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Dr. Andrew
Bennett
Senior Lecturer
Deakin University
Biography
Following post-graduate research at the University
of Melbourne on the biogeography and conservation of mammals in
a fragmented forest environment, Dr. Bennett spent 12 years in wildlife
research with the State Government's Department of Natural Resources
and Environment (and its predecessors). Ecological surveys in the
North-East, East Gippsland and Mallee regions were a great introduction
to the State's fauna, followed by studies of ecosystem function
and threatening processes in the dry forests and woodlands of northern
Victoria. He joined Deakin University in 1996, and contributes to
teaching in basic ecology, wildlife ecology, landscape ecology and
urban ecology. The development of an active research group in landscape
ecology, with numerous Honours and post-graduate students, has been
a rewarding experience. Opportunities to spend six months study
leave at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada in 1989, and at the
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Monks Wood, UK in 2000, have been
formative experiences in gaining an appreciation of northern hemisphere
landscapes and different cultural settings for wildlife conservation.
Dr. Bennett's
research interests span wildlife ecology, conservation biology and
landscape ecology. A central theme has been to understand factors
influencing the distribution and conservation status of native wildlife,
particularly in relation to landscape patterns imposed by human
land-use. Current research is addressing three main areas: i) broad-scale
studies of the response of fauna to land-use at the local (patch)
and whole-landscape levels; ii) effects of landscape pattern on
population processes, community structure and ecological interactions;
and iii) predicting and identifying consequences of landscape change.
Over the last decade, the dry forest and woodland ecosystems of
northern Victoria have been the focus for collaborative research
in these areas, with outcomes directed toward improved management
and restoration of these systems.
Selected Publications
Bennett, A.F. 2003. Habitat fragmentation. Ch. 7 in Ecology: An
Australian Perspective (Eds. P. Attiwill and B. Wilson). (Oxford
University Press).
Bennett, A.F., 1999. Linkages in the Landscape. The Role of Corridors
and Connectivity in Wildlife Conservation. (International Union
for the Conservation of Nature: Gland). 254 pp.
Bennett, A.F. and Ford, L.A., 1997. Land use, habitat change and
the conservation of birds in fragmented rural environments: a landscape
perspective from the Northern Plains, Victoria, Australia. Pacific
Conservation Biology 3: 244-61.
Mac Nally, R., Bennett, A.F., Brown, G.W., Lumsden, L.F., Yen, A.,
Hinkley, S., Lilywhite, P. and Ward, D. 2002. How well do ecosystem-based
planning units represent different components of biodiversity? Ecological
Applications 12: 900-912.
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