Overview
Background
April Reside is a lecturer in the School of the Environment and School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, affiliated with the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science.
Dr Reside's research encompasses ecology, conservation, and policy; investigating refuges and refugia; and recovery actions and their costs for Australia’s threatened species. April also works on conservation of woodland bird communities, the impact of climate change on biodiversity, and strategies for climate change adaptation. This work has involved applying conservation planning frameworks to identify spatial priorities for climate change adaptation for biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
April has a particular fascination of flying vertebrates, and has worked on bats on three continents and nine countries. She worked as a field ecologist for non-government organisations before her PhD on understanding potential impacts of climate change on Australian tropical savanna birds. She adapted species distribution modelling techniques to account for temporal and spatial variability in the distributions of highly vagile bird species. These dynamic species distribution models take into account species’ responses to fluctuations in weather and short-term climatic conditions rather than long-term climate averages. In her first postdoctoral position, Dr Reside modelled the distribution of c.1700 vertebrates across Australia at a fine resolution, and located the future location of suitable climate for all these species for each decade until 2085. From this, she identified hotspots across Australia where species were moving to in order to track their suitable climate, informing the IUCN SSC Guidelines for Assessing Species’ Vulnerability to Climate Change by the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
April has been involved in conservation of the Black-throated Finch for over 12 years, and is Chair of the Black-throated Finch Recovery Team. She has served on Birdlife Australia's Research and Conservation Committee and Threatened Species Committee; and the Science Committee for the Invasive Species Council.
Availability
- Dr April Reside is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, James Cook University
Research interests
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Conservation of the threatened reptiles of the Darling Downs
Investigating conservation needs of species such as the Condamine earless dragon (Tympanocryptis condaminensis), using novel techniques such as Conservation Detection Dog teams.
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Ecosystem service provision for agricultural landscapes
How do we support native insectivores, such as birds and microbats, to play a bigger role in pest control in agricultural landscapes?
Research impacts
Dr Reside engages with environmental policy in order to achieve better environmental outcomes. Her work on threatened species and environmental policy has contributed to submissions to the 2019 review of Australia’s environmental laws; Australia’s threatened species strategy; Senate Inquiry on Australia’s faunal extinction crisis; Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016; Inquiry into the impact on the agricultural sector of vegetation and land management policies, regulations and restrictions; Australia’s strategy for nature 2018-2030 and others. She has appeared as an expert witness at Parliament House for three inquiry hearings to speak on these matters.
April's work has been covered extensively in online, TV and print media, and regularly writes for public fora such as The Conversation. Her public engagement was recognised with the Young Tall Poppy Award 2020 (Queensland).
Works
Search Professor April Reside’s works on UQ eSpace
2022
Journal Article
Restoring habitat for fire-impacted species’ across degraded Australian landscapes
Ward, Michelle, Tulloch, Ayesha, Stewart, Romola, Possingham, Hugh P., Legge, Sarah, Gallagher, Rachael V., Graham, Erin M., Southwell, Darren, Keith, David, Dixon, Kingsley, Yong, Chuanji, Carwardine, Josie, Cronin, Tim, Reside, April E. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Restoring habitat for fire-impacted species’ across degraded Australian landscapes. Environmental Research Letters, 17 (8) 084036, 084036. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac83da
2022
Conference Publication
Conserving the black-throated finch
Reside, April (2022). Conserving the black-throated finch. Finches 22 International Finch Convention, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 1 - 3 July.
