Dylan Westaway
ILWS scholarship recipient.
Topic
Assessing habitat fragments for their utility in reptile conservation in fire-prone landscapes.
Supervisors
Principal Supervisor: Associate Professor Dale Nimmo
Co-Supervisors: Professor Dave Watson, Dr Tim Jessop (Deakin). Professor Euan Ritchie (Deakin)
Description
Dylan commenced his PhD in February, 2021. His research, which is essentially phase one of the Wild to wild translocation project, seeks to compare reptile diversity and abundance between isolated fragments of habitat, for instance, patches of habitat within a cleared agricultural matrix, and areas of continuous habitat, such as environmental reserves. To do this, Dylan will employ a combination of surveying techniques widely used in herpetological studies (including pitfall and funnel trapping, use of artificial refuges, active searches and camera trapping) to obtain a sample of the reptile species assemblage present across 40 sites, that is as complete as possible.
The expected outcome of this project is a conceptual framework and methodology to undertake ecologically sound wild-to-wild translocation of reptiles in fire-prone landscapes.
Prior to commencing his PhD, Dylan worked in various consulting roles. He completed his Bachelor of Environmental Science (Wildlife and Conservation Biology) at Deakin University, then undertook his honours project investigating the distribution and habitat selection of large forest owls.
Project
Wild to wild translocation of reptiles in fire prone landscapes. Westaway, D. (PhD student)., Nimmo, D. (2021) Victorian Environmental Assessment Council, $1,296 (Scholarship) Project details
Qualifications
Bachelor of Environmental Science (Wildlife and Conservation Biology) (Hons), Deakin University
Research Theme
Biodiversity Conservation
September 2021