About Animal Science

The Animal Science Program undertakes applied research to understand the factors and processes critical to the conservation of Western Australia’s rich and unique native fauna. The major objective of the program is to promote the persistence of threatened and priority fauna species through an understanding of their biology and ecology, and the development of local and landscape-scale management actions to improve conservation status, including reducing key threats, and reconstructing the fauna of selected areas.

The program provides advice on these matters and assists partners in the conservation management of native fauna in Western Australia.

Our main research themes include:

• Investigation of the biology and ecology of conservation significant fauna to support management of wild and translocation populations.
• Provision of scientific knowledge to underpin recovery of threatened species, including establishment of additional secure populations.
• Understanding the influence of threats and the effectiveness of threat mitigation approaches for targeted fauna.
• Integration of evolutionary processes in conservation management through an understanding of population genomics of targeted fauna.
• Understanding the role of fauna reconstruction in restoring degraded ecosystems.

The Animal Science Program:

• partners with universities (including student supervision)
• undertakes collaborative industry-funded research with resource companies in the Pilbara
• liaises and collaborates with NRM groups, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Bush Heritage, World Wildlife Fund and other NGOs in relation to fauna recovery programs
• works on-country with Traditional Owners and Indigenous ranger groups
• liaises with the Western Australian Museum on fauna taxonomic issues

The Animal Science Program also partners with colleagues in other sectors of the department on collaborative fauna conservation and monitoring programs, and invasive animal species management (e.g. Western Shield), and provides advice on fauna and land management planning.

Our people