Associate Professor Carissa Klein
Associate Professor

Carissa Klein

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56074

Background

Carissa Klein is an ARC Future Fellow at The University of Queensland and Deputy Director of The Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science. She is a conservation scientist and leads a research group called The Ocean Conservation Team, a group of students and post-doctoral researchers focused on developing science to support marine and coastal conservation. Her team's research is motivated by real-world conservation management and policy problems and is done in partnership with numerous non-government organisations (e.g. Wildlife Conservation Society), government departments (e.g., Sabah Parks in Borneo), and foundations (e.g., Minderoo) around the world. Her research group specialise in integrating social, economic, and ecological information to develop solutions that improve outcomes for nature and people. Their generally falls into three themes: land-sea conservation planning, marine spatial planning (ocean zoning), and sustainable seafood.

Carissa has degrees in Chemistry (BA, 2000), Environmental Science (BA, 2000), Environmental Science and Management (MS, 2006) and Conservation Science (PhD, 2010). Her postgraduate studies were at The University of California, Santa Barbara and The University of Queensland. She has received numerous competitive awards, including two that acknowledge her achievements in setting up successful and lasting international collaborations: The Asia Pacific Economic Corporation Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE) and the American Australia Association Sir Keith Murdoch Fellowship.

Availability

Associate Professor Carissa Klein is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Ecology Environmental Sciences

Qualifications

  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, The University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Sustainable Seafood

    Global per capita seafood consumption has over doubled since the 1960s. Fisheries and aquaculture provide more than 3.1 billion people with ~20% of their animal protein. Although aquaculture is a rapidly increasing seafood source, fisheries remain important not only as a direct source of seafood, but indirectly, providing fishmeal required for many types of aquaculture. This reliance on fishing has caused widespread declines in fisheries, which comes with severe ecological and socioeconomic consequences. Our research focuses on improving the sustainability of the seafood we eat, focusing on seafood trade and consumption.

  • Marine Protected Areas and Ocean Zoning

    Protected areas are the cornerstone of most marine and terrestrial biodiversity conservation strategies worldwide. The principal focus of our protected area work is on developing techniques for designing protected areas that incorporate ecological and evolutionary processes, habitat condition, and socioeconomic knowledge. Given that most protected area design programs involve some form of zoning, like in the Great Barrier Reef, we also develop methods for zoning the ocean for multiple uses (e.g., fishing, energy use, recreation, mining, aquaculture) and multiple types of protected areas (e.g., IUCN I-VI). This work has been pursued in partnership with government and non-government institutions involved in marine zoning exercises in Australia, UK, Papua New Guinea, USA, and Malaysia. For example, we supported the Malaysian government in zoning their first multi-zone marine park (1.02 million hectares). Our zoning work has been supported by many external organisations, including the Australian Government, World Wildlife Fund Malaysia, and The Wildlife Conservation Society

  • Land Sea Conservation Planning

    We produce quantitative models that predict how various land-uses – including oil palm, agriculture, urban development, and forestry – impact seagrass, mangrove, and coral reef ecosystems and marine species. These models were developed to inform conservation and management decisions. Using decision science, we develop methods for determining the most cost- effective strategies for conserving coastal ecosystems, answering questions like: Should we protect or restore the land or sea to conserve sea grass? Where is the best place for developing agriculture or forestry to minimise negative impacts on coral reefs?

Search Professor Carissa Klein’s works on UQ eSpace

113 works between 2007 and 2025
All (113) Journal Article (98) Book Chapter (3) Conference Publication (3) Other Outputs (9)

101 - 113 of 113 works

2010

Conference Publication

Ignorant conservation: designing reserve networks to protect unobserved biodiversity

Kendall, Bruce E., Klein, Carissa J. and Possingham, Hugh P. (2010). Ignorant conservation: designing reserve networks to protect unobserved biodiversity. 95th ESA Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1-6 August 2010.

Ignorant conservation: designing reserve networks to protect unobserved biodiversity

2010

Journal Article

Can we determine conservation priorities without clear objectives?

Segan, Daniel B., Carwardine, Josie, Klein, Carissa, Grantham, Hedley and Pressey, Robert L. (2010). Can we determine conservation priorities without clear objectives?. Biological Conservation, 143 (1), 2-4. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.09.014

Can we determine conservation priorities without clear objectives?

