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Professor Salit Kark

Professor

School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
s.kark@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 51376

Overview

Professor Salit Kark is a conservation and environmental scientist, with international experience examining the processes shaping biodiversity and their implications for conservation, ecology, environmental decisions, practice and management. Kark and her group provide international leadership in the areas of conservation science, prioritization, invasive species, urban ecology, spatial planning, island conservation, terrestrial, marine and coastal conservation, human-wildlife conflict, and cross-boundary collaboration, working across land-based, coastal and marine environments and collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders and partners in Australia and internationally. The Biodiversity Research Group is a dynamic research team led by Professor Salit Kark at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia with interests in conservation science, ecology and biodiversity. The Kark Group works on a range of conservation, environmental and ecological aspects and collaborates with multiple groups worldwide across terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems and across spatial scales, ranging from regional to global to help solve key environmental questions, ecological, sustainability and conservation challenges around the Planet. We mentor and train future generations of conservation scientists and practitioners, working with local communities and partners internationally to enhance conservation that supports livelihoods and communities.

Kark and her Biodiversity Research Group students and fellows work on addressing environmental and conservation challenges using advanced approaches and tools across multiple spatial scales, from global to local (examining latitudinal and altitudinal gradients), and in both terrestrial (birds and mammals mostly) and marine ecosystems. This includes work across both natural and human-dominated landscapes, examining the generality of spatial patterns and processes. Kark's work integrates socio-economic and historical factors as well as biological and ecological drivers in disentangling the role of the multiple factors that shape biodiversity and its conservation and management. In this framework, Kark's work advances the links between science, practice and policy and in leading actions that allow us to improve science-based conservation. Our group works to enhance close collaboration in conservation with Indigenous and local communities.

Kark is currently serving as a member of UQ's Cultural Inclusion Council and one of UQ's Senate committees and has served on the Promotions and the Confirmation Committee of the Faculty of Science (LCPC), as well as the School of Biological Science's Equity and Diversity Committee (ongoing), the research committee and the the First Nations Engagament committee (ongoing).

Professor Kark served as Deputy Director of UQ's Faculty of Science Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science. Kark was an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow and is currently teaching and research academic and Professor at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia) and was a Chief Investigator at the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED; 2011-2018) and CEED's Theme A (Environmental Policy and Management) Leader. Kark was Chief Investigator of the Commonwealth-supported NESP Threatened Species hub (2015-2021). In this hub, Kark has initiated and led the national-scale Australian islands conservation project (Saving Species on Australian Islands), which aims to examine and prioritize the conservation of threatened species and actions for native and invasive species across Australia's 9000+ islands.

Kark's Biodiversity Research Group is very international, enhancing gender equity, cultural diversity, Indigenous engagement, and includes students and fellows from over 20 countries. Kar's graduates are now based across continents in key positions in a broad range of governmental organizations, NGOs, academic organizations, industry, the private sector and diverse conservation, management and policy roles.

Kark completed her PhD at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1999), collaborating with the Institute for Wildlife Research in Bologna, Italy. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University (between 1999-2002) working with Prof. Harold Mooney, Prof. Gretchen Daily and Prof. Paul Ehrlich at the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford.

Between 2002 and June 2013, Kark was a full-time research and teaching faculty member (Senior Lecturer) at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem where she established and led the Biodiversity Research Group, which she currently leads at the University of Queensland.

