Dr Jeremy Simmonds
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Earth and Environmental Science
Maron Ecology and Conservation Policy Lab
My major research focus is on policy that regulates environmental impact assessments. A key theme of this research is biodiversity offsetting - particularly, ways in which this tool can be harnessed to deliver better outcomes for people and biodiversity. I am also interested in landscape-level conservation actions in human-modified systems. Topics that I have examined include the use of thresholds of habitat loss to guide decision making, the implications of habitat loss for multi-species assemblages including the oft-neglected majority ('common' species), and regulatory mechanisms by which to conserve threatened fauna communities.
Publications
Book Chapter
DeClerck, Fabrice A. J., Koziell, Izabella, Benton, Tim, Garibaldi, Lucas A., Kremen, Claire, Maron, Martine, Del Rio, Cristina Rumbaitis, Sidhu, Aman, Wirths, Jonathan, Clark, Michael, Dickens, Chris, Carmona, Natalia Estrada, Fremier, Alexander K., Jones, Sarah K., Khoury, Colin K., Lal, Rattan, Obersteiner, Michael, Remans, Roseline, Rusch, Adrien, Schulte, Lisa A., Simmonds, Jeremy, Stringer, Lindsay C., Weber, Christopher and Winowiecki, Leigh (2023). A whole earth approach to nature-positive food: biodiversity and agriculture. Science and innovations for food systems transformation. (pp. 469-496) edited by Joachim von Braun, Kaosar Afsana, Louise O. Fresco and Mohamed Hag Ali Hassan. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-15703-5_25
Journal Articles
Ward, Michelle, Maron, Martine, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Lintermans, Mark, Whiterod, Nick S., Chapple, David G., Possingham, Hugh P., Legge, Sarah M., Gallagher, Rachael V., Wintle, Brendan A., Vine, Samantha, Ashman, Kita, Hoskin, Conrad J., Garnett, Stephen T., Woinarski, John C.Z., Scheele, Ben C., Loane, Cerin, Fitzsimons, James A., Stewart, Romola R., Tulloch, Ayesha I.T., Hyman, Isabel T., Pearce, Kate, Burbidge, Allan H., Raadik, Tarmo A., Kuchling, Gerald, Georges, Arthur, West, Matthew, Adams, Vanessa M., Emery, J.P. and Watson, James E.M. (2025). Half of the habitat of Australia's highly imperilled narrow-range species is outside protected areas. Biological Conservation, 308 111195, 111195. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111195
Thomas, Hannah, Ward, Michelle S., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Taylor, Martin F. J. and Maron, Martine (2025). Poor compliance and exemptions facilitate ongoing deforestation. Conservation Biology, 39 (1) e14354, 1-18. doi: 10.1111/cobi.14354
Thomas, Hannah, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Ward, Michelle, Eyre, Teresa J. and Maron, Martine (2025). The value of regrowth forests and woodlands for threatened fauna species. Biological Conservation, 307 111131, 111131. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111131
Thomas, Hannah, Chung, Yi Fei, Maron, Martine, Rhodes, Jonathan R., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Ward, Michelle S. and Williams, Brooke A. (2024). Achieving “nature positive” requires net gain legislation. Science, 386 (6720), 383-385. doi: 10.1126/science.adq9157
Watson, James E. M., Venegas‐Li, Ruben, Grantham, Hedley, Dudley, Nigel, Stolton, Sue, Rao, Madhu, Woodley, Stephen, Hockings, Marc, Burkart, Karl, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Sonter, Laura J., Sreekar, Rachakonda, Possingham, Hugh P. and Ward, Michelle (2023). Priorities for protected area expansion so nations can meet their Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commitments. Integrative Conservation, 2 (3), 140-155. doi: 10.1002/inc3.24
Simmonds, Jeremy S., Suarez‐Castro, Andres Felipe, Reside, April E., Watson, James E.M., Allan, James R., Atkinson, Scott C., Borrelli, Pasquale, Dudley, Nigel, Edwards, Stephen, Fuller, Richard A., Game, Edward T., Linke, Simon, Maxwell, Sean L., Panagos, Panos, Puydarrieux, Philippe, Quétier, Fabien, Runting, Rebecca K., Santini, Talitha, Sonter, Laura J. and Maron, Martine (2023). Retaining natural vegetation to safeguard biodiversity and humanity. Conservation Biology, 37 (3) e14040, 1-16. doi: 10.1111/cobi.14040
