Wild Deserts staff
Rebecca West - Wild Deserts ecologist
Rebecca is an early career researcher whose research focuses on reintroduction ecology and its role in ecosystem restoration. Rebecca has over ten years’ experience working on arid zone reintroduction projects within and outside fenced feral-proof reserves.
Reece Pedler - Wild Deserts Project Co-ordinator
Dr Reece Pedler is an arid zone ecologist and field practitioner with a strong interest in threatened species conservation and ecosystem restoration. Reece’s research has focussed on arid zone waterbirds and terrestrial threatened fauna. Reece has lived and worked in the Australian arid zone for over 15 years, where he enjoys the boom-bust climatic cycles, outback community and remote lifestyle.
Richard Kingsford - Wild Deserts Project Leader
Professor Richard Kingsford is the Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science (UNSW Sydney). He is a conservation biologist committed to providing scientific evidence for policy and management of ecosystems, including those in the deserts.
Tom Hunt - Wild Deserts ecologist
Tom is Wild Deserts' field ecologist and is based in Sturt National Park in far north-west NSW. He has over 15 years' experience across many wildlife conservation projects across the country, particularly with fauna translocations and threatened species monitoring and management. He has a keen interest in terrestrial ecology and ecosystem restoration in arid and semi-arid landscapes, and his experiences have instilled in him an abiding passion for conservation and the environment.
Executive Management Committee
David Keith
Professor David Keith's research interests include the dynamics and management of species populations and ecological communities, risk assessment for biodiversity conservation and fire ecology. He's a serving member of the Australian Threatened Species Scientific Committee and standards committees for the IUCN Red List.
Keith Leggett
Keith Leggett is the Director of the University of New South Wales Arid Zone Research Station at Fowlers Gap, overseeing diverse research and long term monitoring projects in arid zone ecology. He has more than 20 years experience in wildlife ecology and conservation, much of it based in southern Africa.
Mike Letnic
Professor Mike Letnic has expertise in the areas of terrestrial ecology, ecosystem restoration, management of invasive species, predators and fire. His research is focused on the conservation and management of ecosystems, particularly improving understanding of landscape and continental-scale processes that influence the structure of ecosystems and threaten biodiversity.
Katherine Moseby
Dr Katherine Moseby is an arid zone ecologist with a strong interest in threatened mammal conservation, reintroduction biology and ecosystem restoration. She has co-founded four conservation partnerships that combine research with practical on ground management, mentoring students in large scale field experiments, and trialling innovative ways to improve the conservation outcomes for threatened species.
John Read
Dr John Read is an ecologist and author, passionate about informed and pragmatic approaches to environmental and animal welfare issues. His ecological research has featured in over 120 scientific articles in the fields of arid zone ecology, reptile and avian ecology, mining and grazing impact assessment, vertebrate pest management and threatened species recovery.
Sharon Ryall
Sharon is the Research Manager for the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. She has broad expertise managing and coordinating research in environmental science, including vegetation and waterbird surveys. She has a lot of experience in field work as well as finance and provides strong support to the Wild Deserts project not only on the committee but in liaising with other parts of UNSW and externally.
External Advisory Committee
Terry Korn (Chair)
Terry has had a long interest in landscape management and conservation, especially at the interface of agriculture and the natural environment. Since retiring in 2006, he has been heavily involved in water management in the Murray Darling and Lake Eyre Basins and wildlife management through the Australasian Wildlife Management Society.
Nick Boyle
Nick Boyle has worked in the zoo industry since 2002 and is the Divisional Director of Welfare, Conservation and Science at Taronga Conservation Society Australia. At Taronga, Nick leads a team of conservation scientists that specialise in threatened species management. Nick has a background in law, biological sciences and communication.
Warwick Dawson
Warwick is the Director of UNSW Knowledge Exchange. He has more than 25 years experience in strategic leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. He has a particular interest in building effective partnerships enabling successful execution of high impact projects. Warwick holds Commerce and Law degrees from UNSW.
Sarah Legge
Professor Sarah Legge has 30 years of research and conservation management experience as a wildlife ecologist. She has interests in monitoring and adaptive management, particularly improving our understanding of the impacts of threats (especially fire and feral animals) on threatened and declining species, and finding ways to address those threats at landscape scales.
Glen Saunders
Glen Saunders has over 40 years' experience in invasive species management and research primarily in NSW DPI, the Invasive Animals CRC and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. He is a past president of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society (AWMS) and has served on many committees which have guided invasive species management activities.
