences at the University of Canterbury. I worked as a laboratory technician for a few years, before my passion for conservation led me to undertake a Masters in Conservation Science at Victoria University of Wellington. This research led to my PhD investigating the temperature-dependent sex determination and artificial incubation of tuatara, a threatened New Zealand reptile. I was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship from the Conservation and Research for Endangered Species Division of San Diego Zoo to study the effects of global warming on tuatara, and now have an academic position at VUW, supervising postgraduate students in their research endeavours. Personal web site: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/sbs/tuatara/

	James Watson SCB- O president Postdoctoral Researcher, The Ecology Centre, University of Queensland Conservation interests: As far back as I can remember, I have always loved the environment. As a young boy, I developed a life-long passion for birdwatching and spent many of my days exploring remote Australia for rare birds and I think it was these times that made me aspire to be an active conservation scientist. Since my undergraduate days I have had a special interest in conducting applied research that can be incorporated into conservation oriented policy. In 2001, I was fortunate enough to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and I spent three years conducting conservation research in Madagascar. This experience taught me the importance of the nexus between conservation planning and sustainable development. Since completing my phd, all my research has been focussed on assessing the impacts of human-induced environmental change on biodiversity and developing informed plans to ameliorate these impacts. I have attempted to vary the research I have conducted to ensure that I have a wide range of knowledge and experience to apply across the conservation research realm. I have also always endeavoured to make my research count by always engaging local stakeholders in the research process and ensuring the conservation management options that are developed, are taken up. In 2007, I moved into the environmental NGO sector to take a senior campaigner position. I was responsible for developing the scientific framework which underpins all of The Wilderness Society’s conservation campaigns. In this role, I was able to observe the varying roles government, community and other important stakeholders play in gaining conservation outcomes and the best ways applied science can inform these processes. I believe this was a very valuable experience away from the academic world and allowed me to experience how conservation policies are developed in Australia. I am now a post doctoral fellow at the University of Queensland and conducting research on designing tools for optimal decision making for the conservation of biodiversity. I have been a board member of the SCNB since the beginning of 2008. My aim is to help contribute to conservation policy development in the region and also get SCB-O more involved with generating real conservation outcomes in the region. I aim towork with government, NGOs and other stakeholders to achieve this. Another aim is to continue to build capacity and involvement in the countries of Micronesia, Polynesia and Macronesia. I can see that that due to the large numbers of members in New Zealand and Australia, there is often a focus on these two countries areas and I am keen to address this imbalance.