2022
Journal Article
Communicating the true challenges of saving species: response to Wiedenfeld et al
Watson, James E. M., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Ward, Michelle, Yong, Chuan J., Reside, April E., Possingham, Hugh P., Rogers, Andrew and Carwardine, Josie (2022). Communicating the true challenges of saving species: response to Wiedenfeld et al. Conservation Biology, 36 (4) e13961, e13961. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13961
2022
Journal Article
Quantifying the “avoided” biodiversity impacts associated with economic development
Bull, Joseph W, Sonter, Laura J, Gordon, Ascelin, Maron, Martine, Narain, Divya, Reside, April E, Sánchez, Luis E, Shumway, Nicole, von Hase, Amrei and Quétier, Fabien (2022). Quantifying the “avoided” biodiversity impacts associated with economic development. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 20 (6), 370-378. doi: 10.1002/fee.2496
2022
Other Outputs
National parks are not enough – we need landholders to protect threatened species on their property
Kearney, Stephen, Reside, April, Watson, James, Nelson, Rebecca Louise, Spindler, Rebecca and Adams, Vanessa (2022, 02 11). National parks are not enough – we need landholders to protect threatened species on their property The Conversation
2022
Journal Article
Accelerated shifts in terrestrial life zones under rapid climate change
Elsen, Paul R., Saxon, Earl C., Simmons, B. Alexander, Ward, Michelle, Williams, Brooke A., Grantham, Hedley S., Kark, Salit, Levin, Noam, Perez‐Hammerle, Katharina‐Victoria, Reside, April E. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Accelerated shifts in terrestrial life zones under rapid climate change. Global Change Biology, 28 (3), 918-935. doi: 10.1111/gcb.15962
2022
Journal Article
Creating past habitat maps to quantify local extirpation of Australian threatened birds
Ward, Michelle, Watson, James E. M., Possingham, Hugh P., Garnett, Stephen T., Maron, Martine, Rhodes, Jonathan R., MacColl, Chris, Seaton, Richard, Jackett, Nigel, Reside, April E., Webster, Patrick and Simmonds, Jeremy S. (2022). Creating past habitat maps to quantify local extirpation of Australian threatened birds. Environmental Research Letters, 17 (2) 024032, 024032. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac4f8b
2022
Journal Article
Saving species beyond the protected area fence: threats must be managed across multiple land tenure types to secure Australia's endangered species
Kearney, Stephen G., Carwardine, Josie, Reside, April E., Adams, Vanessa M., Nelson, Rebecca, Coggan, Anthea, Spindler, Rebecca and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Saving species beyond the protected area fence: threats must be managed across multiple land tenure types to secure Australia's endangered species. Conservation Science and Practice, 4 (3) e617. doi: 10.1111/csp2.617
2021
Other Outputs
Should we cull noisy miners? After decades of research, these aggressive honeyeaters are still outsmarting us
Melton, Courtney, Reside, April, Simmonds, Jeremy, Maron, Martine, Clarke, Michael and McDonald, Paul (2021, 10 13). Should we cull noisy miners? After decades of research, these aggressive honeyeaters are still outsmarting us The Conversation
2021
Journal Article
Evaluating the evidence of culling a native species for conservation benefits
Melton, Courtney B., Reside, April E., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Mcdonald, Paul G., Major, Richard E., Crates, Ross, Catterall, Carla P., Clarke, Michael F., Grey, Merilyn J., Davitt, Galen, Ingwersen, Dean, Robinson, Doug and Maron, Martine (2021). Evaluating the evidence of culling a native species for conservation benefits. Conservation Science and Practice, 3 (12) e549. doi: 10.1111/csp2.549
2021
Journal Article
A national‐scale dataset for threats impacting Australia’s imperiled flora and fauna
Ward, Michelle, Carwardine, Josie, Yong, Chuan J., Watson, James E. M., Silcock, Jennifer, Taylor, Gary S., Lintermans, Mark, Gillespie, Graeme R., Garnett, Stephen T., Woinarski, John, Tingley, Reid, Fensham, Rod J., Hoskin, Conrad J., Hines, Harry B., Roberts, J. Dale, Kennard, Mark J., Harvey, Mark S., Chapple, David G. and Reside, April E. (2021). A national‐scale dataset for threats impacting Australia’s imperiled flora and fauna. Ecology and Evolution, 11 (17) ece3.7920, 1-13. doi: 10.1002/ece3.7920
2021
Other Outputs
Limiting the loss of terrestrial ecosystems to safeguard nature for biodiversity and humanity
