Dr Alex Maisey
Research Fellow, Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University
See Alex Maisey’s full research profile here.
Bio:
Dr Alex Maisey is a terrestrial ecologist with a focus on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. With experience in empirical ecological research and applied environmental science, Alex’s work primarily revolves around understanding the complex interactions within ecosystems and developing strategies to enhance their resilience. Alex contributes to research projects that inform sustainable land use and conservation policies, aiming to bridge the gap between ecological science and practical environmental management.
Research outputs linked to policy change and decision-making
- In 2021, Dr Maisey undertook a postdoctoral research position in collaboration with WWF-Australia and BirdLife to understand the impacts of the “Black Summer” fires on the southern distribution of the Superb Lyrebird. This research provided detailed mapping of habitat impacts of the fires, and included an extensive field program that measured activity levels of the species one-year post-fire. This revealed the critical importance of temperate rainforests for survival and recovery of lyrebird populations in the post-fire landscape, emphasising the need for careful management and restoration of these critical ecosystems.
- Since 2022 Dr Maisey has worked with a large team at La Trobe University’s Research Centre for Future Landscapes to understand ‘Natural Capital’ on farms. Alex’s research focus is to understand the ecosystem services provided by nature on working farms. These services include those provided by pollinators, decomposers (e.g., detritivore invertebrates) and beneficial invertebrates (e.g., spiders, parasitoid wasps, predatory bugs). This work uncovered connections between nature’s health and farm productivity, while tackling the challenge of accounting for the value of nature to communities and society.
Current academic employment and positions
- 2021–present: Research Fellow at Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University.
Highest qualification
- 2021: PhD, La Trobe University.
Roles on government or regional organisation committees
- 2022 Melbourne Peri Urban Regional Deer Partnership Group
My Projects
Current project
Completed project
NESP RLH, 2021-2027NESP, 2015-2021NERP, 2012-2015TRaCK, 2005-present
