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Professor Richard Fuller
Professor

Richard Fuller

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 69912
Mobile: 
0458353102

Overview

Background

The actions of people just like you and me have caused a massive biodiversity crisis, pushing many species to the brink of extinction and beyond. Doing something about this is one of the most important and urgent problems globally. I am interested in understanding how people have affected the natural world around them, and how some of their destructive effects can best be reversed. On the flip side, I am also keen to understand whether people can benefit positively from experiences of biodiversity.

To answer these questions I work on pure and applied topics in biodiversity and conservation. Much of my work is interdisciplinary, focusing on the interactions between people and nature, how these can be enhanced, and how these relationships can be shaped to converge on coherent solutions to the biodiversity crisis. Current research topics include the ecology and conservation of migratory species, understanding what drives some people to show stronger environmental concern than others, and strategies for designing efficient conservation plans. I enjoy working closely with all my wonderful colleagues in the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science.

Availability

Professor Richard Fuller is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours), University of Bristol
  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, Imperial College London
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Durham University

Research impacts

My expertise is regularly called upon to provide advice outside academia. I study the topic of sustainable environmental management, a subject of keen interest not only to the public at large, but also to organisations and agencies charged with managing the environment and regulating human impacts upon it. Reflecting this expertise, I have been repeatedly invited by the Australian Government to form part of the official Australian delegation in bilateral talks on migratory species conservation with the Chinese, Japanese and Korean governments in 2014, 2016, and 2018. I frequently advise the Australian Government as well as regional agencies such as Queensland Department of Environment and Science, and Brisbane City Council. This advice includes expert witness testimony on the biodiversity impacts of proposed coastal developments and for advice about migratory species conservation domestically and internationally. Recently I provided direct 1:1 advice to the Federal Environment Minister on a coastal development proposal in central Queensland. I also seek to communicate broadly with the public and am invited monthly to speak at local and regional meetings and writing for special interest magazines and newsletters.

In direct response to the analysis in Studds et al. (2017; Nature Communications), the Australian Government listed the Eastern Curlew and the Curlew Sandpiper as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act, and the following year another six migratory shorebirds were also listed as nationally threatened. Given the large number of species involved, this decision was a step change in migratory bird conservation in Australia, significantly adding to the protections for these declining species and subsequently influencing hundreds of coastal development decisions around the nation. Frequently citing our work, and enlisting me as a technical advisor, the Australian Government created and ratified a formal International Single Species Action Plan to rescue the Critically Endangered Eastern Curlew (Fig. 1). The plan has been approved and implemented in 22 countries, catalysing research and action around the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

Works

Search Professor Richard Fuller’s works on UQ eSpace

329 works between 1997 and 2025

221 - 240 of 329 works

2016

Journal Article

Distribution, extent and protection of intertidal habitats in Australia

Dhanjal-Adams, Kiran L., Hanson, Jeffrey O., Murray, Nick, Phinn, Stuart R., Wingate, Vladimir R., Mustin, Karen, Lee, Jasmine R., Allan, James R., Cappadonna, Jessica L., Studds, Colin E., Clemens, Robert S., Roelfsema, Chris M. and Fuller, Richard A. (2016). Distribution, extent and protection of intertidal habitats in Australia. Emu: Austral Ornithology, 116 (2), 208-214. doi: 10.1071/MU15046

Distribution, extent and protection of intertidal habitats in Australia

2015

Journal Article

As habitat vanishes, migratory birds are in free fall

Runge, Claire, Watson, James and Fuller, Richard (2015). As habitat vanishes, migratory birds are in free fall. LiveScience

As habitat vanishes, migratory birds are in free fall

2015

Journal Article

Protected areas and global conservation of migratory birds

Runge, Claire A., Watson, James E.M., Butchart, Stuart H.M., Hanson, Jeffrey O., Possingham, Hugh P. and Fuller, Richard A. (2015). Protected areas and global conservation of migratory birds. Science, 350 (6265), 1255-1258. doi: 10.1126/science.aac9180

Protected areas and global conservation of migratory birds

2015

Journal Article

Protecting stopover habitat for migratory shorebirds in East Asia

Murray, Nicholas J. and Fuller, Richard (2015). Protecting stopover habitat for migratory shorebirds in East Asia. Journal of Ornithology, 156 (S1), S217-S225. doi: 10.1007/s10336-015-1225-2

