Helene Marsh is Emeritus Professor in Environmental Science and a Professorial Fellow  at James Cook University.  Her qualifications include BSc (Queensland) and PhD (JCU).  

 

Helene is currently the Lead for the Threatened and Migratory Species and Threatened Ecological Communities Mission for the National Environmental Science Program based in the Resilient Landscapes Hub.

 

Helene is a Fellow of both the Australian Academies of Science and Technological Sciences and Engineering and has received international and national awards for her research. She currently chairs the national Threatened Species Scientific Committee and is a Vice-President and Secretary Biological Sciences of the Australian Academy of Science. She became an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2021.

 

The focus of her research has been dugong population ecology.  Committed to informing interdisciplinary solutions to conservation problems Helene has collaborated widely with colleagues in other disciplines as varied as Anatomy, Economics, Geography, Law and Psychology.

 

Throughout the course of her academic career, Helene has supervised 60 PhDs and 21 Master’s candidates to successful completions and has a several more candidates in the pipeline.

 

Helene became Director of Graduate Studies at JCU in 1997 and was the foundation Dean when the Graduate Research School was established in 2003 until March 2018. Helene has been “Top DDOG” (chair of the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies) on two separate occasions. 

 

Teaching

• ED5306: Advising Higher Degree Research Candidates (Level 5; TSV)
• MB5204: Conserving Marine Wildlife: Sea Mammals, Birds, Reptiles (Level 5; TSV)

Interests

Research

• Marine conservation biology
• Marine natural resource management
• Indigenous marine resource management
• Methodological problems associated with environmental monitoring
• Establishing priorities for conservation intervention
• Marine wildlife population ecology, especially life history, reproductive ecology, population dynamics, diet, distribution, abundance and movements of dugongs and coastal dolphins
• Committed to informing interdisciplinary solutions to conservation problems and has collaborated widely with colleagues in other disciplines including Anatomy, Anthropology, Botany, Biochemistry, Genetics, Geography, GIS, Law, Psychology, Sociology and Statistics
• Policy outcomes include significant contributions to the science base for the Dugong Sanctuary established in Torres Strait; dugong management in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, especially the Dugong Protected Areas and no-take areas to protect dugongs in various zoning plans; and the establishment of a Commonwealth Ministerial Taskforce to Investigate the Sustainability of Indigenous Hunting of Dugongs and Turtles
• Provided science base for review of the global status of dugongs by the IUCN, 2006
• Research has formed a conceptual basis for the ‘Back on Track’ Program conducted by the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
• Interactions between people and their environments, particularly in tropical regions such as the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait regions
• Briefed the Global Conference on Oceans and Coasts (UNESCO, Paris 2001) on 'The challenge of conserving marine mammals' in preparation for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg
• Provided science base for development of Dugong Memorandum of Understanding under the International Convention of Migratory Species, 2005-2007

Research Disciplines

• Environmental management (4104)
• Ecology (3103)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• environmental management (1899)

Awards

• 2021 - Officer Order of Australia
• 2019 - Jublilee Award, Australian Marine Science Association
• 2018 - Alumnus of the Year Univeristy of Qld
• 2009 - Aldo Leopald Award, American Society of Mammalogy
• 2008 - Distinguished Service Award, Society of Conservation Biology
• 2001 - Award for Contribution to Sirenian Research, Society of Marine Mammalogy

Fellowships

• 2019 - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
• 2015 - Fellowship of Australian Academy of Science
• 1998 - Fellowship in Marine Conservation, Pew Charitable Trust

Memberships

• Past President, International Society for Marine Mammalogy
• 2018 to 2021 - Natural Heritage expert, Austraian delegation to World Heritage Committee

