Helene Marsh

• Marine conservation biology
• Marine natural resource management
• Indigenous marine resource management
• Methodological problems associated with environmental monitoring
• Establishing priorities for conservation intervention
• Marine wildlife population ecology, especially life history, reproductive ecology, population dynamics, diet, distribution, abundance and movements of dugongs and coastal dolphins
• Committed to informing interdisciplinary solutions to conservation problems and has collaborated widely with colleagues in other disciplines including Anatomy, Anthropology, Botany, Biochemistry, Genetics, Geography, GIS, Law, Psychology, Sociology and Statistics
• Policy outcomes include significant contributions to the science base for the Dugong Sanctuary established in Torres Strait; dugong management in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, especially the Dugong Protected Areas and no-take areas to protect dugongs in various zoning plans; and the establishment of a Commonwealth Ministerial Taskforce to Investigate the Sustainability of Indigenous Hunting of Dugongs and Turtles
• Provided science base for review of the global status of dugongs by the IUCN, 2006
• Research has formed a conceptual basis for the ‘Back on Track’ Program conducted by the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
• Interactions between people and their environments, particularly in tropical regions such as the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait regions
• Briefed the Global Conference on Oceans and Coasts (UNESCO, Paris 2001) on 'The challenge of conserving marine mammals' in preparation for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg
• Provided science base for development of Dugong Memorandum of Understanding under the International Convention of Migratory Species, 2005-2007

Role

Chair; Independent Academic