Chris works on a broad range of topics related to conservation biology. His recent work is focused on invasive species management and how governments can make better decisions to maximise cost-effectiveness to protect biodiversity and social values.
Chris also researches human-wildlife conflict and coexistence, and he has developed a series of global spatial analyses that illustrate the effects of human footprint on threatened species and their habitats. His research has been published in a number of high-impact journals and has been featured on media outlets such as The Guardian, ABC News, Scientific American, and The Conversation.
Before his work at UQ, Chris was a Wildlife Biologist for the State of Florida in the USA where he developed habitat management plans and liaised with private landowners on conservation easement lands. He has a PhD in Conservation Biology from UQ, an MSc in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University, and a BA in General Biology from Austin Peay State University.
Journal Article: How success is evaluated in collaborative invasive species management: A systematic review
Abeysinghe, Nisansala, Guerrero, Angela M., Rhodes, Jonathan R., McDonald-Madden, Eve and O'Bryan, Christopher J. (2023). How success is evaluated in collaborative invasive species management: A systematic review. Journal of Environmental Management, 348 119272, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119272
Journal Article: Unravelling how collaboration impacts success of invasive species management
Abeysinghe, Nisansala, O'Bryan, Christopher J., Guerrero, Angela M., Rhodes, Jonathan R. and McDonald‐Madden, Eve (2023). Unravelling how collaboration impacts success of invasive species management. People and Nature. doi: 10.1002/pan3.10544
Journal Article: Setting conservation priorities in multi-actor systems
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Rhodes, Jonathan R., Osunkoya, Olusegun O., Lundie-Jenkins, Geoff, Mudiyanselage, Nisansala Abeysinghe, Sydes, Travis, Calvert, Moya, McDonald-Madden, Eve and Bode, Michael (2023). Setting conservation priorities in multi-actor systems. BioScience, 73 (7), 522-532. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biad046
Tackling Pests Using Game Theory to Support Cooperative Management
Doctor Philosophy
How success is evaluated in collaborative invasive species management: A systematic review
Abeysinghe, Nisansala, Guerrero, Angela M., Rhodes, Jonathan R., McDonald-Madden, Eve and O'Bryan, Christopher J. (2023). How success is evaluated in collaborative invasive species management: A systematic review. Journal of Environmental Management, 348 119272, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119272
Unravelling how collaboration impacts success of invasive species management
Abeysinghe, Nisansala, O'Bryan, Christopher J., Guerrero, Angela M., Rhodes, Jonathan R. and McDonald‐Madden, Eve (2023). Unravelling how collaboration impacts success of invasive species management. People and Nature. doi: 10.1002/pan3.10544
Setting conservation priorities in multi-actor systems
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Rhodes, Jonathan R., Osunkoya, Olusegun O., Lundie-Jenkins, Geoff, Mudiyanselage, Nisansala Abeysinghe, Sydes, Travis, Calvert, Moya, McDonald-Madden, Eve and Bode, Michael (2023). Setting conservation priorities in multi-actor systems. BioScience, 73 (7), 522-532. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biad046
The unequal burden of human-wildlife conflict
Braczkowski, Alexander R., O'Bryan, Christopher J., Lessmann, Christian, Rondinini, Carlo, Crysell, Anna P., Gilbert, Sophie, Stringer, Martin, Gibson, Luke and Biggs, Duan (2023). The unequal burden of human-wildlife conflict. Communications Biology, 6 (1) 182, 182. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-04493-y
Conservation implications and opportunities of mining activities for terrestrial mammal habitat
Sonter, Laura J., Lloyd, Thomas J., Kearney, Stephen G., Di Marco, Moreno, O'Bryan, Christopher J., Valenta, Richard K. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Conservation implications and opportunities of mining activities for terrestrial mammal habitat. Conservation Science and Practice, 4 (12) e12806, 1-11. doi: 10.1111/csp2.12806
Human impacts on the world’s raptors
O’Bryan, Christopher J., Allan, James R., Suarez-Castro, Andres Felipe, Delsen, Dobrochna M., Buij, Ralph, McClure, Christopher J. W., Rehbein, Jose A., Virani, Munir Z., McCabe, Jennifer D., Tyrrell, Peter, Negret, Pablo J., Greig, Chris, Brehony, Peadar and Kissling, W. Daniel (2022). Human impacts on the world’s raptors. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10 624896, 1-14. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.624896
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Hamed, M. Kevin, Laughlin, Thomas F. and Coffey, J. Wallace (2022). Body-size and aerial basking dynamics of the Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera) in a human-modified landscape in Tennessee, USA. Journal of North American Herpetology, 2022 1, 8-13.