Other

• 2011 to 2022 - Chair, Threatened Species Scientific Committee which reports to the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Chaitae A, Addison J, Gordon I and Marsh H (in press) Domestic ivory trade: the supply chain for raw ivory in Thailand is driven by the financial needs of elephant owners and market factors. Human Dimensions of Wildlife,
• Marsh H, Smith A and Terrill G (2023) World Heritage and the challenge of climate change: a reform agenda. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 29 (1-2). pp. 39-48
• McGowan A, Lanyon J, Clark N, Blair D, Marsh H, Wolanski E and Seddon J (2023) Cryptic marine barriers to gene flow in a vulnerable coastal species, the dugong (Dugong dugon). Marine Mammal Science, 39 (3). pp. 918-939
• Chaitae A, Gordon I, Addison J and Marsh H (2022) From Protection of Elephants to Sustainable Use of Ivory in Thailand. Oryx, 56 (4). pp. 601-608
• Ingram D, Prideaux M, Hodgins N, Frisch-Nwakanma H, Avila I, Collins T, Cosentino M, Keith-Diagne L, Marsh H, Shirley M, Van Waerebeek K, Djondo M, Fukuda Y, Glaus K, Jabado R, Lang J, Lüber S, Manolis C, Webb G and Porter L (2022) Widespread Use of Migratory Megafauna for Aquatic Wild Meat in the Tropics and Subtropics. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9.
• Jog K, Sutaria D, Diedrich A, Grech A and Marsh H (2022) Marine Mammal Interactions With Fisheries: Review of Research and Management Trends Across Commercial and Small-Scale Fisheries. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9.
• Marsh C, Sica Y, Burgin C, Dorman W, Anderson R, del Toro Mijares I, Vigneron J, Barve V, Dombrowik V, Duong M, Guralnick R, Hart J, Maypole J, McCall K, Ranipeta A, Schuerkmann A, Torselli M, Lacher T, Mittermeier R, Rylands A, Sechrest W, Wilson D, Abba A, Aguirre L, Arroyo-Cabrales J, Astúa D, Baker A, Braulik G, Braun J, Brito J, Busher P, Burneo S, Camacho M, Cavallini P, de Almeida Chiquito E, Cook J, Cserkész T, Csorba G, Cuéllar Soto E, da Cunha Tavares V, Davenport T, Deméré T, Denys C, Dickman C, Eldridge M, Fernandez-Duque E, Francis C, Frankham G, Franklin W, Freitas T, Friend J, Gadsby E, Garbino G, Gaubert P, Giannini N, Giarla T, Gilchrist J, Gongora J, Goodman S, Gursky-Doyen S, Hackländer K, Hafner M, Hawkins M, Helgen K, Heritage S, Hinckley A, Hintsche S, Holden M, Holekamp K, Honeycutt R, Huffman B, Humle T, Hutterer R, Ibáñez Ulargui C, Jackson S, Janecka J, Janecka M, Jenkins P, Juškaitis R, Juste J, Kays R, Kilpatrick C, Kingston T, Koprowski J, Kryštufek B, Lavery T, Lee T, Leite Y, Novaes R, Lim B, Lissovsky A, López-Antoñanzas R, López-Baucells A, MacLeod C, Maisels F, Mares M, Marsh H, Mattioli S, Meijaard E, Monadjem A, Morton F, Musser G, Nadler T, Norris R, Ojeda A, Ordóñez-Garza N, Pardiñas U, Patterson B, Pavan A, Pennay M, Pereira C, Prado J, Queiroz H, Richardson M, Riley E, Rossiter S, Rubenstein D, Ruelas D, Salazar-Bravo J, Schai-Braun S, Schank C, Schwitzer C, Sheeran L, Shekelle M, Shenbrot G, Soisook P, Solari S, Southgate R, Superina M, Taber A, Talebi M, Taylor P, Thong Vu Dinh , Ting N, Tirira D, Tsang S, Turvey S, Valdez R, Van Cakenberghe V, Veron G, Wallis J, Wells R, Whittaker D, Williamson E, Wittemyer G, Woinarski J, Zinner D, Upham N and Jetz W (2022) Expert range maps of global mammal distributions harmonised to three taxonomic authorities. Journal of Biogeography, 49 (5). pp. 979-992
• Chaitae A, Rittiron R, Gordon I, Marsh H, Addison J, Pochanagone S and Suttanon N (2021) Shining NIR light on ivory: a practical enforcement tool for elephant ivory identification. Conservation Science and Practice, 3 (9).
• González-Paredes D, Ariel E, David M, Ferrando V, Marsh H and Hamann M (2021) Gastrointestinal transit times in juvenile green turtles: an approach for assessing digestive motility disorders. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 544.
• Nelms S, Alfaro-Shigueto J, Arnould J, Avila I, Nash S, Campbell E, Carter M, Collins T, Currey R, Domit C, Franco-Trecu V, Fuentes M, Gilman E, Harcourt R, Hines E, Hoelze A, Hooker S, Kelkar N, Kiszka J, Laidre K, Mangel J, Marsh H, Maxwe S, Onoufriou A, Palacios D, Pierce G, Ponnampalam L, Porter L, Russell D, Stockin K, Sutaria D, Wambiji N, Wei C, Wilson B and Godley B (2021) Marine mammal conservation: over the horizon. Endangered Species Research, 44. pp. 291-325
• Cleguer C, Garrigue C and Marsh H (2020) Dugong (Dugong dugon) movements and habitat use in a coral reef lagoonal ecosystem. Endangered Species Research, 43 (3). pp. 167-181