Simmonds, Jeremy S., Suarez-Castro, Andres Felipe, Reside, April E., Watson, James E.M., Allan, James R., Borrelli, Pasquale, Dudley, Nigel, Edwards, Stephen, Fuller, Richard A., Game, Edward T., Linke, Simon, Maxwell, Sean L., Panagos, Panos, Puydarrieux, Philippe, Quétier, Fabien, Runting, Rebecca K., Santini, Talitha, Sonter, Laura J. and Maron, Martine (2021). Limiting the loss of terrestrial ecosystems to safeguard nature for biodiversity and humanity. doi: 10.1101/2021.02.07.428694
2021
Other Outputs
To fix Australia’s environment laws, wildlife experts call for these 4 changes — all are crucial
Driscoll, Don, Reside, April, Wintle, Brendan, Ritchie, Euan and Maron, Martine (2021, 02 03). To fix Australia’s environment laws, wildlife experts call for these 4 changes — all are crucial The Conversation
2021
Book Chapter
Southern Squatter Pigeon: Geophaps scripta scripta
Ward, Michelle, Reside, April E. and Garnett, Stephen T. (2021). Southern Squatter Pigeon: Geophaps scripta scripta. Action plan for Australian birds 2020. (pp. 44-47) edited by Stephen T. Garnett and G. Barry Baker. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.
2021
Book Chapter
Southern black-throated finch: Poephila cincta cincta
Buosi, Peter A. , Vanderduys, Eric P., Grice, Anthony C. and Reside, April E. (2021). Southern black-throated finch: Poephila cincta cincta. Action plan for Australian birds 2020. (pp. 786-789) edited by Stephen T. Garnett and G. Barry Baker. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.
2020
Conference Publication
Evidence-based conservation for Australian woodland birds: a systematic review
Walsh, J., Gibson, M., Bracy, C., Freidman, R., Mayfield, H., Melton, C., Reside, A., Simmonds, J. and Maron, M. (2020). Evidence-based conservation for Australian woodland birds: a systematic review . Ecological Society of Australia, 60th Annual Conference, Virtual, 30 November-4 December 2020. Ecological Society of Australia.
2020
Conference Publication
A knowledge synthesis to inform a national approach to fighting extinction
Reside, April (2020). A knowledge synthesis to inform a national approach to fighting extinction. Ecological Society of Australia, Online, November-December 2020.
2020
Journal Article
Impact of 2019–2020 mega-fires on Australian fauna habitat
Ward, Michelle, Tulloch, Ayesha I. T., Radford, James Q., Williams, Brooke A., Reside, April E., Macdonald, Stewart L., Mayfield, Helen J., Maron, Martine, Possingham, Hugh P., Vine, Samantha J., O’Connor, James L., Massingham, Emily J., Greenville, Aaron C., Woinarski, John C. Z., Garnett, Stephen T., Lintermans, Mark, Scheele, Ben C., Carwardine, Josie, Nimmo, Dale G., Lindenmayer, David B., Kooyman, Robert M., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Sonter, Laura J. and Watson, James E. M. (2020). Impact of 2019–2020 mega-fires on Australian fauna habitat. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4 (10), 1321-1326. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-1251-1
2020
Journal Article
Transferable, predictive models of benthic communities informs marine spatial planning in a remote and data-poor region
Bridge, Tom C. L., Huang, Zhi, Przeslawski, Rachel, Tran, Maggie, Siwabessy, Justy, Picard, Kim, Reside, April E., Logan, Murray, Nichol, Scott L. and Caley, M. Julian (2020). Transferable, predictive models of benthic communities informs marine spatial planning in a remote and data-poor region. Conservation Science and Practice, 2 (9) e251. doi: 10.1111/csp2.251
2020
Other Outputs
Birdwatching increased tenfold last lockdown. Don’t stop, it’s a huge help for bushfire recovery
Tulloch, Ayesha, Reside, April, Garrard, Georgia, Ward, Michelle and Awasthy, Monica (2020, 07 09). Birdwatching increased tenfold last lockdown. Don’t stop, it’s a huge help for bushfire recovery The Conversation
Supervision
Availability
- Dr April Reside is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Threatened reptiles of the Darling Downs
Half of the Australian reptiles most at risk of extinction occur in Queensland; and five are grassland earless dragons (genus Tympanocryptis). However, the threatening processes for most of Queensland’s threatened reptiles remain unknown. Threatened reptiles persisting in highly modified landscapes are those most likely at highest risk, such as the Endangered reptiles inhabiting the southern Brigalow Belt which contains some of the most productive agricultural land in the state, producing over a quarter of Queensland’s agricultural output.
