Rebecca grew up in the UK, and completed a Master’s degree in Zoology from the University of Sheffield before moving to Australia to undertake her PhD at James Cook University. After completing her doctorate, Rebecca worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji Country program, before returning to JCU as a research fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies' Conservation Planning group. 

Rebecca's research explores how conservation planning concepts and tools can be applied to develop marine protected area networks in regions with community-based management. A central theme of her work is the importance of spatial scale in conservation planning; in particular the need to reconcile regional-sale planning with local-scale implementation in order to develop ecologically functional MPA networks that are supported by local resource users. Her current research is focussed on the Coral Triangle and Western Pacific region. 

Teaching

• MB5310: Marine Reserves as Fisheries Management Tools (Level 5; TSV)

Experience

• 2010 to 2012 - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Wildlife Conservation Society (Fiji)

Research Disciplines

• Environmental Science and Management (0502)
• Fisheries Sciences (0704)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Ecosystem Assessment and Management (9605)
• Remnant Vegetation and Protected Conservation Areas (9613)
• Environmental and Natural Resource Evaluation (9606)

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

• Bode M, Williamson D, Weeks R, Jones G, Almany G, Harrison H, Hopf J and Pressey R (2016) Planning marine reserve networks for both feature representation and demographic persistence using connectivity patterns. PLoS ONE, 11 (5). pp. 1-23
• Cheok J, Pressey R, Weeks R, Andréfouët S and Moloney J (2016) Sympathy for the devil: detailing the effects of planning-unit size, thematic resolution of reef classes, and socioeconomic costs on spatial priorities for marine conservation. PLoS One, 11 (11). pp. 1-25
• Magris R, Treml E, Pressey R and Weeks R (2016) Integrating multiple species connectivity and habitat quality into conservation planning for coral reefs. Ecography, 39 (7). pp. 649-664
• Wendt H, Weeks R, Comley J and Aalbersberg W (2016) Systematic conservation planning within a Fijian customary governance context. Pacific Conservation Biology, 22 (2). pp. 173-181
• Green A, Maypa A, Almany G, Rhodes K, Weeks R, Abesamis R, Gleason M, Mumby P and White A (2015) Larval dispersal and movement patterns of coral reef fishes, and implications for marine reserve network design. Biological Reviews, 90 (4). pp. 1215-1247
• Mills M, Weeks R, Pressey R, Gleason M, Eisma-Osorio R, Lombard A, Harris J, Kilmer A, White A and Morrison T (2015) Real-world progress in overcoming the challenges of adaptive spatial planning in marine protected areas. Biological Conservation, 181. pp. 54-63
• Cohen P, Jupiter S, Weeks R, Tawake A and Govan H (2014) Is community-based fisheries management realising multiple objectives? Examining evidence from the literature. Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin, 34. pp. 3-12
• Jupiter S, Cohen P, Weeks R, Tawake A and Govan H (2014) Locally-managed marine areas: multiple objectives and diverse strategies. Pacific Conservation Biology, 20 (2). pp. 165-179
• Magris R, Pressey R, Weeks R and Ban N (2014) Integrating connectivity and climate change into marine conservation planning. Biological Conservation, 170. pp. 207-221
• Weeks R, Aliño P, Atkinson S, Beldia II P, Binson A, Campos W, Djohani R, Green A, Hamilton R, Horigue V, Jumin R, Kalim K, Kasasiah A, Kereseka J, Klein C, Laroya L, Magupin S, Masike B, Mohan C, Da Silva Pinto R, Vave-Karamui A, Villanoy C, Welly M and White A (2014) Developing Marine Protected Area networks in the Coral Triangle: good practices for expanding the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System. Coastal Management, 42 (2). pp. 183-205
• Pressey R, Mills M, Weeks R and Day J (2013) The plan of the day: managing the dynamic transition from regional conservation designs to local conservation actions. Biological Conservation, 166. pp. 155-169
• Visconti P, Di Marco M, Álvarez-Romero J, Januchowski-Hartley S, Pressey R, Weeks R and Rondinini C (2013) Effects of errors and gaps in spatial data sets on assessment of conservation progress. Conservation Biology, 27 (5). pp. 1000-1010

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

• Maximising Potential Impact of Marine Protected Area Placement: An Integrated Socioeconomic Perspective. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Systematic conservation planning in marine environments – sensitivities of the planning framework to multiple aspects of scale and resolution. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Making an Impact in Marine Conservation: Shifting the Focus Towards Threat Mitigation and Avoiding Residual Conservation (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• The Roles of Culture, Governance and Ecology in Natural Resource Management: Interpreting Standards in Marine Protected Area Design and Management in Order to Enhance Applicaiton in Unique Local Contexts (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Advancing conservation planning for persistence: design of a conservation strategy for Brazilian coral reefs (2016, 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.