Walsh, Jessica C., Gibson, Michelle R., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Mayfield, Helen J., Bracey, Clare, Melton, Courtney B., Reside, April E. and Maron, Martine (2023). Effectiveness of conservation interventions for Australian woodland birds: a systematic review. Biological Conservation, 282 110030, 110030. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110030
Narain, Divya, Sonter, Laura J., Lechner, Alex Mark, Watson, James E.M., Simmonds, Jeremy S. and Maron, Martine (2023). Global assessment of the biodiversity safeguards of development banks that finance infrastructure. Conservation Biology, 37 (4) e14095, 1-13. doi: 10.1111/cobi.14095
Williams, Brooke A., Watson, James E.M., Beyer, Hawthorne L., Grantham, Hedley S., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Alvarez, Silvia J., Venter, Oscar, Strassburg, Bernardo B.N. and Runting, Rebecca K. (2022). Global drivers of change across tropical savannah ecosystems and insights into their management and conservation. Biological Conservation, 276 109786, 109786. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109786
Pérez‐Hämmerle, Katharina‐Victoria, Moon, Katie, Venegas‐Li, Rubén, Maxwell, Sean, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Venter, Oscar, Garnett, Stephen T., Possingham, Hugh P. and Watson, James EM (2022). Wilderness forms and their implications for global environmental policy and conservation. Conservation Biology, 36 (4) e13875, e13875. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13875
Watson, James E. M., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Ward, Michelle, Yong, Chuan J., Reside, April E., Possingham, Hugh P., Rogers, Andrew and Carwardine, Josie (2022). Communicating the true challenges of saving species: response to Wiedenfeld et al. Conservation Biology, 36 (4) e13961, e13961. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13961
Ward, Michelle, Watson, James E. M., Possingham, Hugh P., Garnett, Stephen T., Maron, Martine, Rhodes, Jonathan R., MacColl, Chris, Seaton, Richard, Jackett, Nigel, Reside, April E., Webster, Patrick and Simmonds, Jeremy S. (2022). Creating past habitat maps to quantify local extirpation of Australian threatened birds. Environmental Research Letters, 17 (2) 024032, 024032. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac4f8b
Simmonds, Jeremy S., Hase, Amrei, Quétier, Fabien, Brownlie, Susie, Maron, Martine, Possingham, Hugh P., Souquet, Mathieu, zu Ermgassen, Sophus O. S. E., ten Kate, Kerry, Costa, Hugo M. and Sonter, Laura J. (2022). Aligning ecological compensation policies with the Post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to achieve real net gain in biodiversity. Conservation Science and Practice, 4 (3) e12634. doi: 10.1111/csp2.12634
Gibson, Michelle, Maron, Martine, Taws, Nicki, Simmonds, Jeremy S. and Walsh, Jessica C. (2021). Use of citizen science datasets to test effects of grazing exclusion and replanting on Australian woodland birds. Restoration Ecology, 30 (7) e13610. doi: 10.1111/rec.13610
Melton, Courtney B., Reside, April E., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Mcdonald, Paul G., Major, Richard E., Crates, Ross, Catterall, Carla P., Clarke, Michael F., Grey, Merilyn J., Davitt, Galen, Ingwersen, Dean, Robinson, Doug and Maron, Martine (2021). Evaluating the evidence of culling a native species for conservation benefits. Conservation Science and Practice, 3 (12) e549. doi: 10.1111/csp2.549
Watson, James E. M., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Narain, Divya, Ward, Michelle, Maron, Martine and Maxwell, Sean L. (2021). Talk is cheap: nations must act now to achieve long-term ambitions for biodiversity. One Earth, 4 (7), 897-900. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.06.012
Mello, Kaline de, Fendrich, Arthur Nicolaus, Sparovek, Gerd, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Maron, Martine, Tavares, Paulo André, Brites, Alice Dantas, Rodrigues, Ricardo Ribeiro, Joly, Carlos Alfredo and Metzger, Jean Paul (2021). Achieving private conservation targets in Brazil through restoration and compensation schemes without impairing productive lands. Environmental Science & Policy, 120, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2021.02.014
Dyer, Alesia B. and Simmonds, Jeremy S. (2021). Incomplete surveys for environmental impact assessments jeopardise threatened species recovery. Pacific Conservation Biology, 28 (2), 154-163. doi: 10.1071/pc21011
