Nicole Anderson

My vision is to further develop the field of applied ecology with a focus on mammal conservation. To contribute to the environmental knowledge base and develop and implement methods that better protect vulnerable and endangered species.

I obtained a Bachelor of Science (Biodiversity and Conservation) at Flinders, followed by a Bachelor of Applied Geographic Information Systems Honors (1st Class), investigating threatened bird species in the Mount Lofty Ranges and selecting surrogate groups and applying them to a decision framework for conservation planning at a landscape scale. Throughout this period I was also heavily involved in trapping the yellow footed rock wallaby across numerous sites in the Flinders and Gawler Rangers and being an aerial observer for aerial counts taken from a helicopter. Further projects that I have contributed to include population estimates and GPS tracking of feral camels in three Australian deserts and understanding the impact of aerial cull on deer populations.

Having a keen interest in carnivores, I commenced a PhD at Flinders where I investigated how stressed the African wild dog got during capture and the influence this had on the efficacy of vaccination to one of the major canine diseases, canine parvovirus. This led me a strong relationship with Zoos South Australia where I worked with many varied native and exotic species for over a decade. I have been fortunate to continue my work with African wild dogs now Principal Scientist of the Kalahari African Wild Dog Conservation Project in Namibia, where we have successfully deployed GPS on free-ranging wild dogs to get better understand home range in an ever changing landscape. Working with carnivores has highlighted that to be successful in conserving these iconic species local communities need to be be involved. More recent focus has been on developing a camera trap study with local communities to increase community engagement and environmental stewardship.