Protecting stopover habitat for migratory shorebirds in East Asia

2015

Journal Article

A milestone for migratory waterbird conservation in Asia-Pacific

Gallo-Cajiao, Eduardo and Fuller, Richard A. (2015). A milestone for migratory waterbird conservation in Asia-Pacific. Oryx, 49 (3), 393-394. doi: 10.1017/S0030605315000551

A milestone for migratory waterbird conservation in Asia-Pacific

2015

Other Outputs

Annual Report: Migratory Shorebird Monitoring – Understanding Ecological Impact (CA12000284). Report produced for the Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Program Advisory Panel as part of Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Program

Choi, Jimmy Chi-Yeung, Moffitt, Dylan, Fuller, Richard, Skilleter, Gregory A., Rogers, Danny, Coleman, Jonathan and Klaassen, Marcel (2015). Annual Report: Migratory Shorebird Monitoring – Understanding Ecological Impact (CA12000284). Report produced for the Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Program Advisory Panel as part of Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Program. Brisbane, Australia: UniQuest.

Annual Report: Migratory Shorebird Monitoring – Understanding Ecological Impact (CA12000284). Report produced for the Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Program Advisory Panel as part of Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Program

2015

Journal Article

Tidal flats of the Yellow Sea: a review of ecosystem status and anthropogenic threats

Murray, Nicholas J., Ma, Zhijun and Fuller, Richard A. (2015). Tidal flats of the Yellow Sea: a review of ecosystem status and anthropogenic threats. Austral Ecology, 40 (4), 472-481. doi: 10.1111/aec.12211

Tidal flats of the Yellow Sea: a review of ecosystem status and anthropogenic threats

2015

Journal Article

Geographic range size and extinction risk assessment in nomadic species

Runge, Claire A., Tulloch, Ayesha, Hammill, Edd, Possingham, Hugh P. and Fuller, Richard A. (2015). Geographic range size and extinction risk assessment in nomadic species. Conservation Biology, 29 (3), 865-876. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12440

Geographic range size and extinction risk assessment in nomadic species

2015

Journal Article

From commonplace to critically endangered: Our disappearing migratory shorebirds

Fuller, Richard and Gallo Cajiao, Eduardo (2015). From commonplace to critically endangered: Our disappearing migratory shorebirds. Australian Birdlife (June 2015), 30-35.

From commonplace to critically endangered: Our disappearing migratory shorebirds

2015

Journal Article

Adapting environmental management to uncertain but inevitable change

Nicol, Sam, Fuller, Richard A., Iwamura, Takuya and Chades, Iadine (2015). Adapting environmental management to uncertain but inevitable change. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282 (1808) 20142984, 1-8. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2984

Adapting environmental management to uncertain but inevitable change

2015

Journal Article

Mapping the drivers of climate change vulnerability for Australia's threatened species

Lee, Jasmine R., Maggini, Ramona, Taylor, Martin F. J. and Fuller, Richard A. (2015). Mapping the drivers of climate change vulnerability for Australia's threatened species. PLoS One, 10 (5) e0124766, 1-16. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124766

Mapping the drivers of climate change vulnerability for Australia's threatened species

2015

Journal Article

The health benefits of urban nature: how much do we need?

Shanahan, Danielle F., Fuller, Richard A., Bush, Robert, Lin, Brenda B. and Gaston, Kevin J. (2015). The health benefits of urban nature: how much do we need?. Bioscience, 65 (5), 476-485. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biv032

The health benefits of urban nature: how much do we need?

2015

Journal Article

Efficient expansion of global protected areas requires simultaneous planning for species and ecosystems

Polak, Tal, Watson, James E. M., Fuller, Richard A., Joseph, Liana, Martin, Tara G., Possingham, Hugh P., Venter, Oscar and Carwardine, Josie (2015). Efficient expansion of global protected areas requires simultaneous planning for species and ecosystems. Royal Society Open Science, 2 (4) 150107, 150107.1-150107.11. doi: 10.1098/rsos.150107

Efficient expansion of global protected areas requires simultaneous planning for species and ecosystems

2015

Journal Article

Erratum to: What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?

Shanahan, D. F., Lin, B. B., Gaston, K. J., Bush, R. and Fuller, R. A. (2015). Erratum to: What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?. Landscape Ecology, 30 (4), 761-762. doi: 10.1007/s10980-015-0162-z

Erratum to: What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?