Research Interests

  • Biodiversity, global change and conservation science
    Research Interests My research group studies the processes shaping biodiversity and their implications for conservation in a changing world. We work on both native and alien invasive species across different continents and at multiple spatial scales, from global to local. We work across environmental gradients ranging from native to human-dominated ecosystems, including urban and agricultural landscapes. We combine in our research fieldwork, field experiments, spatial and temporal analyses of large databases using geographic information systems, remote sensing, and other advanced tools. We collaborate widely internationally. We are interested in how we can wisely and efficiently prioritize biodiversity conservation actions and efforts to manage native and invasive species in both terrestrial and marine environments in the face of global change. Current main projects Conservation planning and prioritization at local, regional and global scales. Incorporating socio-political and human-related drivers into biodiversity conservation. The role of cross-boundary collaboration and conflicts in conservation. Invasive alien species – spatial patterns, processes, establishment, traits, impacts and prioritization of action How do interactions between alien species shape establishment success, spatial patterns and introduction outcomes? (with focus on birds and mammals). Urban ecology – spatial, temporal trends and conservation of urban biodiversity. The factors shaping the success of species in urban environments. Biodiversity changes along species distribution ranges and particularly across environmental and ecological gradients (such as altitudinal, latitudinal, urban-rural, land-sea, and bathymetric gradients). Island conservation Developing tools and approaches for 3D marine and terrestrial conservation Conservation planning and prioritization in the Mediterranean Basin and Sea at the regional scale in the face of new challenges, such as oil and gas operations. Examination of approaches that can be used to close the gap between managers, policymakers, and scientists (such as horizon scanning). The role of cross-boundary collaboration and conflicts in conservation.

Research Impacts

Leadership – Science-policy: Professor Salit Kark has taken an important leading role in high-rank science-policy national projects, which I have initiated and have been leading. She established and led a large national project aimed at identifying the gaps between scientists, policy-makers and practitioners in the areas of biodiversity and conservation and proposing a national plan for narrowing these gaps. In this framework, she led via dedicated research grants I won a consortium of ±25 partners from governmental, non-governmental and academic organizations have organized international workshops. Kark wrote and published a national report entitled: Promoting science-based conservation in Israel: Identification of gaps and proposed action plan (http://www.sciencebasedconservation.org/default.aspx?pageid=14), which I presented to the Israel Parliament Science and Technology Committee and which was widely distributed to parliament members, government offices, NGO's, the industry, a range of stakeholders and scientists in Israel and worldwide. The report proposes a plan to establish the Israel National Natural Resources and Biodiversity Institute (http://www.sciencebasedconservation.org/).

Leading of international and national workshops: In recent years, Kark has organised and chaired over 25 workshops and conferences, including international conferences/workshops. In 2012 and 2013, I chaired three international workshops in Greece and in Israel on Conservation Planning in the Mediterranean Sea, which lead to new successful collaborations among multiple leading scientists working in the region on conservation prioritisation and planning. Management of alien invasive species also requires collaboration and coordination among different states and regions. In 2010, I coordinated and chaired an International Expert Workshop: Science-based Conservation: Achievements, Gaps and Challenges, to which I invited experts from 5 continents (http://www.sciencebasedconservation.org/default.aspx?pageid=15). During 2009-2011, I lead a working group and of monthly workshops on the links between science, policy and practice in biodiversity conservation (science-based conservation).

Policy advice: Kark has participated in academic and national policy committees and advisory boards, including the steering committee on invasive species in Israel (The Israel Nature and Parks Authority); the National Biodiversity Plan, The Israel Ministry of Environment; the Israel Annual Backyard Bird Survey; Curriculum development in science teaching for the Israel Ministry of Education; the Israel Society for Protection of Nature and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel National Ecological Monitoring Program. she an invited Steering Committee member for the Jerusalem Municipality (Local Action for Biodiversity) and was invited to The Nature Conservancy’s Global Mediterranean Action Network (Global NGO).

Outreach impact: Associate Professor Salit Kark's scientific work and several of my papers have received substantial press, being covered in over a hundred national and international newspapers, magazines and Internet articles, including Science Magazine news (ScienceNOW Daily News), ABC, BBC news, BBC Science & Environment Earth News, United Press International (UPI), National Geographic (Hebrew Edition and on-line), Sigma Xi and Public Radio International, Ha’aretz, Globes, The Jerusalem Post, CBC Radio (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), on TV and other media sources.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Publications

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

  • Bird utilization of vertical space in urban environments and its implications for conservation planning

    Master Philosophy

  • Ecological evaluation of threatened plant and bird interactions on Norfolk Island: implications for conservation and local planning

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Reducing human-wildlife conflict in natural, agricultural and urban landscapes across boundaries

    Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • Incorporating Indigenous Ecological Knowledge into conservation

    Incorporating Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, language and culture into biodiversity and ecosystem conservation

  • Conservation planning and prioritization in marine and coastal systems

    Systematic conservation planning and prioirtisation in the Mediterranean Basin and Sea at the regional scale in the face of new challenges, such as oil and gas operations.

