Researcher biography
Chris is an environmental scientist with experience in land management, restoration and threatened species research. The latter has involved targeted research projects on the palm cockatoo, northern quoll, and black-footed tree-rat.
For his PhD, Chris is trying to determine the ecological requirements of Australia’s rarest bird of prey, the red goshawk. This endemic hawk has disappeared from half its former range, yet scientists and managers do not understand why. Chris is conducting research on the remaining populations spread across northern Australia from Cape York Peninsula to the Kimberley. With the help of his colleagues and mentors, he aims to:
- build an understanding of the red goshawk’s spatial ecology by satellite tracking some individuals
- assess their nesting success, productivity, and territory occupancy by monitoring breeding pairs annually
- determine their population status and trajectory by investigating historical and contemporary records
Chris hopes this information will be used to develop more effective conservation management strategies for the red goshawk.