Ms Jackie O'Sullivan

Jackie O’Sullivan is a PhD candidate at The Australian National University. Jackie holds an Honours degree in Environmental Science from the University of Canberra. In her thesis, she looked at the habitat selection of brush-tailed rock-wallabies (Petrogale penicillata) in the absence of introduced predators. She has also worked on several large-scale water resource management projects, both nationally and internationally. Jackie has a particularly strong interest in understanding threatening processes, their impacts and developing strategies to redress species decline.

Under the supervision of Professor David Lindenmayer, Dr Claire Foster, Dr Damian Michael and Dr Daniel Florance, Jackie’s PhD project looks at quantifying the ecological role of surface rocks on reptile conservation in agricultural landscapes. This project aims to experimentally test the response of reptiles to rock addition and grazing exclusion treatments in agricultural areas of New South Wales. The project findings will have broad application value, informing government regulations on surface rock removal and management, national offset strategies for limiting the loss of rock habitats, sustainable farming practices and future ecological restoration programs.