Peter Speldewinde

Peter Speldewinde serves as a Lecturer at the Albany Centre of The University of Western Australia (UWA), affiliated with the Faculty of Science and School of Biological Sciences. He teaches core courses including BIOL4490 Ecological Field Methods and ENVT3360 Ecosystem Restoration, leveraging decades of field experience in conservation biology and land management.

His research centers on the critical intersection of ecosystem integrity and human health, with specialized expertise in spatial epidemiology, native rodent ecology, and the health impacts of dryland salinity. This work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to planetary health and biodiversity conservation, reflecting a transdisciplinary approach that bridges ecological science and public health.

Recent publications reveal a strong trend toward community-engaged conservation, with significant focus on Indigenous knowledge systems (evident in Aboriginal lizard trap studies), human-wildlife coexistence frameworks, and pollution dynamics in coastal ecosystems. His work increasingly integrates cross-cultural methodologies and field-based restoration practices to address complex environmental health challenges.

• UWA Faculty of Science Excellence Award 2016 for ‘Media Engagement’
• UWA Albany Excellence in Teaching Award 2013
• Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science Teaching Scholar Award 2008

Speldewinde actively supervises research projects and secures competitive grants, including the current Ecological Health Network (EHN) pilot study on ecosystem restoration and Ross River Virus (2025-2026). His grant portfolio spans international collaborations with the Rufford Foundation, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, focusing on zoonotic disease transmission, plastics pollution, and human-predator coexistence.

He operates within UWA's Ecological Health Network and maintains strong field-based collaborations across Western Australia, Southeast Asia (notably Malaysia and Indonesia), and South Sulawesi, where his team investigates ecotourism potential along proposed railway corridors. Current fieldwork integrates traditional ecological knowledge with modern conservation practices in granite outcrop ecosystems.