Ecology and Environment Research Group

• About Us
• Key People
• Projects

About Us

The Ecology and Environment Research Group (EERG) is a research group within the College of Health and Science.

Management of existing ecosystems and restoration of degraded ones currently takes place with limited understanding of the underlying ecological processes involved. This reflects both the low level of understanding we have of large-scale systems such as landscapes or ecosystems, and the dynamic and random components in the processes involved. The overall research aim of the group is to understand the ecological processes operating in ecosystems, up to and including the landscape level, to improve our ecological knowledge of their underlying structure and function. As ecology is the science underpinning the management of ecosystems, advances in our knowledge of ecology will drive better management and restoration.

Within the overall research aim, the group members currently work on the following themes:

• Ecosystem health - detection of human impacts in ecosystems e.g. estuarine, freshwater: Pauline Ross, Shelley Burgin
• Restoration of ecosystems e.g. Cumberland Plain Woodland, saltmarsh: Charles Morris, Pauline Ross
• Bushfire ecology and fire regime management: Charles Morris
• Water quality - indicators of water quality in freshwater and aquatic systems; land management to improve water quality, water quality modelling: Peter Cornish, Shelley Burgin
• Biology and conservation of Australian mammals particularly rock wallabies, pademelons, and water rats; koalas and urban/bush interaction: Robert Close; dingoes in Blue Mountains World Heritage Area: Robert Mulley
• Watershed development in India: Peter Cornish.

Research in the group covers a range of scales, from the large (landscapes) to the small scale (individual plants and animals). The group has a particular interest in the local region (Hawkesbury-Nepean), but is doing work that has national and international links. For further information please contact Charles Morris.

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Key People

The Ecology and Environment Research Group currently has seven members. Robert Close is located at Campbelltown campus and the remaining six members are at Hawkesbury campus:

• Dr Charles Morris (Group Leader)
• Associate Professor Shelley Burgin
• Associate Professor Robert Close
• Professor Peter Cornish
• Associate Professor Rob Mulley
• Dr Pauline Ross
• Dr Paul Smith.

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Projects

Ecology and Environment research projects that have been awarded funding are listed by year of commencement:

• 2006 Projects
• 2005 Projects
• Pre-2005 Projects.

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Related Links

• School of Natural Sciences