Bronte Van Helden

Bronte Van Helden is a part-time academic at The University of Western Australia's School of Agriculture and Environment, with expertise in urban ecology and biodiversity conservation. She currently holds a Research Associate position on an Australian Government-funded project titled "Turning gardeners into conservationists: using gardens to conserve wildlife" and serves as Regional Ecologist at South Coast NRM since 2020.

Education:

• BSc (Hons) in Conservation Biology, University of Western Australia
• PhD in Urban Ecology, University of Western Australia (2021)

Her research focuses on urban environments as critical habitats for wildlife, particularly examining:

• Wildlife-friendly gardening practices
• Urban conservation's impact on human wellbeing
• Critically endangered species adaptation
• Citizen science data collection

Articles highlight trends in garden-based conservation, water resource utilization, and behavioral ecology of urban wildlife.

Scientific Contributions:

• 2022 Early-Career Research Award
• 15+ peer-reviewed publications
• Collaboration with Perth NRM and South Coast NRM

Mentorship: Supervised 11 Honours/Masters students across UWA and Bristol University programs. Grants: Secured over $480,000 in research funding from Australian Government and other institutions.