معرفی
Professor Skye Wassens is an internationally recognised ecologist at Charles Sturt University's College of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences and the Gulbali Institute. She specialises in the ecology and conservation of wetland dependent amphibians, with her research on amphibian responses to environmental flooding influencing water management policies throughout the Murray-Darling Basin. Her work currently underpins environmental flooding strategies in the Lowbidgee floodplain and Yanga National Park, the Murrumbidgee Water Sharing Plan and management of wetlands in the Mid Lachlan River.
- Doctor of Philosophy, Charles Sturt University (2006)
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours), Charles Sturt University (1999)
Professor Wassens' research focuses on the complex relationships between wetland hydrology and amphibian ecology. Her pioneering work on amphibian water requirements has been instrumental in incorporating amphibians into environmental flooding programs. She leads major field-based research projects examining amphibian dispersal patterns in response to flooding, tadpole ecology, interactions between native and introduced freshwater fish and amphibian recruitment, temporal activity patterns of wetland-dependent frogs, and large-scale drivers of amphibian habitat occupancy in regulated rivers and floodplain wetlands.
Her publication portfolio demonstrates a strong focus on the conservation of threatened amphibian species, particularly the southern bell frog, within the context of environmental water management. Recent work analyzes extinction risks for freshwater mammals and amphibians, develops innovative detection methods for elusive species, and examines how environmental watering influences population viability in the face of disease threats like chytridiomycosis. Her research consistently bridges the gap between academic science and practical water management policy.
- Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research (2015)
As a Registered Supervisor, Professor Wassens mentors the next generation of environmental scientists. She leads the Murrumbidgee Long Term Intervention Monitoring Project, which provides critical scientific evaluation of environmental water delivery outcomes. Her external roles include serving on the Technical Advisory Panel for BHP Billiton's Litoria aurea Compensatory Habitat Program and the River Red Gum Adaptive Management Science Advisory Committee. Her research is frequently funded through partnerships with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office and other government agencies focused on sustainable water management.
Professor Wassens is a key contributor to the Gulbali Institute and the Murrumbidgee Flow Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (Flow-MER) program. Her work involves extensive field research across the Murray-Darling Basin, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams of ecologists, hydrologists, and water managers. Through the Flow-MER program, she helps translate scientific findings into practical management recommendations for environmental water holders and stakeholders.
