Population fluctuations: models, mechanisms and management (2012-2017)

Population trends are the early warning signs of species decline. Despite abundant data and monitoring we still struggle to predict the population trends of threatened or invasive species and to apportion limited natural resource funding to achieve conservation and weed management goals. Using an extensive database of plant population models we will discover key drivers of population change and identify critical triggers for successful population management. Appropriate management options are informed by ecology, costs and feasibility; we will incorporate conceptual advances in population thinking with novel economic-demographic matrix population models to unleash the full potential for existing data to contribute to better management.