Carla Litchfield

Carla Litchfield is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of South Australia, affiliated with the UniSA Justice & Society. Her work focuses on Conservation Psychology, animal behavior, and welfare, with specializations in primatology and human-wildlife interactions. She leads the Conservation Psychology and Applied Animal Behaviour Research Group, emphasizing sustainable human behavior change and animal welfare improvements in captive and natural environments.

Her career includes fieldwork with wild chimpanzees in Uganda, contributions to gorilla tourism guidelines, and advisory roles for international conservation initiatives like GRASP. Litchfield has authored science books for children on conservation and serves as President of the Australasian Primate Society. Her research explores behavioral enrichment for zoo animals, ethical wildlife tourism, and the psychological dimensions of conservation efforts.

Key achievements include receiving the 'Unsung Hero of Australian Science' award (2000) and supervising numerous student projects on animal welfare. She advocates for stronger barriers in zoo enclosures for human safety and emphasizes the importance of public education to foster harmony between humans and wildlife.