2015

Journal Article

Toward improved public health outcomes from urban nature

Shanahan, Danielle F., Lin, Brenda B., Bush, Robert, Gaston, Kevin J., Dean, Julie H., Barber, Elizabeth and Fuller, Richard A. (2015). Toward improved public health outcomes from urban nature. American Journal of Public Health, 105 (3), 470-477. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302324

Toward improved public health outcomes from urban nature

2015

Other Outputs

Mapped distribution of intertidal habitats in Australia between 1999 and 2014

Dhanjal-Adams, Kiran, Hanson, Jeffrey, Murray, Nicholas, Phinn, Stuart R., Wingate, Vladimir, Mustin, Karen, Lee, Jasmine, Allan, James Robert, Cappadonna, Jessica, Studds, Colin, Clemens, Robert, Roelfsema, Christiaan M. and Fuller, Richard (2015). Mapped distribution of intertidal habitats in Australia between 1999 and 2014. Pangaea. (Dataset)

Mapped distribution of intertidal habitats in Australia between 1999 and 2014

2015

Journal Article

Shortfalls and solutions for meeting national and global conservation area targets

Butchart, Stuart H. M., Clarke, Martin, Smith, Robert J., Sykes, Rachel E., Scharlemann, Jorn P., Harfoot, Mike, Buchanan, Graeme M., Angulo, Ariadne, Balmford, Andrew, Bertzky, Bastian, Brooks, Thomas M., Carpenter, Kent E., Comeros-Raynal, Mia T., Cornell, John, Ficetola, G. Francesco, Fishpool, Lincoln D. C., Fuller, Richard A., Geldmann, Jonas, Harwell, Heather, Hilton-Taylor, Craig, Hoffmann, Michael, Joolia, Ackbar, Joppa, Lucas, Kingston, Naomi, May, Ian, Milam, Amy, Polidoro, Beth, Ralph, Gina, Richman, Nadia ... Burgess, Neil D. (2015). Shortfalls and solutions for meeting national and global conservation area targets. Conservation Letters, 8 (5), 329-337. doi: 10.1111/conl.12158

Shortfalls and solutions for meeting national and global conservation area targets

2015

Conference Publication

Hunting of migratory shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway: A review of the evidence

Gallo-Cajiao, Eduardo and Fuller, Richard (2015). Hunting of migratory shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway: A review of the evidence. *, *, *. The University of Queensland.

Hunting of migratory shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway: A review of the evidence

2015

Conference Publication

Environmental niche modelling for polar species using MaxEnt

Wauchope, H., Shaw, J., Varpe, Ø, Boertmann, D. and Fuller, R. (2015). Environmental niche modelling for polar species using MaxEnt. Vulnerability Symposium, Tromsø, Norway, 3-4 November 2014. Tromsø, Norway: Norwegian Polar Institute.

Environmental niche modelling for polar species using MaxEnt

2015

Journal Article

What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?

Shanahan, D. F., Lin, B. B., Gaston, K. J., Bush, R. and Fuller, R. A. (2015). What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?. Landscape Ecology, 30 (1), 153-165. doi: 10.1007/s10980-014-0113-0

