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Dr April Reside

Lecturer in AgroEcology

School of the Environment
Faculty of Science

Lecturer in AgroEcology

School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
Faculty of Science
a.reside@uq.edu.au
+61 7 54601 320

Overview

April Reside is a lecturer in the School of the Environment and School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, affiliated with the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science.

Dr Reside's research encompasses ecology, conservation, and policy; investigating refuges and refugia; and recovery actions and their costs for Australia’s threatened species. April also works on conservation of woodland bird communities, the impact of climate change on biodiversity, and strategies for climate change adaptation. This work has involved applying conservation planning frameworks to identify spatial priorities for climate change adaptation for biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

April has a particular fascination of flying vertebrates, and has worked on bats on three continents and nine countries. She worked as a field ecologist for non-government organisations before her PhD on understanding potential impacts of climate change on Australian tropical savanna birds. She adapted species distribution modelling techniques to account for temporal and spatial variability in the distributions of highly vagile bird species. These dynamic species distribution models take into account species’ responses to fluctuations in weather and short-term climatic conditions rather than long-term climate averages. In her first postdoctoral position, Dr Reside modelled the distribution of c.1700 vertebrates across Australia at a fine resolution, and located the future location of suitable climate for all these species for each decade until 2085. From this, she identified hotspots across Australia where species were moving to in order to track their suitable climate, informing the IUCN SSC Guidelines for Assessing Species’ Vulnerability to Climate Change by the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

April has been involved in conservation of the Black-throated Finch for over 12 years, and is Chair of the Black-throated Finch Recovery Team. She has served on Birdlife Australia's Research and Conservation Committee and Threatened Species Committee; and the Science Committee for the Invasive Species Council.

Research Interests

  • Conservation of the threatened reptiles of the Darling Downs
    Investigating conservation needs of species such as the Condamine earless dragon (Tympanocryptis condaminensis), using novel techniques such as Conservation Detection Dog teams.
  • Ecosystem service provision for agricultural landscapes
    How do we support native insectivores, such as birds and microbats, to play a bigger role in pest control in agricultural landscapes?

Research Impacts

Dr Reside engages with environmental policy in order to achieve better environmental outcomes. Her work on threatened species and environmental policy has contributed to submissions to the 2019 review of Australia’s environmental laws; Australia’s threatened species strategy; Senate Inquiry on Australia’s faunal extinction crisis; Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016; Inquiry into the impact on the agricultural sector of vegetation and land management policies, regulations and restrictions; Australia’s strategy for nature 2018-2030 and others. She has appeared as an expert witness at Parliament House for three inquiry hearings to speak on these matters.

April's work has been covered extensively in online, TV and print media, and regularly writes for public fora such as The Conversation. Her public engagement was recognised with the Young Tall Poppy Award 2020 (Queensland).

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy
  • Doctor of Philosophy, James Cook University

Publications

  • Journal Article: Havens are a pathway, not an endpoint, for species recovery: A response to Woinarski et al. (2023)

    Read, John L., Bradley, Kev, Gordon, Iain J., Manning, Adrian D., Neaves, Linda E., Reside, April E., Smith, Kiarrah J., Southgate, Rick, Wayne, Adrian F., Weeks, Andrew R., Wilson, Belinda A. and Moseby, Katherine E. (2023). Havens are a pathway, not an endpoint, for species recovery: A response to Woinarski et al. (2023). Biological Conservation, 285 110212, 110212. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110212

  • Journal Article: Effectiveness of conservation interventions for Australian woodland birds: a systematic review

    Walsh, Jessica C., Gibson, Michelle R., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Mayfield, Helen J., Bracey, Clare, Melton, Courtney B., Reside, April E. and Maron, Martine (2023). Effectiveness of conservation interventions for Australian woodland birds: a systematic review. Biological Conservation, 282 110030, 110030. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110030

  • Journal Article: The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity

    Allan, James R., Possingham, Hugh P., Atkinson, Scott C., Waldron, Anthony, Di Marco, Moreno, Butchart, Stuart H. M., Adams, Vanessa M., Kissling, W. Daniel, Worsdell, Thomas, Sandbrook, Chris, Gibbon, Gwili, Kumar, Kundan, Mehta, Piyush, Maron, Martine, Williams, Brooke A., Jones, Kendall R., Wintle, Brendan A., Reside, April E. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity. Science, 376 (6597), 1094-1101. doi: 10.1126/science.abl9127

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • Threatened reptiles of the Darling Downs

    Half of the Australian reptiles most at risk of extinction occur in Queensland; and five are grassland earless dragons (genus Tympanocryptis). However, the threatening processes for most of Queensland’s threatened reptiles remain unknown. Threatened reptiles persisting in highly modified landscapes are those most likely at highest risk, such as the Endangered reptiles inhabiting the southern Brigalow Belt which contains some of the most productive agricultural land in the state, producing over a quarter of Queensland’s agricultural output.

    The Condamine earless dragon (Tympanocryptis condaminensis) is one of the threatened reptiles restricted to the Darling Downs in the southern Brigalow Belt, which primarily occur on privately owned agricultural land. Land use and management leading to habitat loss, degradation & fragmentation; and invasive species (namely cats and foxes), are listed as major threats. However, there has been no investigation into the severity and relative impact of threats to this and the other threatened reptile species in this region.

    This project will build upon our preliminary work to investigate habitat requirements, ecology, and threats to the Condamine earless dragon and the other threatened reptile species of this region.

  • Microbat community ecology and conservation

    Healthy, functioning ecosystems containing a broad range of insectivores play a substantial role in pest control as widely documented across the world. Far less research has been conducted on insectivore ecosystem services in Australia, meaning it is still unclear how to optimise key habitat features that support these services while also maximising agricultural productivity. This work would investigate the community of microbats across multi-use landscapes, to understand their role as pest controllers, and to identify landscape features and management that support their conservation.