O’Bryan, Christopher J., Patton, Nicholas R., Hone, Jim, Lewis, Jesse S., Berdejo‐Espinola, Violeta, Risch, Derek R., Holden, Matthew H. and McDonald‐Madden, Eve (2021). Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) as a human‐mediated source of soil carbon emissions: Uncertainties and future directions. Global Change Biology, 28 (3), e1-e3. doi: 10.1111/gcb.15992
How to halve the carbon and biodiversity impacts of biofuel-driven land-use change in Brazil
de Andrade Junior, Milton A. U., Watson, James E. M., Williams, Brooke A., Allan, James R., O'Bryan, Christopher J. and Maxwell, Sean L. (2021). How to halve the carbon and biodiversity impacts of biofuel-driven land-use change in Brazil. Biological Conservation, 260 109214, 109214. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109214
Unrecognized threat to global soil carbon by a widespread invasive species
O’Bryan, Christopher J., Patton, Nicholas R., Hone, Jim, Lewis, Jesse S., Berdejo‐Espinola, Violeta, Risch, Derek R., Holden, Matthew H. and McDonald‐Madden, Eve (2021). Unrecognized threat to global soil carbon by a widespread invasive species. Global Change Biology, 28 (3) gcb.15769, 1-6. doi: 10.1111/gcb.15769
Braczkowski, Alexander, Fattebert, Julien, Schenk, Ralph, O'Bryan, Christopher, Biggs, Duan and Maron, Martine (2020). Evidence for increasing human-wildlife conflict despite a financial compensation scheme on the edge of a Ugandan National Park. Conservation Science and Practice, 2 (12) e309. doi: 10.1111/csp2.309
The importance of indigenous peoples’ lands for the conservation of terrestrial mammals
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Garnett, Stephen T., Fa, John E., Leiper, Ian, Rehbein, Jose, Fernández‐Llamazares, Álvaro, Jackson, Micha V., Jonas, Harry D., Brondizio, Eduardo S., Burgess, Neil D., Robinson, Catherine J., Zander, Kerstin K., Venter, Oscar and Watson, James E.M. (2020). The importance of indigenous peoples’ lands for the conservation of terrestrial mammals. Conservation Biology, 35 (3) cobi.13620, 1002-1008. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13620
Conservation epidemiology of predators and scavengers to reduce zoonotic risk
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Braczkowski, Alexander R., Magalhães, Ricardo J. Soares and McDonald-Madden, Eve (2020). Conservation epidemiology of predators and scavengers to reduce zoonotic risk. The Lancet Planetary Health, 4 (8), e304-e305. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30166-2
Intense human pressure is widespread across terrestrial vertebrate ranges
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Allan, James R., Holden, Matthew, Sanderson, Christopher, Venter, Oscar, Di Marco, Moreno, McDonald-Madden, Eve and Watson, James E.M. (2020). Intense human pressure is widespread across terrestrial vertebrate ranges. Global Ecology and Conservation, 21 e00882, e00882. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00882
Allan, James R., Watson, James E M, Marco, Moreno Di, O'Bryan, Christopher J., Possingham, Hugh P., Atkinson, Scott C. and Venter, Oscar (2019). Erratum: Correction: Hotspots of human impact on threatened terrestrial vertebrates (PLoS biology (2019) 17 3 (e3000158)). PLoS Biology, 17 (12) e3000598. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000598
The ayahuasca tourism boom: an undervalued demand driver for jaguar body parts?
