ILWS - Institute of Land, Water and Society
Dr Denis Saunders (AM)
Bsc (Hons) Zoology ANU, PhD (Animal Ecology) WAust
Past Chairman, ILWS Advisory Board
Adjunct professor
As former CSIRO chief research scientist Dr Denis Saunders says he has "a strong commitment to conservation biology and to communicating landscape ecology and conservation to all members of the community."
This commitment is demonstrated by his involvement, much of which is on a voluntary basis, in various environmental organisations; appointments to advisory committees; and his philanthropic interests.
Denis was the Assistant Chief of CSIRO's Division of Wildlife and Ecology before he retired in 2002 to "concentrate on research and other areas of interest".
"When I left CSIRO I still wanted to influence the way natural resources are managed in this country - I would like to see us stay in this country without further degrading it - and I believe I am in a better position now to do this than I was," says Denis who began his career as a research scientist with CSIRO Wildlife Research in Western Australia in 1967. From 1968 to 1982 his research focussed on the ecology, behaviour and taxonomy of cockatoos (White-tailed Black Cockatoos, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and Corellas.)
In the late 60s and 70s Denis researched several species of cockatoos including the Red- tailed Black Cockatoo. From 1981 to 1984 he worked on the ecology of island bird communities, and from 1984 to the present, his research interests have been:
- conservation of bird communities in production landscapes
- landscape design and integration of conservation with production in agricultural landscapes
- community involvement in research and management
- state of the environment reporting.
To date Denis has written two books, and more than 130 scientific papers, chapters in books, reports or other publications. He has also edited eight scientific books including four in Surrey Beatty and Sons influential Nature Conservation series.
Since 1997 he has lived in Canberra and since retirement has an honorary research fellowship with CSIRO to continue writing up his past research work and to assist/mentor other staff.
Denis, a member of the former Johnstone Centre for Natural Resource and Society's advisory board and an adjunct professor with CSU, has maintained his connection to CSU by taking on the role of chair of the Institute's advisory board. He:
- is president of World Wildlife Fund ( Australia ) and in this capacity works with its executive staff to set strategic directions for international and national priorities such as preventing land-clearing, water issues, climate change and threatened species
- is one of seven appointed councillors on the Australian Heritage Council which advises the Federal Minister for Environment and Water Resources on heritage matters related to Australia 's National Heritage List
- is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists along with 10 other scientists including Prof Peter Cullen, Dr John Williams and Prof Tim Flannery
- was heavily involved in and chaired the reference group for the development of the Invasive Native Scrub Module in the Property Vegetation Plan Developer, a software tool which is used by Catchment Management Authorities in NSW for farm planning
- chairs an invasive native scrub research project involving several CMAs, the Department of Environment and Conservation and a number of universities in central west and western NSW
- sits on Parks Victoria's Environment Committee and chairs the reference group looking at an experimental manipulation of the Box Ironbark reserves
- sits on a technical reference group for Gippsland Water
- was, up until the end of 2007, an editor with the academic journal, Biological Conservation , one of the two leading conservation journals in the world, and has remained on its editorial advisory board. Prior to his six years with Biological Conservation , Denis was an editor with Conservation Biology for nine years
- chairs a steering committee for the Better Knowledge for Better Bush project which involves a number of Institute members including A/Prof Ian Lunt and Dr Peter Spooner.
In 2005 Denis (with his wife and two daughters) set up a Prescribed Private Fund, Sara Halvedene Foundation, a charitable foundation whose aims are environment and indigenous health, and investing in a more sustainable and equitable country. Its largest donation to date is $195,000 over three years to pay the salary of a coordinator with the Fred Hollows Foundation to set up a health and numeracy/literacy and 'back to country' program at Wilcannia in western NSW.
The foundation also supports Bush Heritage Australia which has an anthropology/ archaeological project, the Gondwana Link, where they are working with the local Noongar people to establish their links to the land purchased by Bush Heritage Australia and Greening Australia in south west WA.
Denis has also received a number of national and international awards for his contribution to conservation biology. In 2002 he was made a member of the general division of the order of Australia (AM) for service to nature conservation, particularly through the study of Australian birds and development of landscape ecology in Australia .
Publications and Projects
Contact
Email: denis.saunders@csiro.au