Negret, Pablo Jose, Maron, Martine, Fuller, Richard A., Possingham, Hugh P., Watson, James E.M. and Simmonds, Jeremy S. (2021). Deforestation and bird habitat loss in Colombia. Biological Conservation, 257 109044, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109044
Williams, Brooke A., Watson, James E.M., Butchart, Stuart H.M., Ward, Michelle, Brooks, Thomas M., Butt, Nathalie, Bolam, Friederike C., Stuart, Simon N., Mair, Louise, McGowan, Philip J. K., Gregory, Richard, Hilton‐Taylor, Craig, Mallon, David, Harrison, Ian and Simmonds, Jeremy S. (2020). A robust goal is needed for species in the Post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Conservation Letters, 14 (3) e12778. doi: 10.1111/conl.12778
zu Ermgassen, Sophus O. S. E., Maron, Martine, Corlet Walker, Christine M., Gordon, Ascelin, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Strange, Niels, Robertson, Morgan and Bull, Joseph W. (2020). The hidden biodiversity risks of increasing flexibility in biodiversity offset trades. Biological Conservation, 252 108861, 108861. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108861
Ward, Michelle, Tulloch, Ayesha I. T., Radford, James Q., Williams, Brooke A., Reside, April E., Macdonald, Stewart L., Mayfield, Helen J., Maron, Martine, Possingham, Hugh P., Vine, Samantha J., O’Connor, James L., Massingham, Emily J., Greenville, Aaron C., Woinarski, John C. Z., Garnett, Stephen T., Lintermans, Mark, Scheele, Ben C., Carwardine, Josie, Nimmo, Dale G., Lindenmayer, David B., Kooyman, Robert M., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Sonter, Laura J. and Watson, James E. M. (2020). Impact of 2019–2020 mega-fires on Australian fauna habitat. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4 (10), 1321-1326. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-1251-1
Sonter, Laura J., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Watson, James E. M., Jones, Julia P. G., Kiesecker, Joseph M., Costa, Hugo M., Bennun, Leon, Edwards, Stephen, Grantham, Hedley S., Griffiths, Victoria F., Jones, Kendall, Sochi, Kei, Puydarrieux, Philippe, Quétier, Fabien, Rainer, Helga, Rainey, Hugo, Roe, Dilys, Satar, Musnanda, Soares-Filho, Britaldo S., Starkey, Malcolm, ten Kate, Kerry, Victurine, Ray, von Hase, Amrei, Wells, Jessie A. and Maron, Martine (2020). Local conditions and policy design determine whether ecological compensation can achieve no net loss goals. Nature Communications, 11 (1) 2072, 2072. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15861-1
Williams, Brooke Anne, Grantham, Hedley S., Watson, James E. M., Alvarez, Silvia J., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Rogeliz, Carlos A., Da Silva, Mayesse A., Forero-Medina, German, Etter, Andres, Nogales, Jonathan, Walschburger, Thomas, Hyman, Glenn and Beyer, Hawthorne L. (2020). Minimising the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in an intact landscape under risk of rapid agricultural development. Environmental Research Letters, 15 (1) 014001, 014001. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab5ff7
Maron, Martine, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Watson, James E. M., Sonter, Laura J., Bennun, Leon, Griffiths, Victoria F., Quétier, Fabien, von Hase, Amrei, Edwards, Stephen, Rainey, Hugo, Bull, Joseph W., Savy, Conrad E., Victurine, Ray, Kiesecker, Joseph, Puydarrieux, Philippe, Stevens, Todd, Cozannet, Naïg and Jones, Julia P. G. (2019). Global no net loss of natural ecosystems. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4 (1), 46-49. doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-1067-z
Simmonds, Jeremy S., Reside, April E., Stone, Zoe, Walsh, Jessica C., Ward, Michelle S. and Maron, Martine (2019). Vulnerable species and ecosystems are falling through the cracks of environmental impact assessments. Conservation Letters, 13 (3) e12694. doi: 10.1111/conl.12694
Simmonds, Jeremy S., Sonter, Laura J., Watson, James E. M., Bennun, Leon, Costa, Hugo M., Dutson, Guy, Edwards, Stephen, Grantham, Hedley, Griffiths, Victoria F., Jones, Julia P. G., Kiesecker, Joseph, Possingham, Hugh P., Puydarrieux, Philippe, Quetier, Fabien, Rainer, Helga, Rainey, Hugo, Roe, Dilys, Savy, Conrad E., Souquet, Mathieu, ten Kate, Kerry, Victurine, Ray, von Hase, Amrei and Maron, Martine (2019). Moving from biodiversity offsets to a target-based approach for ecological compensation. Conservation Letters, 13 (2) e12695. doi: 10.1111/conl.12695