Braczkowski, Alexander, Ruzo, Andrés, Sanchez, Fatima, Castagnino, Romi, Brown, Chip, Guynup, Sharon, Winter, Steve, Gandy, Devlin and O'Bryan, Christopher (2019). The ayahuasca tourism boom: an undervalued demand driver for jaguar body parts?. Conservation Science and Practice, 1 (12) e126. doi: 10.1111/csp2.126
The mesoscavenger release hypothesis and implications for ecosystem and human well‐being
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Holden, Matthew H. and Watson, James E.M. (2019). The mesoscavenger release hypothesis and implications for ecosystem and human well‐being. Ecology Letters, 22 (9) ele.13288, 1340-1348. doi: 10.1111/ele.13288
Hotspots of human impact on threatened terrestrial vertebrates
Allan, James R., Watson, James E. M., Di Marco, Moreno, O’Bryan, Christopher J., Possingham, Hugh P., Atkinson, Scott C. and Venter, Oscar (2019). Hotspots of human impact on threatened terrestrial vertebrates. PLOS Biology, 17 (3) e3000158, e3000158. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000158
Reach and messages of the world's largest ivory burn
Braczkowski, Alexander, Holden, Matthew H., O'Bryan, Christopher, Choi, Chi-Yeung, Gan, Xiaojing, Beesley, Nicholas, Gao, Yufang, Allan, James, Tyrrell, Peter, Stiles, Daniel, Brehony, Peadar, Meney, Revocatus, Brink, Henry, Takashina, Nao, Lin, Ming-Ching, Lin, Hsien-Yung, Rust, Niki, Salmo, Severino G., Watson, James Em, Kahumbu, Paula, Maron, Martine, Possingham, Hugh P. and Biggs, Duan (2018). Reach and messages of the world's largest ivory burn. Conservation Biology, 32 (4), 765-773. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13097
Author correction: The contribution of predators and scavengers to human well-being
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Braczkowski, Alexander R., Beyer, Hawthorne L., Carter, Neil H., Watson, James E. M. and McDonald-Madden, Eve (2018). Author correction: The contribution of predators and scavengers to human well-being. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2 (5), 911-911. doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0527-1
Leopards provide public health benefits in Mumbai, India
Braczkowski, Alexander R., O'Bryan, Christopher J., Stringer, Martin J., Watson, James E. M., Possingham, Hugh P. and Beyer, Hawthorne L. (2018). Leopards provide public health benefits in Mumbai, India. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 16 (3), 176-182. doi: 10.1002/fee.1776
Leopards in a city park in India may help lower human injuries and deaths from stray dog bites
O'Bryan, Christopher and Braczkowski, Alexander Richard (2018, 03 08). Leopards in a city park in India may help lower human injuries and deaths from stray dog bites The Conversation
The contribution of predators and scavengers to human well-being
O’Bryan, Christopher J., Braczkowski, Alexander R., Beyer, Hawthorne L., Carter, Neil H., Watson, James E. M. and McDonald-Madden, Eve (2018). The contribution of predators and scavengers to human well-being. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2 (2), 229-236. doi: 10.1038/s41559-017-0421-2
O’Bryan, Christopher J. (2017). Documentation of unusual movement behaviour of the indigo snake drymarchon couperi (Holbrook, 1842) (squamata: Colubridae), an upland species, in a pastureland matrix of the USA. Herpetology Notes, 10, 317-318.
Novel habitat use supports population maintenance in a reconfigured landscape
O'Bryan, C. J., Homyack, J. A., Baldwin, R. F., Kanno, Y. and Harrison, A. -L. (2016). Novel habitat use supports population maintenance in a reconfigured landscape. Ecosphere, 7 (3) e01228, e01228. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.1228
Community occupancy of herpetofauna in roadside ditches in a managed pine landscape
Homyack, Jessica A., O'Bryan, Christopher J., Thornton, Jamie E. and Baldwin, Robert F. (2016). Community occupancy of herpetofauna in roadside ditches in a managed pine landscape. Forest Ecology and Management, 361, 346-357. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2015.11.037
Apalone spinifera (Spiny Softshell)
O'Bryan, Chris J., Hamed, M. Kevin, Coffey, J. Wallace, Rowell, Brent and Laughlin, Thomas F. (2015). Apalone spinifera (Spiny Softshell). Herpetological Review, 46 (3), 214-214.