What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2027
    Improving biodiversity outcomes in West African cocoa
    Lindt Cocoa Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2026
    Research and tools to support recovery and management of migratory shorebirds in Australia (NESP2 MaC Hub - Reef and Rainforest Research Centre funded project)
    Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Limited
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2023
    Using citizen science to benefit nature conservation and human health
    Universities Australia - Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Pasay 360 Sustainability Framework
    SM Smart City Infrastructure and Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Social perspectives on human-wildlife interactions in coastal settings
    Sunshine Coast Regional Council
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2022
    Australia's Coastal Shorebirds: Trends and Prospects
    University of Tasmania
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    Surveying shorebirds in Moreton Bay using an unmanned aerial vehicle
    The Moreton Bay Foundation Members Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Acoustics for large scale biodiversity assessment (ARC Discovery Project administered by James Cook University)
    James Cook University
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Better Parks, Healthier for All? (UKRI-NHMRC Built Environment and Prevention Grant administered by UNSW)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2020
    The ecology and conservation biogeography of the buff-breasted button-quail
    Birds Queensland
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2020
    Population status and trends of seabirds of the Great Barrier Reef
    Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2024
    Acoustic observatory: A network to monitor biodiversity across Australia (ARC LIEF project administered by Queensland University of Technology)
    Queensland University of Technology
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2020
    Designing green spaces for biodiversity and human well-being (ARC Linkage Project administered by RMIT University)
    Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Recovering the Critically Endangered Far Eastern Curlew: What is the migration route?
    Birds Queensland
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2020
    Managing urban trees for people and wildlife (ARC Linkage Project administered by the University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2018
    Conserving Australia's Antarctic biodiversity in a changing climate
    Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2020
    Recovering Australia's migratory shorebirds
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Mud, glorious mud! Mapping the world's intertidal ecosystems
    Google Inc
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2021
    NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub
    National Environmental Science Program
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2018
    Conserving Antarctica's biodiversity under multiple stressors
    Australian Antarctic Division
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2018
    Migratory Shorebird Monitoring - Understanding Ecological Impact
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2019
    Optimising the ecological performance of cities
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Optimal protection for the world's ecosystems
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards - DVC(R) Funding
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Understanding the impacts of flooding on Australia's coastal ecosystems
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Understanding the impacts of flooding on Australia's coastal ecosystems
    UQ Collaboration and Industry Engagement Fund
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Averting the extinction of experience
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Optimal habitat protection and restoration for climate adaptation
    Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants Program
    Open grant
  • 2011
    Coastal bird vulnerability and resilience assessment project
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    The influence of the recent La Nina climate event on nomadic terrestrial birds in Australia's interior
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    Understanding and reversing the rapid declines in Australia's shorebirds
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2015
    NERP Environmental Decisions Hub
    CDSEWPC - National Environmental Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2009
    The impacts of urban density on Brisbane's biodiversity
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Professor Richard Fuller is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Conserving migratory species

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Hugh Possingham

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Where no eyes can see: Tracking Australian shorebird migration using radar

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Mining, Biodiversity, and Area-Based Conservation: Risks and Opportunities

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Laura Sonter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing a Drone Based Shorebird Survey Method

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Cultural variation in connection to urban nature

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Renee Zahnow

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The role of wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release in conservation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Ella Kuskoff

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Cultural variation in connection to urban nature

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Renee Zahnow

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Reducing Barriers to Drone-Based Bird Surveys

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Master Philosophy

    Cultural variation in connection to nature

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Renee Zahnow

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Urban greenspaces and biodiversity

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Angela Dean

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Learning from success: Recovery of the Black-faced Spoonbill, an endangered migratory waterbird in East Asia

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Revealing bird migration patterns in Eastern Australia by integrating weather radar and citizen science data

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Doctor Philosophy

    No place like home: Urban nuisance wildlife management and the impacts of relocation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr John Hall

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Mining, Biodiversity, and Area-Based Conservation: Risks and Opportunities

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Laura Sonter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Bird migration along the East Asian Australasian Flyway and vulnerability due to habitat loss in China

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Revealing bird migration patterns in Eastern Australia by integrating weather radar and citizen science data

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The role of wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release in conservation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Ella Kuskoff

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Distributional Shifts and Conservation of Avian Migrants

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Improving biodiversity outcomes in West African cocoa

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Luskin, Dr Wilma J. Blaser Hart, Dr Simon Hart

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Tapping into non-English-language science in tackling global challenges

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Distribution and Invasiveness of the Common myna (Acridotheres tristis) along Gradients

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Salit Kark

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Assessing the effectiveness of acoustic indices for monitoring changes in forest ecosystems

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Berndt Janse Van Rensburg

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Leveraging large camera-trapping datasets to untangle multiple threats to terrestrial and understory bird communities in tropical forests

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Luskin

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Mining and area-based biodiversity conservation: risks and opportunities

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Laura Sonter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Why are waterbirds declining globally?

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The effects of rapid evolution on ecological dynamics and stability in variable environments

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Simon Hart

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Enhancing International Collaboration for Migratory Bird Conservation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding language barriers to the use of scientific knowledge in conservation decision making

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Conserving Urban Parrots in Indonesian Urban Setting

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr April Reside

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding language barriers to the use of scientific knowledge in conservation decision making

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Professor Richard Fuller directly for media enquiries about:

  • biodiversity
  • birds
  • citizen science
  • conservation
  • eastern curlew
  • migratory shorebirds
  • national parks
  • protected areas
  • shorebirds
  • urban green space

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au