The Condamine earless dragon (Tympanocryptis condaminensis) is one of the threatened reptiles restricted to the Darling Downs in the southern Brigalow Belt, which primarily occur on privately owned agricultural land. Land use and management leading to habitat loss, degradation & fragmentation; and invasive species (namely cats and foxes), are listed as major threats. However, there has been no investigation into the severity and relative impact of threats to this and the other threatened reptile species in this region.
This project will build upon our preliminary work to investigate habitat requirements, ecology, and threats to the Condamine earless dragon and the other threatened reptile species of this region.
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Microbat community ecology and conservation
Healthy, functioning ecosystems containing a broad range of insectivores play a substantial role in pest control as widely documented across the world. Far less research has been conducted on insectivore ecosystem services in Australia, meaning it is still unclear how to optimise key habitat features that support these services while also maximising agricultural productivity. This work would investigate the community of microbats across multi-use landscapes, to understand their role as pest controllers, and to identify landscape features and management that support their conservation.
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Black-throated finch and other woodland birds: conservation and ecology
Understanding how to manage habitats for woodland birds, including restoration of cleared and degraded habitat, and managing the impact of threats such as invasive species. Priorities include investigating breeding ecology, and population dynamics; and focus on Black-throated finch.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Ecosystem services of aerial insectivores in agricultural landscapes
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Michael Furlong, Dr Annabel Smith
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Doctor Philosophy
Conserving Reptile Diversity in Agricultural Landscapes: Threats and Solutions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Stuart Phinn
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Doctor Philosophy
Dynamic habitat suitability modelling for terrestrial mammals in Australia integrating google earth engine, remote sensing, machine learning and citizen science data
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Stuart Phinn
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Doctor Philosophy
Critical foraging habitat of the Grey-headed flying fox in Queensland and its diet in the Toowoomba region
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lee McMichael, Dr Annabel Smith
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Master Philosophy
Strategies to build landholder support for hard to see conservation challenges
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Angela Dean
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Doctor Philosophy
The FaunaHealth Index: A holistic approach to mammal community health.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron
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Doctor Philosophy
The influence of changing fire regimes on fire-dependent plant-animal interactions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Annabel Smith
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Doctor Philosophy
New metrics to measure and track bird community condition in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron
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Master Philosophy
Strategies to build landholder support for hard to see conservation challenges
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Angela Dean
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
The effect of fire and livestock grazing on mammals and reptiles in Central Queensland
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
The value of understorey vegetation to woodland and forest bird communities as a resource and potential deterrent of key threatening process: overabundant native noisy miners (Manorina melanocephala)
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Improving Australia's response to the biodiversity crisis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor James Watson
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr April Reside directly for media enquiries about:
- Bats
- Biodiversity
- Birds
- Black-throated Finch
- Climate Change impacts on Biodiversity
- Conservation
- Refuges
- Refugia
- Threatened species
- Threatened species recovery
- Vulnerability to climate change
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