2009

Journal Article

Marxan with zones: Software for optimal conservation based land and sea-use zoning

Watts, M. E., Ball, Ian, R., Stewart, R, Klein, C. J., Wilson, Kerrie, Steinback, Charles, Lourivald, Reinaldo, Kircher, L. and Possingham, H. (2009). Marxan with zones: Software for optimal conservation based land and sea-use zoning. Environmental modelling and software, 24 (12), 1513-1521. doi: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2009.06.005

Marxan with zones: Software for optimal conservation based land and sea-use zoning

2009

Journal Article

Wilderness and future conservation priorities in Australia

Watson, James E. M., Fuller, Richard A., Watson, Alexander W. T., Mackey, Brendan G., Wilson, Kerrie A., Grantham, Hedley S., Turner, Matthew, Klein, Carissa J., Carwardine, Josie, Joseph, Liana N. and Possingham, Hugh P. (2009). Wilderness and future conservation priorities in Australia. Diversity and Distributions, 15 (6), 1028-1036. doi: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2009.00601.x

Wilderness and future conservation priorities in Australia

2009

Journal Article

Spatial socioeconomic data as a cost in systematic marine conservation planning

Ban, Natalie Corinna and Klein, Carissa Joy (2009). Spatial socioeconomic data as a cost in systematic marine conservation planning. Conservation Letters, 2 (5), 206-215. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2009.00071.x

Spatial socioeconomic data as a cost in systematic marine conservation planning

2009

Journal Article

Spatial conservation prioritization inclusive of wilderness quality: A case study of Australia's biodiversity

Klein, C. J., Wilson, Kerrie A., Watts, M., Stein, Janet, Carwardine, J., Mackey, Brendan and Possingham, H.P. (2009). Spatial conservation prioritization inclusive of wilderness quality: A case study of Australia's biodiversity. Biological Conservation, 142 (7), 1282-1290. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.01.035

Spatial conservation prioritization inclusive of wilderness quality: A case study of Australia's biodiversity

2009

Journal Article

Hitting the target and missing the point: Target-based conservation planning in context

Carwardine, Josie, Klein, Carissa J., Wilson, Kerrie A., Pressey, Robert L. and Possingham, Hugh P. (2009). Hitting the target and missing the point: Target-based conservation planning in context. Conservation Letters, 2 (1), 4-11. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00042.x

Hitting the target and missing the point: Target-based conservation planning in context

2009

Journal Article

Incorporating ecological and evolutionary processes into continental-scale conservation planning

Klein, Carissa, Wilson, Kerrie, Watts, Matthew, Stein, Janet, Berry, Sandra, Carwardine, Josie, Stafford Smith, Mark, Mackey, Brendan and Possingham, Hugh (2009). Incorporating ecological and evolutionary processes into continental-scale conservation planning. Ecological Applications, 19 (1), 206-217. doi: 10.1890/07-1684.1

Incorporating ecological and evolutionary processes into continental-scale conservation planning

2009

Book Chapter

Fundamental concepts of spatial conservation prioritization

Wilson, Kerrie A., Cabeza, Mar and Klein, Carissa J. (2009). Fundamental concepts of spatial conservation prioritization. Spatial conservation prioritization: Quantitative methods and computational tools. (pp. 16-27) edited by Atte Moilanen, Kerrie A. Wilson and Hugh Possingham. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Fundamental concepts of spatial conservation prioritization

2008

Journal Article

Avoiding costly conservation mistakes: The importance of defining actions and costs in spatial priority setting

Carwardine, Josie, Wilson, Kerrie A., Watts, Matt, Etter, Andres, Klein, Carissa J. and Possingham, Hugh P. (2008). Avoiding costly conservation mistakes: The importance of defining actions and costs in spatial priority setting. PLoS one, 3 (7) e2586, e2586-1-e2586-6. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002586

Avoiding costly conservation mistakes: The importance of defining actions and costs in spatial priority setting

2008

Journal Article

Striking a balance between biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic viability in the design of marine protected areas

Klein, C., Chan, A., Kircher, L., Cundiff, A. J., Gardner, N., Hrovat, Y., Scholz, A., Kendall, B. E. and Airame, S. (2008). Striking a balance between biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic viability in the design of marine protected areas. Conservation Biology, 22 (3), 691-700. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.00896.x

