Dr Damian Michael

Damian Michael is a Senior Research Officer with the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University where he managers several long-term biodiversity monitoring programs in south-eastern Australia. Damian has been working in threatened woodland ecosystems for the past 15 years and is passionate about wildlife conservation and science communication. Damian has a particularly strong interest in the conservation of reptiles in human-modified landscapes and in 2010, he wrote Reptiles of the New South Wales Murray Catchment, a field guide developed to increase the awareness of reptiles in farming landscapes. Damian is also co-author of Woodlands: a disappearing landscape and Wildlife on farms: how to conserve native animals. Recognising the need to improve our understanding of reptiles in changing landscapes, Damian’s research over the past decade has included examining the effects of fire on the spatial ecology of pythons, quantifying the ecological roles of rocky outcrops in agricultural landscapes and evaluating the response of lizards to native vegetation management and habitat restoration programs. Long-term ecological monitoring is crucial for understanding these themes and is made possible by forging strong partnerships with private landholders and natural resource management organisations.