  • The role of collaboration and conflict in conservation

    The role of cross boundary collaboration and conflicts in conservation in terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems

    Land-sea interactions and conservation prioirtization in the world's largest rivers

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book

Book Chapter

  • Australia's urban cavity nesters and introduced parrots: patterns, processes, and impacts

    Rogers, Andrew M. and Kark, Salit (2021). Australia's urban cavity nesters and introduced parrots: patterns, processes, and impacts. Naturalized parrots of the world: distribution, ecology, and impacts of the world's most colorful colonizers. (pp. 277-292) edited by Stephen Pruett-Jones. Princeton, NJ United States: Princeton University Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1g13jxb

  • Competition and invasive species impact on native communities

    Rogers, A.M. and Kark, S. (2020). Competition and invasive species impact on native communities. Invasive birds: global trends and impacts. (pp. 341-349) edited by Colleen T. Downs and Lorinda A. Hart. Wallingford, United Kingdom: CABI. doi: 10.1079/9781789242065.0341

  • Conservation challenges in the face of new hydrocarbon discoveries in the Mediterranean sea

    Mazor, Tessa, Levin, Noam, Brokovich, Eran and Kark, Salit (2018). Conservation challenges in the face of new hydrocarbon discoveries in the Mediterranean sea. Offshore energy and marine spatial planning. (pp. 260-273) edited by Katherine L. Yates and Corey J. A. Bradshaw. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315666877

  • Ecotones and ecological gradients

    Kark, Salit (2013). Ecotones and ecological gradients. Ecological Systems: Selected Entries from the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. (pp. 147-160) edited by Rik Leemans. New York , NY, United States: Springer New York. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5755-8

  • Effects of ecotones on biodiversity

    Kark, Salit (2013). Effects of ecotones on biodiversity. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. (pp. 142-148) edited by Simon A. Levin. Oxford: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-384719-5.00234-3

  • Ecotones and Ecological Gradients

    Kark, Salit (2012). Ecotones and Ecological Gradients. Ecological Systems. (pp. 147-160) edited by Rik Leemans. New York, NY, United States: Springer New York. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5755-8_9

  • Ecotones and ecological gradients

    Kark, S (2012). Ecotones and ecological gradients. Encyclopedia of sustainability science and technology. (pp. 3357-3367) New York, United States: Springer.

  • Ecotones and ecological gradients

    Kark, Salit (2012). Ecotones and ecological gradients. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. (pp. 3357-3367) edited by Robert A. Meyers. New York, United States: Springer New York. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_572

  • Impacts of alien vertebrates in Europe

    Shirley, Susan M. and Kark, Salit (2011). Impacts of alien vertebrates in Europe. Biological invasions: economic and environmental costs of alien plant, animal, and microbe species. (pp. 177-198) edited by David Pimentel. Boca Raton, FL, United States: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/b10938-12

  • Alien birds, amphibians and reptiles of Europe

    Kark, Salit, Solarz, Wojeciech, Chiron, Francois, Clergeau, Philippe and Shirley, Susan (2009). Alien birds, amphibians and reptiles of Europe. Handbook of Alien Species in Europe. (pp. 105-118) edited by Philip E. Hulme and DAISIE. Dordrecht: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4020-8280-1_8

  • Effects of Ecotones on Biodiversity

    Kark, Salit (2007). Effects of Ecotones on Biodiversity. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. edited by Simon Asher Levin. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-012226865-6/00573-0

  • Biodiversity along core-periphery clines

    Kark, S., Volis, S. and Novoplansky, A. (2004). Biodiversity along core-periphery clines. Biodiversity in Drylands: Toward a Unified Framework. (pp. 30-56) edited by Moshe Shachak, James R. Gosz, Steward T. A. Pickett and Avi Perevolotsky. New York, NY, USA: Oxford University Press.