Simmonds, Jeremy S., Watson, James. E. M., Salazar, Alvaro and Maron, Martine (2019). A composite measure of habitat loss for entire assemblages of species. Conservation Biology, 33 (6) cobi.13331, 1438-1447. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13331
Sonter, Laura J., Gordon, Ascelin, Archibald, Carla, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Ward, Michelle, Metzger, Jean Paul, Rhodes, Jonathan R. and Maron, Martine (2019). Offsetting impacts of development on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Ambio, 49 (4), 892-902. doi: 10.1007/s13280-019-01245-3
Ward, Michelle S., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Reside, April E., Watson, James E. M., Rhodes, Jonathan R., Possingham, Hugh P., Trezise, James, Fletcher, Rachel, File, Lindsey and Taylor, Martin (2019). Lots of loss with little scrutiny: the attrition of habitat critical for threatened species in Australia. Conservation Science and Practice, 1 (11) e117. doi: 10.1111/csp2.117
Simmonds, J. S. and Watson, J. E. M. (2019). All threatened species habitat is important. Animal Conservation, 22 (4), 324-325. doi: 10.1111/acv.12518
Simmonds, Jeremy S., van Rensburg, Berndt J., Tulloch, Ayesha I. T. and Maron, Martine (2019). Landscape-specific thresholds in the relationship between species richness and natural land cover. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56 (4), 1019-1029. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13320
Maron, Martine, Simmonds, Jeremy S. and Watson, James E. M. (2018). Bold nature retention targets are essential for the global environment agenda. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2 (8), 1194-1195. doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0595-2
Suárez-Castro, Andrés Felipe, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Mitchell, Matthew G. E., Maron, Martine and Rhodes, Jonathan R. (2018). The scale-dependent role of biological traits in landscape ecology: A review. Current Landscape Ecology Reports, 3 (1), 12-22. doi: 10.1007/s40823-018-0031-y
Fraser, Hannah, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Kutt, Alex S. and Maron, Martine (2018). Systematic definition of threatened fauna communities is critical to their conservation. Diversity and Distributions, 25 (3), 462-477. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12875
Simmonds, Jeremy S., van Rensburg, Berndt J. and Maron, Martine (2017). Non-random patterns of vegetation clearing and potential biases in studies of habitat area effects. Landscape Ecology, 32 (4), 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s10980-016-0482-7
Woosnam-Merchez, Olivia, Cristescu, Romane, Dique, David, Ellis, Bill, Beeton, Robert J. S., Simmonds, Jeremy and Carrick, Frank (2012). What faecal pellet surveys can and can’t reveal about the ecology of koalas Phascolarctos cinereus. Australian Zoologist, 36 (2), 192-200. doi: 10.7882/AZ.2012.030
Thesis
Simmonds, Jeremy (2017). Implications of vegetation clearing biases for the interpretation of landscape-scale species-area relationships. PhD Thesis, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2017.623
Data Collections
Thomas, Hannah, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Ward, Michelle, Eyre, Teresa J. and Maron, Martine (2025). The value of regrowth forests and woodlands for threatened fauna species. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/d3ad8fb
Thomas, Hannah, Ward, Michelle, Simmonds, Jeremy, Taylor, Martin and Maron, Martine (2024). Deforestation events (≥ 20 ha) in northern Australia from 2014 to 2021, version 2. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/7aa790e
Thomas, Hannah, Ward, Michelle S., Simmonds, Jeremy S., Taylor, Martin F. J. and Maron, Martine (2023). Deforestation events (≥ 20 ha) in northern Australia from 2014 to 2021. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/9c8da2c
Newspaper Articles
Simmonds, Jeremy, Salazar, Alvaro, Watson, James and Maron, Martine (2019, 10 29). Most native bird species are losing their homes, even the ones you see every day The Conversation
Ward, Michelle, Reside, April, Possingham, Hugh, Watson, James, Simmonds, Jeremy, Rhodes, Jonathan and Taylor, Martin (2019, 09 09). Environment laws have failed to tackle the extinction emergency. Here's the proof The Conversation