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
-
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.
-
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
2019
Journal Article
Adaptation pathways for conservation law and policy
McDonald, Jan, McCormack, Phillipa C., Dunlop, Michael, Farrier, David, Feehely, Jess, Gilfedder, Louise, Hobday, Alistair J. and Reside, April E. (2019). Adaptation pathways for conservation law and policy. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 10 (1) e555, e555. doi: 10.1002/wcc.555
2018
Other Outputs
For the first time we’ve looked at every threatened bird in Australia side-by-side
Garnett, Stephen, Chauvenet, Alienor, Reside, April, Wintle, Brendan, Lindenmayer, David, Watson, David M., Bayrakarov, Elisa, Geyle, Hayley, Possingham, Hugh, Watson, James, Maron, Martine and Legge, Sarah (2018, 11 27). For the first time we’ve looked at every threatened bird in Australia side-by-side The Conversation
2018
Journal Article
Stable isotopes reveal opportunistic foraging in a spatiotemporally heterogeneous environment: Bird assemblages in mangrove forests
Buelow, Christina A., Reside, April E., Baker, Ronald and Sheaves, Marcus (2018). Stable isotopes reveal opportunistic foraging in a spatiotemporally heterogeneous environment: Bird assemblages in mangrove forests. PLoS ONE, 13 (11) e0206145, e0206145. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206145
2018
Conference Publication
Death by 800 cuts: regulation fails to prevent habitat loss of the endangered black-throated finch
Reside, April (2018). Death by 800 cuts: regulation fails to prevent habitat loss of the endangered black-throated finch. Queensland Ornithological Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 23 - 24 June 2018.
2018
Journal Article
Nutrient subsidy indicators predict the presence of an avian mobile-link species
Buelow, Christina A., Baker, Ronald, Reside, April E. and Sheaves, Marcus (2018). Nutrient subsidy indicators predict the presence of an avian mobile-link species. Ecological Indicators, 89, 507-515. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.02.029
2018
Journal Article
Quantifying extinction risk and forecasting the number of impending Australian bird and mammal extinctions
Geyle, Hayley M., Woinarski, John C.Z., Baker, G. Barry, Dickman, Chris R., Dutson, Guy, Fisher, Diana O., Ford, Hugh, Holdsworth, Mark, Jones, Menna E., Kutt, Alex, Legge, Sarah, Leiper, Ian, Loyn, Richard, Murphy, Brett P., Menkhorst, Peter, Reside, April E., Ritchie, Euan G., Roberts, Finley E., Tingley, Reid and Garnett, Stephen T. (2018). Quantifying extinction risk and forecasting the number of impending Australian bird and mammal extinctions. Pacific Conservation Biology, 24 (2), 157-167. doi: 10.1071/PC18006
2018
Journal Article
Queensland’s new land clearing bill will help turn the tide, despite its flaws
Cosgrove, Anita , Reside, April , Watson, James Edward and Maron, Martine (2018, 03 16). Queensland’s new land clearing bill will help turn the tide, despite its flaws
2018
Journal Article
Using temporally explicit habitat suitability models to assess threats to mobile species and evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas
Welch, H., Pressey, R. L. and Reside, A. E. (2018). Using temporally explicit habitat suitability models to assess threats to mobile species and evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas. Journal for Nature Conservation, 41, 106-115. doi: 10.1016/j.jnc.2017.12.003
2018
Journal Article
The threats to Australia's imperilled species and implications for a national conservation response
Kearney, Stephen G., Cawardine, Josie, Reside, April E., Fisher, Diana O., Maron, Martine, Doherty, Tim S., Legge, Sarah, Silcock, Jennifer, Woinarski, John C. Z., Garnett, Stephen T., Wintle, Brendan A. and Watson, James E. M. (2018). The threats to Australia's imperilled species and implications for a national conservation response. Pacific Conservation Biology, 25 (3), 231-244. doi: 10.1071/PC18024
2018
Book Chapter
Managing islands in the context of climate change
Garnett, Stephen T. and Reside, April E. (2018). Managing islands in the context of climate change. Australian island arks : conservation, management and opportunities. (pp. 221-233) edited by Dorian Moro, Derek Ball and Sally Bryant. Clayton, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. doi: 10.1071/9781486306619
2018
Book Chapter
Enhancing island conservation outcomes: the policy and legal context, need, and options
Woinarski, John Z.C., Burbidge, A.A. and Reside, April E. (2018). Enhancing island conservation outcomes: the policy and legal context, need, and options. Australian islands: advances and solutions in island conservation research, management and education. (pp. 45-59) edited by Dorian Moro, Derek Ball and Sally Bryant. Clayton, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.