Anuran assemblages associated with roadside ditches in a managed pine landscape
Homyack, Jessica A., O'Bryan, Christopher J., Thornton, Jamie E. and Baldwin, Robert F. (2014). Anuran assemblages associated with roadside ditches in a managed pine landscape. Forest Ecology and Management, 334, 217-231. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2014.08.035
Further presence of ranavirus infection in amphibian populations of Tennessee, USA
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Gray, Matthew J. and Brooks, Chad S. (2012). Further presence of ranavirus infection in amphibian populations of Tennessee, USA. Herpetological Review, 43 (2), 293-295.
Southwest Virginia's first winter nest record of barn owl (Tyto alba)
O'Bryan, Christopher J., Jones, Andrew W. and Coffey, J. Wallace (2008). Southwest Virginia's first winter nest record of barn owl (Tyto alba). The Raven, 79 1, 3-4.
Braczkowski, Alexander Richard , O'Bryan, Christopher J. , Biggs, Duan and Gilbert, Sophie (2023, 02 24). Losing a calf to wolves in Sweden hurts. But if lions take one in Uganda, a farming family’s income is gone The Conversation
Survey data for Unravelling how collaboration impacts success of invasive species management
Abeysinghe Mudiyanselage, Nisansala, McDonald-Madden, Eve and O'Bryan, Christopher (2023). Survey data for Unravelling how collaboration impacts success of invasive species management. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/07591a8
O'Bryan, Christopher J., McDonald-Madden, Eve, Hone, Jim, Holden, Matthew H. and Patton, Nicholas R. (2021, 07 23). Los jabalíes, una de las especies invasoras más dañinas, liberan cada año las mismas emisiones que un millón de automoviles The Conversation
O'Bryan, Christopher J., McDonald-Madden, Eve, Hone, Jim , Holden, Matthew H. and Nicholas R. Patton (2021, 07 20). ‘One of the most damaging invasive species on Earth’: wild pigs release the same emissions as 1 million cars each year The Conversation
Why paying people to tolerate wildlife is not the magic bullet for conservation
Braczkowski, Alexander Richard, O'Bryan, Christopher, Biggs, Duan, Fattebert, Julien and Maron, Martine (2021, 01 12). Why paying people to tolerate wildlife is not the magic bullet for conservation The Conversation
Un esfuerzo pionero para salvar al pangolín de la extinción
Braczkowski, Alexander Richard , O'Bryan, Christopher J., Biggs, Duan and Jansen, Raymond (2020, 06 07). Un esfuerzo pionero para salvar al pangolín de la extinción The Conversation
The exposure and contribution of predators and scavengers to humans
O'Bryan, Christopher Joel (2020). The exposure and contribution of predators and scavengers to humans. PhD Thesis, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2020.204
‘Intense’ human pressure is widespread among terrestrial vertebrates, study finds
O'Bryan, Christopher J. and Watson, James (2020, 02 27). ‘Intense’ human pressure is widespread among terrestrial vertebrates, study finds Mongabay
Guns, snares and bulldozers: new map reveals hotspots for harm to wildlife
Allan, James , O'Bryan, Christopher J. and Watson, James (2019, 03 13). Guns, snares and bulldozers: new map reveals hotspots for harm to wildlife The Conversation
Helping farmers and reducing car crashes: the surprising benefits of predators
O'Bryan, Christopher, McDonald-Madden, Eve, Watson, James and Carter, Neil (2018, 04 23). Helping farmers and reducing car crashes: the surprising benefits of predators The Conversation
Ivory up in flames, but who really noticed? How messages on elephant poaching might be missed
Holden, Matthew H., Braczkowski, Alexander Richard, O'Bryan, Christopher, Biggs, Duan, Possingham, Hugh, Allan, James and Watson, James (2018, 03 12). Ivory up in flames, but who really noticed? How messages on elephant poaching might be missed The Conversation
We should embrace scavengers and predators
O'Bryan, Christopher J. and Watson, James (2018, 03 09). We should embrace scavengers and predators Scientific American
Tackling Pests Using Game Theory to Support Cooperative Management
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
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