Striking a balance between biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic viability in the design of marine protected areas

2008

Journal Article

Effectiveness of marine reserve networks in representing biodiversity and minimizing impact to fishermen: a comparison of two approaches used in California

Klein, Carissa Joy, Steinback, Charles, Scholz, Astrid J. and Possingham, Hugh (2008). Effectiveness of marine reserve networks in representing biodiversity and minimizing impact to fishermen: a comparison of two approaches used in California. Conservation Letters, 1 (1), 44-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00005.x

Effectiveness of marine reserve networks in representing biodiversity and minimizing impact to fishermen: a comparison of two approaches used in California

2007

Book Chapter

How to integrate cost, threat and multiple actions into conservation planning for reserves and stewardship

Game, Eddie, Carwardine, Josie, Wilson, Kerrie, Watts, Matt, Klein, Carissa and Possingham, Hugh (2007). How to integrate cost, threat and multiple actions into conservation planning for reserves and stewardship. Protected areas: buffering nature against climate change. (pp. 97-99) edited by Martin Taylor and Penelope Figgis. Sydney, NSW, Australia: WWF-Australia.

How to integrate cost, threat and multiple actions into conservation planning for reserves and stewardship

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    Community Climate Action for the Great Barrier Reef - What Can I Do?
    GBRF Accelerator Grants
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Leveraging individual operator skill to reduce threatened species bycatch in prawn trawl fisheries
    Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation Inc
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2027
    What's the catch? Social and environmental sustainability of seafood
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2023
    Mapping social values and activities of recreational motor vessel users in Moreton Bay
    The Moreton Bay Foundation Members Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2022
    Integrated land-sea conservation planning for human and ecosystem health
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2021
    Assessing the vulnerability of marine species to a broad range of human activities
    The University of Queensland in America, Inc
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2020
    Deriving ecologically relevant load targets to meet desired ecosystem condition for the Great Barrier Reef: a case study for seagrass meadows in the Burdekin region (NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub)
    Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Limited
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    Planning for the impacts of land-uses on coral reef fisheries
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2021
    NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub
    National Environmental Science Program
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Papua New Guinea Marine Planning - Training and Planning II
    Commonwealth Department of the Environment
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    Great Barrier Reef Resilience
    World Wide Fund for Nature Australia
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2019
    Reconciling the triple bottom line of social equity, economic return, and environmental benefits in conservation decision making
    UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Training PNG Department of the Environment and Conservation Staff in Marxan (with a marine focus) and supporting the use of Marxan for conservation planning throughout PNG waters.
    Commonwealth Department of the Environment
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    Planning for the impacts of land-uses on coral reef fisheries and livelihoods under different climate scenarios
    The Nature Conservancy
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2019
    Reconciling the triple bottom line of social equity, economic return, and environmental benefits in conservation decision making
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2013
    Great Barrier Reef resilience investment plan
    World Wide Fund for Nature Australia
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Conserving biodiversity and fishery livelihoods in the Coral Triangle using marine protected areas
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    2011 UQ Trans-Pacific Fellowship - Conservation planning in the Coral Triangle
    UQ Trans-Pacific Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    Prioritising socially and economically viable land- and sea-based investments to protect coral reefs
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011
    Prioritising socially and economically viable land- and sea-based investments to protect our coral reefs
    UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2010
    Optimising Ecosystem Management Project
    New Zealand Department of Conservation
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Carissa Klein is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Social and environmental sustainability of seafood

    This project aims to improve the social and environmental sustainability of wild caught seafood globally. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of seafood trade and sustainability using interdisciplinary approaches that account for social sustainability concepts and the displacement of fishing impacts. Expected outcomes include innovative approaches that can improve the traceability and sustainability of seafood and new international collaborations. This should provide significant benefits to the ocean, by proposing innovative ways for protecting the ocean through improving the sustainability of trade policies, and to the billions of people that depend on a healthy ocean for their health and livelihood.

    The student would investigate the social, economic, and environmental implications of disparate trade and international fishing scenarios, using Australia as an example. The ideal student will have quantitative modelling skills (or the ability and interest to learn these skills) and interests in environmental policy, environmental economics, biodiversity conservation, or ecosystem services. The project is funded by an ARC Future Fellowship with opportunities to attend international science and policy meetings.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

For media enquiries about Associate Professor Carissa Klein's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au