Rob has a long history translating scientific research into effective management advice and policy. He has a BSc in Zoology, an Honours degree (1st Class) in Entomology and a PhD in Fisheries from the University of Queensland.

He has worked as an entomologist, a fisheries scientist, a fisheries manager in the Torres Strait, as environment and regional manager for the Queensland government and as a seagrass scientist and research administrator.

Rob was the founding secretary of the World Seagrass Association and has a long history of promoting seagrass and coastal management research in the Indo-Pacific region.

Research Disciplines

• Environmental management (4104)
• Ecological applications (4102)
• Ecology (3103)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Marine systems and management (1805)
• Coastal and estuarine systems and management (1802)

Fellowships

• 1996 - Churchill Fellow

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

• Schlaefer J, Carter A, Choukroun S, Coles R, Critchell K, Lambrechts J, Rasheed M, Tol S and Grech A (2022) Marine plant dispersal and connectivity measures differ in their sensitivity to biophysical model parameters. Environmental Modelling & Software, 149.
• Carter A, Collier C, Lawrence E, Rasheed M, Robson B and Coles R (2021) A spatial analysis of seagrass habitat and community diversity in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Scientific Reports, 11.
• Carter A, McKenna S, Rasheed M, Collier C, McKenzie L, Pitcher R and Coles R (2021) Synthesizing 35?years of seagrass spatial data from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Queensland, Australia. Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 6 (4). pp. 216-226
• Tol S, Jarvis J, York P, Congdon B and Coles R (2021) Mutualistic relationships in marine angiosperms: enhanced germination of seeds by mega-herbivores. Biotropica, 53 (6). pp. 1535-1545
• Tol S, Harrison M, Groom R, Gilbert J, Blair D, Coles R and Congdon B (2021) Using DNA to distinguish between faeces of Dugong dugon and Chelonia mydas: non-invasive sampling for IUCN-listed marine megafauna. Conservation Genetics Resources, 13. pp. 115-117
• Collier C, Carter A, Rasheed M, McKenzie L, Udy J, Coles R, Brodie J, Waycott M, O’Brien K, Saunders M, Adams M, Martin K, Honchin C, Petus C and Lawrence E (2020) An evidence-based approach for setting desired state in a complex Great Barrier Reef seagrass ecosystem: a case study from Cleveland Bay. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 7.
• Duffy J, Benedetti-Cecchi L, Trinanes J, Muller-Karger F, Ambo-Rappe R, Boström C, Buschmann A, Byrnes J, Coles R, Creed J, Cullen-Unsworth L, Diaz-Pulido G, Duarte C, Edgar G, Fortes M, Goni G, Hu C, Huang X, Hurd C, Johnson C, Konar B, Krause-Jensen D, Krumhansl K, Macreadie P, Marsh H, McKenzie L, Mieszkowska N, Miloslavich P, Montes E, Nakaoka M, Norderhaug K, Norlund L, Orth R, Prathep A, Putman N, Samper-Villarreal J, Serrao E, Short F, Pinto I, Steinberg P, Stuart-Smith R, Unsworth R, van Keulen M, van Tussenbroek B, Wang M, Waycott M, Weatherdon L, Wernberg T and Yaakub S (2019) Toward a coordinated global observing system for seagrasses and marine macroalgae. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6. pp. 1-26
• Grech A, Hanert E, McKenzie L, Rasheed M, Thomas C, Tol S, Wang M, Waycott M, Wolter J and Coles R (2018) Predicting the cumulative effect of multiple disturbances on seagrass connectivity. Global Change Biology, 24 (7). pp. 3093-3104
• Tol S, Jarvis J, York P, Grech A, Congdon B and Coles R (2017) Long distance biotic dispersal of tropical seagrass seeds by marine mega-herbivores. Scientific Reports, 7. pp. 1-8
• York P, Smith T, Coles R, McKenna S, Connolly R, Irving A, Jackson E, McMahon K, Runcie J, Sherman C, Sullivan B, Trevathan-Tackett S, Brodersen K, Carter A, Ewers C, Lavery P, Roelfsema C, Sinclair E, Strydom S, Tanner J, van Dijk K, Warry F, Waycott M and Whitehead S (2017) Identifying knowledge gaps in seagrass research and management: an Australian perspective . Marine Environmental Research, 127. pp. 163-172

Conference Papers

• Carter A, Coles R, McKenna S and Rasheed M (2017) Spatial management tools for coastal seagrasses in Queensland, Australia. Proceedings of the Australasian Coasts & Ports 2017 Conference. 21-23 June 2017, Cairns, QLD, Australia
• Rasheed M, McKenna S, Coles R and Carter A (2017) Protection of Great Barrier Reef seagrasses through innovative port industry and science research partnerships. Proceedings of the Australasian Coasts & Ports 2017 Conference. In: Australasian Coasts & Ports 2017 Conference: working with nature, 21-23 June 2017, Cairns, QLD, Australia

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 52+ research outputs authored by Dr Robert Coles from 2007 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

• A functional traits-based approach to improve understanding of seagrass resilience and disturbance effects on ecosystem services (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

• Relative importance of different seagrass re-establishment strategies in tropical Queensland, Australia (2021, 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.

• Tol, S. (2016) Biotic tropical seagrass seed dispersal by dugong and green sea turtles in the Great Barrier Reef. 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.