Jenny Newport

Research Officer, Mulligans Flats - Goorooyarroo Woodlands Experiment
Email: jenny.newport@anu.edu.au

I graduated from the University of Sydney in 2004, completing a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology.

While working in bush regeneration, I volunteered on field surveys with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services and the University of Sydney. One of the research trips took me to the Simpson Desert, where I fell in love with the outback.

Jenny holding a Numbat
Myrmecobius fasciatus
Photo: Adam Bester,
Arid Recovery

In 2005, I was lucky to be employed by Arid Recovery, Roxby Downs, South Australia. Arid Recovery is an ecosystem restoration initiative dedicated to the restoration of Australia's arid lands. As the Ecologist, I worked with many amazing people, such as the wide variety of volunteers that come from all over Australia and the world who are as passionate about conserving and restoring the arid zone of Australia.

As part of my job I had the opportunity to work with magnificent animals such as Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis), Western Barred Bandicoot (Perameles bougainville) and the Numbat, (Myrmecobius fasciatus) just to name a few.

My biggest project during my time at Arid Recovery was a research project looking at the behaviour and activity of feral cats and foxes during 1080 aerial baiting using GPS data-logger collars. This involved capturing 14 feral cats and 4 foxes, collaring them and monitoring them for 3 months.

Large Ironbark tree
Eucalyptus sideroxylon at sunrise
Photo: Jenny Newport

In 2007, I joined Dr Joern Fischer at the ANU, as the Research officer for the research project “Sustainable Farms” investigating regional-scale patterns in tree regeneration under different grazing management practises.

This job presented me with new challenges and I met and worked with many wonderful landholders. The project involved carrying out bat and bird surveys, soil analysis and vegetation assessments in the Upper Lachlan Region of NSW.

I feel that in order for Australia’s fragile ecosystems to survive, we have to try to modify our practises to make a sustainable future, otherwise we are going to lose many more of the unique flora and fauna that make Australia such an amazing place. I hope with projects like this one I can contribute to facilitating some of those changes.  

A sleepy shingleback Tiliqua rugosa basks in the autumn sun.
Photo: Jenny Newport

I am now working as part of a team on the Mulligans Flat - Goorooyarroo Woodland Experiment. It is an exciting time out at the reserve many new projects are being planned and changes are starting to be observed.

This is a unique opportunity to see a threatened ecosystem being restored so close to Australia's capital city. I am really looking forward to seeing what challenges the future holds.

Publication List

• Matthews, A., Ruykys, L., Ellis, B., Fitzgibbon, S., Lunney, D., Crowther, M.S., Glen, A.S., Purcell, B., Moseby, K., Stott, J., Fletcher, D., Wimpenny, C., Allen, B.L., Van Bommel, L., Roberts, M., Davies, N., Green, K., Newsome, T., Ballard, G., Fleming, P., Dickman, C.R., Eberhart, A., Troy, S., Mcmahon, C., Wiggins, N. (2013) The success of GPS collar deployments on mammals in Australia Australian Mammalogy, 35, (1) pp 65-83
• Hanspach, J., Fischer, J., Ikin, K., Stott, J., Law, B.S. (2012) Using trait-based filtering as a predictive framework for conservation: A case study of bats on farms in southeastern Australia. Journal of Applied Ecology, 49, (4) pp 842-850
• Moseby, K. E., Read, J. L., Galbraith, B., Munro, N., Newport, J. and Hill, B. M. (2011) The use of poison baits to control feral cats and red foxes in arid South Australia II. Bait type, placement, lures and non-target uptake.
  Wildlife Research, 38, pp. 350-358.
• Hanspach, J., Fischer, J., Stott, J. and Stagoll, K. (2011) Conservation management of eastern Australian farmland birds in relation to landscape gradients. Journal of Applied Ecology, 48 (3), pp.523-531.
  
• Sherren, K., Fischer, J., Pink, J., Stott, J., Stein, J. and Yoon, H. J. (2011) Australian Graziers Value Sparse Trees in Their Pastures: A Viewshed Analysis of Photo-Elicitation . Society and Natural Resources, 24 (4), pp.412-422.
• Fischer, J., Zerger, A., Gibbons, P., Stott, J., and Law, B.S. (2010) Tree decline and the future of Australian farmland biodiversity Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, 107 (45), pp. 19597-19602.
• Fischer, J., Stott, J., and Law, B.S. (2010) The disproportionate value of scattered trees. Biological Conservation, 143 (6), pp. 1564-1567.
• Fischer, J., Sherren, K., Stott, J., Zerger, A., Warren, G., Stein, J. (2010) Toward landscape-wide conservation outcomes in Australia's temperate grazing region. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8 (2), pp. 69-74.
• Fischer, J., Stott, J., Law, B.S., Adams, M.D., Forrester, R.I. (2009) Designing effective habitat studies: Quantifying multiple sources of variability in bat activity. Acta Chiropterologica, 11 (1), pp. 127-137.
• Fischer, J., Stott, J., Zerger, A., Warren, G., Sherren, K., Forrestere, R.I. (2009) Reversing a tree regeneration crisis in an endangered ecoregion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106 (25), pp. 10386-10391.
• Moseby, K.E., Stott, J., Crisp, H. (2009) Movement patterns of feral predators in an arid environment implications for control through poison baiting Wildlife Research, 36 (5), pp. 422-435.