Professor Richard Kingsford is Professor of Environmental Science, University of New South Wales. Previously he was a Principal Research Scientist with New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Sustainability ecology - working on rivers, wetlands and their plants and animals.

At University through courses in biology and ecology. What got me to my present position? We are in the sixth great extinction in the earth's history and its been caused by one species. Habitat destruction, fragmentation of habits, impacts of pollution, overharvesting and introduced animals and plants all relate to water resource development and management. The focus has really come onto rivers and aquatic plants and animals.

Science Degree and PhD in ecology taking 9 years. As a student at university, I did some volunteer work in ecology for National Parks and Wildlife. I think it is important that if you want to work in ecology, you think about doing some volunteer work.

My tasks vary considerably but there are three broad areas to my work. The first is doing research. This means either working in a remote location, usually doing aerial surveys of waterbirds but more often, analysing and writing up the results of the research. The aerial surveys are conducted each October and we spend 7 or 8 hours a day in a small aeroplane often with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees. We fly at about 50 metres above the ground and count all the water birds on any lake or swamp in one of the largest wildlife surveys in the world, covering about half the continent. We are developing some software for managing catchments so there is sometimes some work related to this. The second area of work is assisting with the development of policy for the New South Wales Government in the area of river policy. Finally, there is always adminstration to be done. This can be a wide ranging as managing staff to budgets, writing research proposals, supervising post graduate students, sitting on committees and participating in the general day to day business of a large organisation.

I need to have a good knowledge of ecology of rivers and their plants and animals. Statistical skills are important for writing up scientific papers as are writing skills. I must also have a reasonable working knowledge of the legislation and policies for managing rivers in the state so that I can make an effective input into river management policies.

I enjoy finishing a piece of research and participating in the implementation of its results. I also enjoy visiting some of the most scenic and unaltered parts of the country where rivers still follow the flooding patterns they have for millennia.

Sometimes it is difficult to deal with research results with considerable implications for people who make their livings out using the water in rivers. This part of the work can be highly contentious. Documenting the losses of biodiversity on some of the rivers that we have dammed and removed much of the water is depressing.

Teaching in secondary schools, lecturer and/or researcher in a University or researcher in CSIRO or another Government organisation.

Much of the work is of considerable relevance to policy making so research is often used and applied quickly. The work is interesting.

There are considerable pressures to participate in policy decisions which leaves insufficient time for considered research.

This is a hard question to answer because I think it is better for others to judge and comment. But I have published research on the ecology of desert rivers and the impacts of water resource developments.

It has probably contributed something to the future health of our inland rivers, wetlands and the plants and animals that depend on them.

Probably working on different problems related to the management of Australia's water resources.

If you wish to ask Richard for additional information, you can email UniServe Science and we will contact Richard for you. Make sure you include Richard's name and occupation in the Subject line.

You can find out more about Richard's research from

Richard's page at the University of New South Wales

Waterbirds in Crisis - the transcipt of an interview Richard did for Catalyst, ABC

You can find out more about the ecology of rivers and wetlands from

Ramsar Wetlands Sites, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

Murray-Darling Basin Initiative

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