Dr Miriam Goosem ~ Adjunct Principal Research Fellow

Miriam is an ecologist interested in a wide range of human impacts on rainforests, particularly habitat fragmentation by clearing, roads and powerline clearings. She has been researching road impacts in rainforest for 25 years, particularly on mammals, birds, and amphibians,  and has instituted a number of mitigation measures which have been monitored for effectiveness over long periods.  She is interested in the obvious effects of roads and powerline clearings, such as roadkill, but also in more subtle effects such as road noise, barrier effects and habitat effects such as edge changes in microclimate,  vegetation and faunal communities. She is globally recognised as an expert in rainforest road ecology.

Fragmentation of habitat through clearing is another aspect of Miriam's research, which currently is examining the role of secondary forests in restoring rainforest diversity, carbon storage and connectivity.

Miriam graduated with her PhD in 2000 from JCU and has been employed in research positions at JCU since then. She also has coordinated, lectured and organised field work, tutorials and assessments in subjects about human impacts in protected areas and environmental impact assessment.

Interests

Research

• Road ecology - impacts of roads and mitigation of impacts Mitigation of human impacts in rainforests Fragmentation of rainforest habitats and restoring connectivity Increasing biodiversity and carbon storage in secondary rainforests Environmental impact assessment Protected area research

Experience

• 2009 to 2014 - Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 2003 to 2009 - Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 2000 to 2003 - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 1998 to 2000 - Senior Research Officer, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 1992 to 1998 - PhD student (part-time APA), James Cook University (Cairns)

Research Disciplines

• Environmental Science and Management (0502)
• Ecology (0602)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity (9608)
• Climate and Climate Change (9603)
• Rehabilitation of Degraded Environments (9612)

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

• Palma A, Goosem M, Fensham R, Goosem S, Preece N, Stevenson P and Laurance S (in press) Dispersal and recruitment limitations in secondary forests. Journal of Vegetation Science, , Article: e12975, DOI:10.1111/jvs.12975.
• Palma A, Goosem M, Stevenson P and Laurance S (2020) Enhancing plant diversity in secondary forests. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 3, Article: 571352, DOI:10.3389/ffgc.2020.571352.
• Reside A, Critchell K, Crayn D, Goosem M, Goosem S, Hoskin C, Sydes T, Vanderduys E and Pressey R (2019) Beyond the model: expert knowledge improves predictions of species' fates under climate change. Ecological Applications, 29 (1), Article: e01824, DOI:10.1002/eap.1824.
• Clements G, Abdul Aziz S, Bulan R, Giam X, Bentraupperbaumer J, Goosem M, Laurance S and Laurance W (2018) Not everyone wants roads: assessing Indigenous people’s support for roads in a globally important tiger conservation landscape. Human Ecology, 46 (6), pp. 909-915, DOI:10.1007/s10745-018-0029-4.
• Whitehead T, Vernes K, Goosem M and Abell S (2018) Invasive predators represent the greatest extinction threat to the endangered northern bettong (Bettongia tropica). Wildlife Research, 45 (3), pp. 208-219, DOI:10.1071/WR16103.
• Alamgir M, Campbell M, Sloan S, Goosem M, Clements G, Mahmoud M and Laurance W (2017) Economic, socio-political and environmental risks of road development in the tropics. Current Biology, 27 (20), pp. R1130-R1140, DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.067.
• Goosem M, Paz C, Fensham R, Preece N, Goosem S and Laurance S (2016) Forest age and isolation affect the rate of recovery of plant species diversity and community composition in secondary rain forests in tropical Australia. Journal of Vegetation Science, 27 (3), pp. 504-514, DOI:10.1111/jvs.12376.
• Pandolfo Paz C, Goosem M, Bird M, Preece N, Goosem S, Fensham R and Laurance S (2016) Soil types influence predictions of soil carbon stock recovery in tropical secondary forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 376, pp. 74-83, DOI:10.1016/j.foreco.2016.06.007.
• Sloan S, Goosem M and Laurance S (2016) Tropical forest regeneration following land abandonment is driven by primary rainforest distribution in an old pastoral region. Landscape Ecology, 31 (3), pp. 601-618, DOI:10.1007/s10980-015-0267-4.
• Tng D, Goosem M, Paz C, Preece N, Goosem S, Fensham R and Laurance S (2016) Characteristics of the Psidium cattleianum invasion of secondary rainforests. Austral Ecology, 40 (4), pp. 344-354, DOI:10.1111/aec.12319.
• Clements G, Lynam A, Gaveau D, Yap W, Lhota S, Goosem M, Laurance S and Laurance W (2014) Where and how are roads endangering mammals in Southeast Asia's forests? PLoS ONE, 9 (12), Article: e115376, pp. 1-25, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0115376.
• Laurance W, Clements G, Sloan S, O’Connell C, Mueller N, Goosem M, Venter O, Edwards D, Phalan B, Balmford A, Van Der Ree R and Arrea I (2014) A global strategy for road building. Nature, 513, pp. 229-234, DOI:10.1038/nature13717.

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 45+ research outputs authored by Dr Miriam Goosem from 1997 onwards.

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

• Cassowary Attitudes and Drier Behaviour in the Wet Tropics in Australia (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

• Patterns of secondary forest recovery in two soil types (2016, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Recruitment and dispersal limitations in a chronosequence of secondary forests in tropical Australia (2016, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Population trends, habitat requirements and conservation recommendations for an endangered marsupial, the northern bettong (Bettongia tropica) (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

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.