Lachlan Francis

Lachlan Francis’ interest in invasive species on islands originated following his involvement in the successful sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project. Having previously worked in civil engineering design and construction, witnessing first-hand the initial recovery of the island following invasive vertebrate removal motivated Lachlan to pursue further study and work on invasive species, particularly on islands. Lachlan’s honours project investigated the conservation benefits of feral cat management on Bruny Island, Tasmania. Lachlan identified potential benefits for a suite of threatened species potentially at risk of feral cat predation using expert elicitation and population viability analyses. Using a prioritisation protocol, Lachlan then prioritised areas on Bruny Island for feral cat management. He also undertook fieldwork to investigate the potential for mesopredator release on rodents following potential feral cat eradication.