Professor Nick Bond
Professor of freshwater ecology, La Trobe University
See Professor Bond’s full research profile here.
Research outputs linked to policy change and decision-making
- In 2019, Professor Bond was an author on the Independent assessment of the 2018–19 fish deaths in the lower Darling. This panel conducted a thorough investigation into the causes of the fish deaths in the lower Darling River – an event that garnered world-wide attention at the time – and provided a detailed evidence based assessment of both proximate causes and the broader influence of hydro-climatic and management settings as factors contributing to these events. They provided a set of recommendations, which were accepted and quickly acted on by the Water Minister at the time, the Honourable David Littleproud. Implementation of these recommendations had direct positive influence on the long-term management of the Darling River. Our report was also praised by both industry representatives and environmental non-government organisations for its balanced assessment.
- Since 2012, Professor Bond has worked as a member of small research team collaborating on a ‘science-practice partnership’ with Melbourne Water to develop spatial planning tools to support river health outcomes across the greater Melbourne region. This work developed habitat suitability models to examine outcomes under a range of and and water management scenarios that consider urban-growth, riparian land and catchment management, and changes in water availability. These models were used directly to identify priority actions and areas that were incorporated into the 2018–2028 Healthy Waterways Strategy. This work supported Melbourne Water in adopting a quantitative evidence based planning approach.
- From 2017, Professor Bond led the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO) Long Term Intervention Monitoring Program (LTIM) basin matter team. The LTIM program represented a $30-million, five-year investment to assist in monitoring outcomes under the Murray–Darling Basin Plan. As one of the largest ever attempts at water reform globally, it is critical that the basin plan is thoroughly evaluated. This project has underpinned adaptive management decisions by the CEWO as well as provided significant input to the current Murray–Darling Basin Authority-led 2020 basin plan evaluation.
Current academic employment and positions
- 2016–present: professor of freshwater ecology and director of the Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems, La Trobe University.
Highest qualification
- 2000: PhD, University of Melbourne.
Major prizes, medals and honours
- 2009: Early Career Research Excellence Award, Australian Society for Limnology
- 2015: Best Paper Award, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University
- 2017: Joss Family Research Excellence Prize, La Trobe University.
Roles on government or regional organisation committees
- 2018–present: member of the Murray–Darling Basin Authority advisory committee on social, economic and environmental sciences
- 2018: expert input to the Australian Commonwealth Government Parliamentary Inquiry in to the Management and use of Commonwealth Environmental Water
- 2017: expert input to the Victorian State Parliamentary Inquiry into the Management, Governance and Use of Environmental Water in Victoria, Australia
- 2017–2018: long-term water resource assessment technical advisory group, Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)
- 2016-2017: Victorian biodiversity strategy science reference group, DELWP
- 2015–present: Victorian environmental flows monitoring and assessment program technical reference panel, DELWP.
My Projects
Current project
Completed project
NESP RLH, 2021-2027NESP, 2015-2021NERP, 2012-2015TRaCK, 2005-present
