Cara Penton

Cara Penton is a Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University (CDU), affiliated with the Northern Institute and CSIRO. She also serves as Ecological Monitoring Manager at Warddeken Land Management in West Arnhem Land, Australia. Her primary roles involve co-developing biodiversity research and monitoring programs that integrate Indigenous knowledge systems with Western scientific methods. She holds a Doctorate in Ecology from CDU, completing her thesis on Hollow futures? Declining arboreal mammals and tree hollow availability in tropical northern Australia under supervisors Brian Murphy, Lachlan-Antony Woolley, and Ian Radford.

• Education: PhD in Ecology (Charles Darwin University, 2021)

Her research focuses on conservation biology, particularly small mammal declines, savanna ecosystems, and Indigenous-Western knowledge integration. Key areas include climate change impacts on biodiversity, fire regime management, and data justice in collaborative conservation. She leads the Healthy Country AI and digital (HCAID) project (2024–2025), exploring AI applications in conservation monitoring.

Recent work highlights include analyzing long-term climate effects on small mammal communities and developing habitat suitability models for threatened species like the white-throated grasswren. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges ecological science with Indigenous land management practices.

• Grants/Projects: Chief Investigator in the HCAID program (2024–2025)

She collaborates with Warddeken Rangers and Northern Territory landowners, emphasizing participatory research methods. Her lab/team works at the Northern Institute and Warddeken Land Management, focusing on applied conservation science with community engagement.