Dr Katherine Tuft
Chief executive officer/general manager, Arid Recovery
See Dr Tuft’s full research profile here.
Research outputs linked to policy change and decision-making
Dr Tuft’s experience of 15 years in the conservation field has always been at the pointy end of research application to solve pressing conservation problems. By integrating research within monitoring and land management programs, Dr Tuft and her teams have been able to closely observe impacts of management approaches, and use their data to rapidly adjust then reassess again in an adaptive management framework. She believes strongly in communicating results quickly and effectively to the audiences that need them so that the greatest impact to conservation practice can be achieved.
Dr Tuft has worked on four Australian Research Council (ARC) linkage research collaborations as well as 6 research projects within the Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the previous phase of the National Environmental Science Program. She has also contributed to that hub’s stakeholder reference group. The research she has been involved in has uncovered key mechanisms driving declines in northern Australian mammal species, while at the same time testing management of those drivers and demonstrating that recovery can be possible with those tested conservation management approaches and the right conditions. At Arid Recovery, she has developed a multi-disciplinary research partnership including the University of Adelaide, CSIRO and Waratah to understand corrosion risk to conservation fencing and worked with industry metallurgists to develop longer-lasting solutions for application across the country. She also regularly supports and advises on reintroduction projects in South Australia and elsewhere as Arid Recovery’s experience in this space is sought repeatedly.
Current employment and positions
Highest qualification
Major prizes, medals and honours
Links with non-government groups or networks
Current project
Completed project