  • United framework I: interspecific interactions and species diversity in drylands

    Polis, G. A., Ayal Y., Bachi, A., Dall, S., Goldberg, D., Holt, R, Kark, S., Kotler, B., Lubin, Y. and Mitchell, W. (2004). United framework I: interspecific interactions and species diversity in drylands. Biodiversity in Drylands: Toward a Unified Framework. (pp. 122-152) edited by Moshe Shachak, James R. Gosz, Steward T. A. Pickett and Avi Perevolotsky. New York, NY, USA: Oxford University Press.

  • The use of bilateral asymmetry in ecology and conservation: concepts, developments, and prospects

    Lens, L., Van Dongen, S., Kark, S., Talloen, W., Hens, L. and Matthysen, E. (2001). The use of bilateral asymmetry in ecology and conservation: concepts, developments, and prospects. Recent research developments in ecology. (pp. 21-43) edited by S. G. Pandalai. Trivandrum, India: Transworld Research Network.

Journal Article

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Bird utilization of vertical space in urban environments and its implications for conservation planning

    Master Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Ecological evaluation of threatened plant and bird interactions on Norfolk Island: implications for conservation and local planning

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Reducing human-wildlife conflict in natural, agricultural and urban landscapes across boundaries

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Can honey help save large threatened animals?

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • From the UK to Australia: when a native species becomes an invader

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Conservation of mammals in a biodiversity hotspot on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Factors shaping butterfly conservation on Australian islands

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Meta-analyses of Indian endangered species abundances from camera trap data

    Master Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Incorporating Indigenous Ecological Knowledge into conservation

    Incorporating Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, language and culture into biodiversity and ecosystem conservation

  • Conservation planning and prioritization in marine and coastal systems

    Systematic conservation planning and prioirtisation in the Mediterranean Basin and Sea at the regional scale in the face of new challenges, such as oil and gas operations.

  • The role of collaboration and conflict in conservation

    The role of cross boundary collaboration and conflicts in conservation in terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems

    Land-sea interactions and conservation prioirtization in the world's largest rivers

  • Biodiversity along environmental gradients and ecotone in the face of global change

    Biodiversity changes along species distribution ranges and particularly across environmental and ecological gradients (such as altitudinal, latitudinal, urban-rural, land-sea and bathymetric gradients).

  • Science-policy gaps in biodiversity conservation

    Examination of approaches that can be used to close the gap between managers, policy makers and scientists (such as horizon scanning).

  • Island biodiversity and conservation

    Shaping conservation and management prioritiies on Australian and global islands

  • Urban biodiversity and ecology of urban birds

    Urban ecology – spatial, temporal trends and conservation of urban biodiversity. The factors shaping success of species in urban environments.

  • Prioritization of action for confronting invasive alien mammals and birds in Australia

    Invasive alien species – spatial patterns, processes, establishment, traits, impacts and prioritization of action

  • The role of interactions between invasive alien species in shaping introduction success

    How do interactions between alien species shape establishment success, spatial patterns and introduction outcomes? (with focus on birds and mammals).

  • Incorporating socio-political drivers into conservation prioritization

    Conservation planning and prioritisation at local, regional and global scales. Incorporating socio-political and human-related drivers into biodiversity conservation.

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

biodiversity, invasive birds, island conservation, ecological gradients, Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean conservation, cross-boundary collaboration in conservation, urban biodiversity, collaboration in conservation, marine conservation, conservation prioritization, conservation

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: I-7123-2013

ORCID: 0000-0002-7183-3988

Scopus ID: 7003925533

Google Scholar ID: ZZRWgsgAAAAJ

Personal Profile: Link

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