Book Chapters

• Marsh H, Albouy C, Arraut E, Castelblanco-Martinez D, Collier C, Edwards H, James C and Keith-Diagne L (2022) How Might Climate Change Affect the Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Dugongs and Manatees? In: Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Sirenia. Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 351-406

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 174+ research outputs authored by Empro Helene Marsh from 1983 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Impacts of plastic ingestion on green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Uruguayan waters. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• The Impact of Fisheries Interactions on the Foraging Behaviour of Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins (Sousa plumbea) along the Sindhudurg Coast of Maharashtra, India (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Investigating the fine-scale behavioural ecology of dugongs. (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Re-thinking the assessment and monitoring of large-scale coastal developments for improved marine megafauna outcomes (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Best practice and cultural appropriateness: Governance of the Torres Strait fisheries into the future. (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)

Completed

• The sustainability of the elephant ivory trade in Thailand: demand, supply and controls (2023, PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Using acoustic and satellite tracking data to better understand the factors associated with marine mammal habitat use and movements within urban coastal environments: dugongs in Moreton Bay, Queensland (2022, PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Ensuring effective and transformative policy reform: lessons from rezoning Australia's Great Barrier Reef, 1999-2004 (2021, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Understanding stakeholder involvement in the policy and management of migratory taxa in the Australian marine environment: a case study approach (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Development and implementation of a vulnerability assessment tool to inform decision-making in socio-ecological systems (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit Research Data Australia.

• Marsh, H. (2015) Dugong Aerial Survey Database. James Cook University
• Grech, A. (2012) Dugong aerial survey (dugongs, turtles, cetaceans) Moreton Bay, December 2000. James Cook University
• Grech, A. (2012) Dugong aerial survey (dugong) Torres Strait, 2001. James Cook University
• Marsh, H. (2012) Dugong aerial survey (dugong, cetacean, turtle) Torres Strait, November 2005. James Cook University
• Grech, A. (2012) Dugong aerial survey Torres Strait, 1987. James Cook University
• Grech, A. (2012) Dugong aerial survey (dugong) Torres Strait, November 1996. James Cook University
• Grech, A. (2012) Dugong aerial survey (dugong, turtle) Torres Strait, December 1994. James Cook University
• Grech, A. (2012) Dugong aerials surveys (dugongs, cetaceans, turtles) Torres Strait, November to December 1991. James Cook University
• Marsh, H. (2012) Dugong aerial survey (dugong, cetacean, turtle) Torres Strait, November 2006. James Cook University
• Grech, A. (2012) Dugong aerial survey (cetacean, dugong, turtle) Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef, 1989. James Cook University

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.