Lee Baumgartner

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Biography

I am an applied research leader and academic who has achieved substantial food security outcomes in countries working within the food-water-energy nexus. In many countries where I work, water is needed for life, but also provides an opportunity to grow crops using irrigation, and by generating hydropower. In these countries, fish are an important source of biodiversity, have cultural significance, supply animal protein, calcium and generate hard income but are declining because of river development. But the food and energy needs of countries is growing; necessitating expanded energy grids and irrigation systems.

My collaborative, high-impact, research focuses on the development and application of innovative technology, in the field of ecohydrology, to reduce pressure on fisheries systems and reverse declines. Specifically, my work focuses on irrigation and hydropower sustainability; applying innovation to ensure river communities can have food, water and energy. My work is multi-disciplinary; requiring collaboration with engineers, functional ecologists, social scientists, policy experts and water professionals.

Research
  • Freshwater fisheries
  • Fish passage and migration
  • Mitigating human disturbances
  • Sustainable Hydropower
  • Riverine ecology and Management
Publications
Full publications list on CRO

Recent  publications

    UN Policy Brief offers guidance to practitioners seeking to implement the irrigation systems
    Baumgartner, L., Conallin, J. and Turner, C. (2023). Modernizing irrigation for fisheries, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Next Generation Water Management Policy Briefs, No. 5. Bangkok, FAO.

  • Thant, K. J. W., Thew, P., Pera, J., Baumgartner, L. J., & Seneviratha, L. (2025). A critical review of artificial destratification systems for mitigating water stratification. Environmental Advances, 21, 100649. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2025.100649
  • Wibowo, A., Chadijah, A., Kurniawan, K., Prakoso, V. A., Atminarso, D., Irawan, D., Rochman, F., Astuti, S. S., Surbani, I. L., Deniansen, T., Rosadi, I., Jaya, Y. Y. P., Sudarsono, S., Baumgartner, L. J., Hubert, N., & Stuart, I. G. (2025). DNA barcoding reveals larval fish diversity and distribution along the Cibareno River (West Java, Indonesia). Mar. Freshwater Res., 76(2). https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24236
  • Bond, J., Pawsey, N., Conallin, J., & Baumgartner, L. J. (2025). Socio-institutional Considerations of Fishway Implementation at the Community-level in Southeast Asia. International Journal of the Commons. https://doi.org/10.5334/ijc.1471
  • Ning, N., Barlow, C., Baumgartner, L. J., Bretzel, J. B., Doyle, K., Duffy, D., & Vu, A. V. (2025). A global review of the biology and ecology of the European perch, Perca fluviatilis. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-025-09924-z
  • Sun, J., Lucas, M. C., Olden, J. D., Couto, T. B. A., Ning, N., Duffy, D., & Baumgartner, L. J. (2025). Towards a comprehensive river barrier mapping solution to support environmental management. Nature Water. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-024-00364-w