  • Black-throated finch and other woodland birds: conservation and ecology

    Understanding how to manage habitats for woodland birds, including restoration of cleared and degraded habitat, and managing the impact of threats such as invasive species. Priorities include investigating breeding ecology, and population dynamics; and focus on Black-throated finch.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Featured Publications

  • The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity

    Allan, James R., Possingham, Hugh P., Atkinson, Scott C., Waldron, Anthony, Di Marco, Moreno, Butchart, Stuart H. M., Adams, Vanessa M., Kissling, W. Daniel, Worsdell, Thomas, Sandbrook, Chris, Gibbon, Gwili, Kumar, Kundan, Mehta, Piyush, Maron, Martine, Williams, Brooke A., Jones, Kendall R., Wintle, Brendan A., Reside, April E. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity. Science, 376 (6597), 1094-1101. doi: 10.1126/science.abl9127

Book Chapter

  • Southern Squatter Pigeon: Geophaps scripta scripta

    Ward, Michelle, Reside, April E. and Garnett, Stephen T. (2021). Southern Squatter Pigeon: Geophaps scripta scripta. Action plan for Australian birds 2020. (pp. 44-47) edited by Stephen T. Garnett and G. Barry Baker. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.

  • Southern black-throated finch: Poephila cincta cincta

    Buosi, Peter A. , Vanderduys, Eric P., Grice, Anthony C. and Reside, April E. (2021). Southern black-throated finch: Poephila cincta cincta. Action plan for Australian birds 2020. (pp. 786-789) edited by Stephen T. Garnett and G. Barry Baker. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.

  • Enhancing island conservation outcomes: the policy and legal context, need, and options

    Woinarski, John Z.C., Burbidge, A.A. and Reside, April E. (2018). Enhancing island conservation outcomes: the policy and legal context, need, and options. Australian islands: advances and solutions in island conservation research, management and education. (pp. 45-59) edited by Dorian Moro, Derek Ball and Sally Bryant. Clayton, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.

  • Managing islands in the context of climate change

    Garnett, Stephen T. and Reside, April E. (2018). Managing islands in the context of climate change. Australian island arks : conservation, management and opportunities. (pp. 221-233) edited by Dorian Moro, Derek Ball and Sally Bryant. Clayton, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. doi: 10.1071/9781486306619

  • Management options for bird conservation in the face of climate change

    Franklin, Donald C., Reside, April E. and Garnett, Stephen T. (2015). Management options for bird conservation in the face of climate change. Applied Studies in Climate Adaptation. (pp. 68-76) edited by Jean P. Palutikof, Sarah L. Boulter, Jon Barnett and David Rissik. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley &​ Sons. doi: 10.1002/9781118845028

  • Aspects of the ecology of the bobuck Trichosurus caninus in the Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria

    Martin, J. K., Handasyde, K. A., Wright, C. J., McDonald-Madden, E. and Reside, A. (2004). Aspects of the ecology of the bobuck Trichosurus caninus in the Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria. The biology of Australian possums and gliders. (pp. 484-489) edited by Ross Goldingay and Stephen M. Jackson. Chipping Norton, NSW, Australia: Surrey Beatty & Sons .

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Critical foraging habitat and diet of the Grey-headed Flying-fox in Queensland

    Master Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Dynamic habitat suitability modelling for terrestrial mammals in Australia integrating google earth engine, remote sensing, machine learning and citizen science data

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • The influence of management practices and landscape context on insect communities in agricultural landscapes

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • The influence of changing fire regimes on fire-dependent plant-animal interactions

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Threatened reptiles of the Darling Downs

    Half of the Australian reptiles most at risk of extinction occur in Queensland; and five are grassland earless dragons (genus Tympanocryptis). However, the threatening processes for most of Queensland’s threatened reptiles remain unknown. Threatened reptiles persisting in highly modified landscapes are those most likely at highest risk, such as the Endangered reptiles inhabiting the southern Brigalow Belt which contains some of the most productive agricultural land in the state, producing over a quarter of Queensland’s agricultural output.

    The Condamine earless dragon (Tympanocryptis condaminensis) is one of the threatened reptiles restricted to the Darling Downs in the southern Brigalow Belt, which primarily occur on privately owned agricultural land. Land use and management leading to habitat loss, degradation & fragmentation; and invasive species (namely cats and foxes), are listed as major threats. However, there has been no investigation into the severity and relative impact of threats to this and the other threatened reptile species in this region.

    This project will build upon our preliminary work to investigate habitat requirements, ecology, and threats to the Condamine earless dragon and the other threatened reptile species of this region.

  • Microbat community ecology and conservation

    Healthy, functioning ecosystems containing a broad range of insectivores play a substantial role in pest control as widely documented across the world. Far less research has been conducted on insectivore ecosystem services in Australia, meaning it is still unclear how to optimise key habitat features that support these services while also maximising agricultural productivity. This work would investigate the community of microbats across multi-use landscapes, to understand their role as pest controllers, and to identify landscape features and management that support their conservation.

  • Black-throated finch and other woodland birds: conservation and ecology

    Understanding how to manage habitats for woodland birds, including restoration of cleared and degraded habitat, and managing the impact of threats such as invasive species. Priorities include investigating breeding ecology, and population dynamics; and focus on Black-throated finch.

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Biodiversity, Birds, Bats, Black-throated Finch, Conservation, Refugia, Refuges, Climate Change impacts on Biodiversity, Vulnerability to climate change, Threatened species, Threatened species recovery

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: H-4940-2011

ORCID: 0000-0002-0760-9527

Scopus ID: 16687097700

Personal Profile: Link

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