2017
Other Outputs
Infographic: here’s exactly what Adani’s Carmichael mine means for Queensland
De Gabriele, Madeleine, Hopkin, Michael, Mountain, Wes, Reside, April and Hepburn, Samantha (2017, 11 22). Infographic: here’s exactly what Adani’s Carmichael mine means for Queensland The Conversation
2017
Journal Article
Adapting systematic conservation planning for climate change
Reside, April E., Butt, Nathalie and Adams, Vanessa M. (2017). Adapting systematic conservation planning for climate change. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27 (1), 1-29. doi: 10.1007/s10531-017-1442-5
2017
Other Outputs
Just ten MPs represent more than 600 threatened species in their electorates
Watson, James, Reside, April, Williams, Brooke, Possingham, Hugh, Maron, Martine, Ward, Michelle, Fuller, Richard, Atkinson, Scott Consaul and Kearney, Stephen (2017, 09 07). Just ten MPs represent more than 600 threatened species in their electorates The Conversation
2017
Journal Article
Land clearing on the rise as legal ‘thinning’ proves far from clear-cut
Reside, April, Cosgrove, Anita J., Silcock, Jennifer, Seabrook, Leonie and Evans, Megan C. (2017, 06 20). Land clearing on the rise as legal ‘thinning’ proves far from clear-cut
2017
Journal Article
Ecological consequences of land clearing and policy reform in Queensland
Reside, April E., Beher, Jutta, Cosgrove, Anita , Evans, Megan C., Seabrook, Leonie, Silcock, Jennifer L., Wenger, Amelia S. and Maron, Martine (2017). Ecological consequences of land clearing and policy reform in Queensland. Pacific Conservation Biology, 23 (3), 219-230. doi: 10.1071/PC17001
2017
Journal Article
Acoustic call library and detection distances for bats of Swaziland
Monadjem, Ara, Shapiro, Julie T., Mtsetfwa, Fezile, Reside, April E. and Mccleery, Robert A. (2017). Acoustic call library and detection distances for bats of Swaziland. Acta Chiropterologica, 19 (1), 175-187. doi: 10.3161/15081109ACC2017.19.1.014
2017
Journal Article
Sink or swim? Potential for high faunal turnover in Australian rivers under climate change
James, Cassandra S., Reside, April E., VanDerWal, Jeremy, Pearson, Richard G., Burrows, Damien, Capon, Samantha J., Harwood, Thomas D., Hodgson, Lauren and Waltham, Nathan J. (2017). Sink or swim? Potential for high faunal turnover in Australian rivers under climate change. Journal of Biogeography, 44 (3), 489-501. doi: 10.1111/jbi.12926
2017
Journal Article
Trade-offs in carbon storage and biodiversity conservation under climate change reveal risk to endemic species
Reside, April Elizabeth, VanDerWal, Jeremy and Moran, Catherine (2017). Trade-offs in carbon storage and biodiversity conservation under climate change reveal risk to endemic species. Biological Conservation, 207, 9-16. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.01.004
2017
Journal Article
Examining current or future trade-offs for biodiversity conservation in north-eastern Australia
Reside, April E., VanDerWal, Jeremy, Moilanen, Atte and Graham, Erin M. (2017). Examining current or future trade-offs for biodiversity conservation in north-eastern Australia. PLoS One, 12 (2) e0172230, e0172230. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172230
Supervision
Availability
- Dr April Reside is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Conserving Urban Parrots in Indonesian Urban Setting
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Richard Fuller
-
Doctor Philosophy
Ecosystem services of aerial insectivores in agricultural landscapes
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Michael Furlong, Dr Annabel Smith
-
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: Dr Nicholas Clark
-
Doctor Philosophy
Conserving Reptile Diversity in Agricultural Landscapes: Threats and Solutions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Stuart Phinn
-
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
-
Doctor Philosophy
New metrics to measure and track bird community condition in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron
-
Doctor Philosophy
The influence of changing fire regimes on fire-dependent plant-animal interactions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Annabel Smith
-
Master Philosophy
Strategies to build landholder support for hard to see conservation challenges
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Angela Dean
-
Doctor Philosophy
Ecological and conservation impacts of noisy miner control in subtropical woodlands
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron
-
Doctor Philosophy
The FaunaHealth Index: A holistic approach to mammal community health.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron
Completed supervision
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
The effect of fire and livestock grazing on mammals and reptiles in Central Queensland
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron
-
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
-
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
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: