Dr Tatsuya Amano

UQ Amplify Senior Lecturer

School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
t.amano@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 56907

Overview

I am currently the Deputy Director in Research at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science.

I am primarily interested in how we, as scientists, can make meaningful contributions to halting and reversing the ongoing global biodiversity crisis. I am particularly committed to tackling gaps in our knowledge needed for biodiversity conservation, focusing on the following three aspects.

(i) Identifying gaps in existing information and their drivers: I have been working on how information on biodiversity is distributed over space, time and taxa, and what causes the existing gaps in information availability.

(ii) Overcoming information gaps with modelling approaches: I have been applying modelling approaches to better inform conservation initiatives through the use of available, imperfect data. For this I have intensively worked on assessing long-term changes in global waterbird diversity (see for example our recent papers in Nature (also see my blog post) and Nature Climate Change (blog post))

(iii) Bridging the research-implementation gap: I am also keen to provide scientific information for conservation in a more accessible way and have been involved in the Conservation Evidence project as a statistical editor, with the aim of contributing to the implementation of evidence-based decision making in conservation.

I am leading the translatE project (transcending language barriers to environmental sciences), funded by the Australian Research Council, which incorporates the above three aspects in order to understand the consequences of language barriers in biodiversity conservation. The project aims to:

  • assess the importance of scientific knowledge that is available in non-English languages,
  • understand how language barriers impede the application of science in decision making,
  • quantify language barriers to the career development of non-native English speaking scientists, and
  • devise solutions for exchanging information across languages and cultures in an effective manner.

See our work on language barriers in science featured in Nature in 2019 and July and August in 2023, Science in 2020 and 2023, The Conversation in 2021 and 2023, The Guardian, and The Economist, and my presentation on findings from the project (plenary at the 2022 Joint Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania: from 48:48).

Also see the website of Kaizen Conservation Group for our research, members and latest publications.

Research Interests

  • Understanding and overcoming consequences of language barriers in science
    I have been investigating (i) the importance of scientific knowledge that is available in non-English languages, (ii) how language barriers impede the application of science in decision making, (iii) impacts of language barriers on the career development of non-native English speaking scientists, and (iv) solutions for exchanging information across languages and cultures in an effective manner.
  • Facilitating evidence-based conservation
    I am keen to generate and provie scientific evidence in a more accessible way and have been involved in the Conservation Evidence project as a statistical editor, with the aim of contributing to the implementation of evidence-based decision making in conservation.
  • Identifying gaps in biodiversity information/research and their drivers
    I have been working on how knowledge on biodiversity and its conservation is distributed over space, time and taxa, and what causes the existing gaps in knowledge availability.
  • Overcoming biodiversity information gaps with modelling approaches
    I have been applying modelling approaches to better inform conservation initiatives through the use of available, imperfect data. For this I have intensively worked on assessing long-term changes in waterbird diversity at the global and national scales.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Tokyo
  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, University of Tokyo
  • Bachelor of Science, University of Tokyo

Publications

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Ramírez-Castañeda, Valeria, Berdejo-Espinola, Violeta, Borokini, Israel, Chowdhury, Shawan, Golivets, Marina, González-Trujillo, Juan David, Montaño-Centellas, Flavia, Paudel, Kumar, White, Rachel Louise and Veríssimo, Diogo (2023). The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science. PLOS Biology, 21 (7) e3002184, e3002184. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002184

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Berdejo-Espinola, Violeta, Akasaka, Munemitsu, de Andrade Junior, Milton A. U., Blaise, Ndayizeye, Checco, Julia, Çilingir, F. Gözde, Citegetse, Geoffroy, Corella Tor, Marina, Drobniak, Szymon M., Giakoumi, Sylvaine, Golivets, Marina, Ion, Mihaela C., Jara-Díaz, Javiera P., Katayose, Ryosuke, Lasmana, Felicia P. S., Lin, Hsien-Yung, Lopez, Erick, Mikula, Peter, Morales-Barquero, Lucia, Mupepele, Anne-Christine, Narváez-Gómez, Juan P., Nguyen, Thi Hieu, Lisboa, Sá Nogueira, Nuñez, Martin A., Pavón-Jordán, Diego, Pottier, Patrice, Prescott, Graham W., Samad, Farah ... Zamora-Gutierrez, Veronica (2023). The role of non-English-language science in informing national biodiversity assessments. Nature Sustainability, 6 (7), 845-854. doi: 10.1038/s41893-023-01087-8

  • Wauchope, Hannah S., Jones, Julia P. G., Geldmann, Jonas, Simmons, Benno I., Amano, Tatsuya, Blanco, Daniel E., Fuller, Richard A., Johnston, Alison, Langendoen, Tom, Mundkur, Taej, Nagy, Szabolcs and Sutherland, William J. (2022). Protected areas have a mixed impact on waterbirds, but management helps. Nature, 605 (7908), 103-107. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04617-0

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Berdejo-Espinola, Violeta, Christie, Alec P., Willott, Kate, Akasaka, Munemitsu, Báldi, András, Berthinussen, Anna, Bertolino, Sandro, Bladon, Andrew J., Chen, Min, Choi, Chang-Yong, Bou Dagher Kharrat, Magda, de Oliveira, Luis G., Farhat, Perla, Golivets, Marina, Hidalgo Aranzamendi, Nataly, Jantke, Kerstin, Kajzer-Bonk, Joanna, Kemahlı Aytekin, M. Çisel, Khorozyan, Igor, Kito, Kensuke, Konno, Ko, Lin, Da-Li, Littlewood, Nick, Liu, Yang, Liu, Yifan, Loretto, Matthias-Claudio, Marconi, Valentina, Martin, Philip A. ... Sutherland, William J. (2021). Tapping into non-English-language science for the conservation of global biodiversity. PLoS Biology, 19 (10) e3001296, e3001296. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001296

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Rios Rojas, Clarissa, Boum II, Yap, Calvo, Margarita and Misra, Biswapriya B. (2021). Ten tips for overcoming language barriers in science. Nature Human Behaviour, 5 (9), 1119-1122. doi: 10.1038/s41562-021-01137-1

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Székely, Tamás, Wauchope, Hannah S., Sandel, Brody, Nagy, Szabolcs, Mundkur, Taej, Langendoen, Tom, Blanco, Daniel, Michel, Nicole L. and Sutherland, William J. (2020). Responses of global waterbird populations to climate change vary with latitude. Nature Climate Change, 10 (10), 959-964. doi: 10.1038/s41558-020-0872-3

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Szekely, Tamas, Sandel, Brody, Nagy, Szabolcs, Mundkur, Taej, Langendoen, Tom, Blanco, Daniel, Soykan, Candan U. and Sutherland, William J. (2018). Successful conservation of global waterbird populations depends on effective governance. Nature, 553 (7687), 199-202. doi: 10.1038/nature25139

  • Amano, Tatsuya, González-Varo, Juan P. and Sutherland, William J. (2016). Languages Are Still a Major Barrier to Global Science. PLoS Biology, 14 (12) e2000933, e2000933. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2000933

View all Publications

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Featured Publications

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Ramírez-Castañeda, Valeria, Berdejo-Espinola, Violeta, Borokini, Israel, Chowdhury, Shawan, Golivets, Marina, González-Trujillo, Juan David, Montaño-Centellas, Flavia, Paudel, Kumar, White, Rachel Louise and Veríssimo, Diogo (2023). The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science. PLOS Biology, 21 (7) e3002184, e3002184. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002184

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Berdejo-Espinola, Violeta, Akasaka, Munemitsu, de Andrade Junior, Milton A. U., Blaise, Ndayizeye, Checco, Julia, Çilingir, F. Gözde, Citegetse, Geoffroy, Corella Tor, Marina, Drobniak, Szymon M., Giakoumi, Sylvaine, Golivets, Marina, Ion, Mihaela C., Jara-Díaz, Javiera P., Katayose, Ryosuke, Lasmana, Felicia P. S., Lin, Hsien-Yung, Lopez, Erick, Mikula, Peter, Morales-Barquero, Lucia, Mupepele, Anne-Christine, Narváez-Gómez, Juan P., Nguyen, Thi Hieu, Lisboa, Sá Nogueira, Nuñez, Martin A., Pavón-Jordán, Diego, Pottier, Patrice, Prescott, Graham W., Samad, Farah ... Zamora-Gutierrez, Veronica (2023). The role of non-English-language science in informing national biodiversity assessments. Nature Sustainability, 6 (7), 845-854. doi: 10.1038/s41893-023-01087-8

  • Wauchope, Hannah S., Jones, Julia P. G., Geldmann, Jonas, Simmons, Benno I., Amano, Tatsuya, Blanco, Daniel E., Fuller, Richard A., Johnston, Alison, Langendoen, Tom, Mundkur, Taej, Nagy, Szabolcs and Sutherland, William J. (2022). Protected areas have a mixed impact on waterbirds, but management helps. Nature, 605 (7908), 103-107. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04617-0

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Berdejo-Espinola, Violeta, Christie, Alec P., Willott, Kate, Akasaka, Munemitsu, Báldi, András, Berthinussen, Anna, Bertolino, Sandro, Bladon, Andrew J., Chen, Min, Choi, Chang-Yong, Bou Dagher Kharrat, Magda, de Oliveira, Luis G., Farhat, Perla, Golivets, Marina, Hidalgo Aranzamendi, Nataly, Jantke, Kerstin, Kajzer-Bonk, Joanna, Kemahlı Aytekin, M. Çisel, Khorozyan, Igor, Kito, Kensuke, Konno, Ko, Lin, Da-Li, Littlewood, Nick, Liu, Yang, Liu, Yifan, Loretto, Matthias-Claudio, Marconi, Valentina, Martin, Philip A. ... Sutherland, William J. (2021). Tapping into non-English-language science for the conservation of global biodiversity. PLoS Biology, 19 (10) e3001296, e3001296. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001296

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Rios Rojas, Clarissa, Boum II, Yap, Calvo, Margarita and Misra, Biswapriya B. (2021). Ten tips for overcoming language barriers in science. Nature Human Behaviour, 5 (9), 1119-1122. doi: 10.1038/s41562-021-01137-1

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Székely, Tamás, Wauchope, Hannah S., Sandel, Brody, Nagy, Szabolcs, Mundkur, Taej, Langendoen, Tom, Blanco, Daniel, Michel, Nicole L. and Sutherland, William J. (2020). Responses of global waterbird populations to climate change vary with latitude. Nature Climate Change, 10 (10), 959-964. doi: 10.1038/s41558-020-0872-3

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Szekely, Tamas, Sandel, Brody, Nagy, Szabolcs, Mundkur, Taej, Langendoen, Tom, Blanco, Daniel, Soykan, Candan U. and Sutherland, William J. (2018). Successful conservation of global waterbird populations depends on effective governance. Nature, 553 (7687), 199-202. doi: 10.1038/nature25139

  • Amano, Tatsuya, González-Varo, Juan P. and Sutherland, William J. (2016). Languages Are Still a Major Barrier to Global Science. PLoS Biology, 14 (12) e2000933, e2000933. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2000933

Book Chapter

  • White, Thomas B., Amano, Tatsuya, Boersch-Supan, Philipp, Christie, Alec P., Freckleton, Robert, Quinzin, Maud C., Rezaie, Ali Mohammad, Sutherland, William J. and Yamashita, Hiromi (2022). Gathering and assessing pieces of evidence. Transforming conservation: a practical guide to evidence and decision making. (pp. 31-74) edited by William J. Sutherland. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Open Book Publishers. doi: 10.11647/obp.0321.02

  • Sutherland, William J., Amano, Tatsuya, Boenisch, Nicolas, Cheng, Samantha H., Christie, Alec P., Godfray, Hugh Charles Jonathan, Grainger, Matthew J., McLean, Angela R., Morgan, William H., Ockendon, Nancy, Randall, Nicola P., Sahlin, Ullrika and White, Thomas B. (2022). Presenting conclusions from assessed evidence. Transforming conservation: a practical guide to evidence and decision making. (pp. 95-132) edited by William J. Sutherland. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Open Book Publishers. doi: 10.11647/obp.0321.04

  • Amano, Tatsuya, Bako, Longji, Best, Marina, Boenisch, Nicolas, Boersch-Supan, Philipp, Browne, Des, Buckley, Yvonne, Burgman, Mark, Cadotte, Marc W., Canessa, Stefano, Cheng, Samantha H., Christie, Alec P., Citegetse, Geoffroy, Cook, Carly N., Cooke, Steven J., Cranston, Gemma, Dicks, Lynn V., De la Luz, Angelita, Dickson, Iain, Downey, Harriet, Eklund, Johanna, Esmail, Nafeesa, Ferraro, Paul J., Field, Alison, Fisher, Martin, Freckleton, Robert, Winifred Frick, Godfray, Hugh Charles Jonathan, Grainger, Matthew J. ... Young, Lindsay C. (2022). Transforming practice: checklists for delivering change. Transforming conservation: a practical guide to evidence and decision making. (pp. 367-386) edited by William J. Sutherland. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Open Book Publishers. doi: 10.11647/obp.0321.12

  • Miyashita, Tadashi, Amano, Tatsuya and Yamakita, Takehisa (2014). Effects of ecosystem diversity on species richness and ecosystem functioning and services: a general conceptualization. Integrative observations and assessments. (pp. 29-47) edited by Shin-ichi Nakano, Tetsukazu Yahara and Tohru Nakashizuka. Berlin, Germany: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-4-431-54783-9_2

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision