Valerie Hagger

Dr. Valerie Hagger is a Research Fellow at the School of the Environment, The University of Queensland. Her work focuses on coastal ecosystem conservation and restoration, particularly mangrove ecosystems and blue carbon initiatives. She holds an AXA-UNESCO research fellowship and co-leads projects under the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) and Australian Research Council (ARC). Her research addresses the social-ecological drivers of mangrove loss/gain, restoration effectiveness, and co-benefits for biodiversity, fisheries, and climate mitigation.

Education: PhD in Ecological Restoration from The University of Queensland (2020).

Research Interests: Coastal wetland restoration, mangrove community forestry, carbon abatement, and biodiversity enhancement. She develops frameworks for measuring verified biodiversity benefits in restoration projects and contributes to international guidelines (e.g., mangrove restoration protocols with Conservation International).

Notable Projects:

• Lead investigator for NESP projects on wetland restoration in Australia.
• Co-developer of the Australian Blue Carbon Method for climate mitigation.
• Contributor to UN Ocean Decade initiatives and the Global Mangrove Restoration Tracker.

Awards:

• AXA-UNESCO Research Fellowship (2020–present)

Grants and Collaborations: Works with CSIRO, The Nature Conservancy, Healthy Land and Water, and international organizations like Conservation International. Her research bridges policy, ecology, and community engagement to support resilient coastal livelihoods.

Labs/Teams: Active in restoration ecology networks, including the Society of Ecological Restoration Australasia and Australia’s Restoration Decade Alliance.