Fuller Lab

People just like you and me have caused a huge biodiversity crisis, pushing many species to the brink of extinction and beyond. Doing something about this is one of the most important and urgent problems globally.

We are a group of researchers headed by Richard Fuller and based at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. We are studying how people have affected the natural world around them, and how some of their destructive effects can best be reversed. On the flip side, we are also keen to understand whether and how people can benefit positively from experiences of biodiversity.

To answer these questions we work on pure and applied topics in biodiversity and conservation, spanning the fields of conservation planning, conservation psychology and urban ecology. Much of our work is interdisciplinary, focusing on the interactions between people and nature, how these can be enhanced, and how these relationships can be shaped to converge on coherent solutions to the biodiversity crisis.

Formed in January 2010, we are a young and rapidly growing lab, publishing in high quality journals including Nature, Science, PLoS Biology, TREE, Proceedings B etc. Have a browse through the website to get a feel for the kind of work we do.

What is conservation science really about?

Standing Left to Right: Veronica Gama, Si-liang Lin, Jeff Choo, Jeff Hanson, Muu Akasaka, Danielle Shanahan, Maddy Stigner, Dylan Moffitt, Jo Towsey, Rich Fuller

Sitting Left to Right: Bella Gama, Jeremy Ringma, Jimmy Choi, Lara Franco, Hsien-yung Lin, Emily Fuller, Claire Fuller, Hannah Wauchope, Kiran Dhanjal-Adams, Jasmine Lee

Recent News
- Saving our seabirds: Variable breeding success of Red-tailed Tropicbirds in the Great Barrier Reef reveals the need for robust monitoring
- Richardson LS, Fuller RA, Stewart DA, McDonald JA, Robertson K & Oswald SA (2023) Saving our seabirds: Variable breeding success of Red-tailed Tropicbirds in the Great Barrier Reef reveals the need for robust monitoring Emu, 123, e02659.
- Comparing different management strategies of river mouths for waterbird conservation: a case study along the Yellow Sea coast
- Zhao S, Wang T, Li X, Xu H, Liu N, Xu A, Fuller RA & Li B (2023) Comparing different management strategies of river mouths for waterbird conservation: a case study along the Yellow Sea coast Global Ecology and Conservation, 47, e02659.
- Can an acoustic observatory contribute to conservation of threatened species?
- Schwarzkopf L, Roe P, Mcdonald PG, Watson DM, Fuller RA & Allen-Ankins S (2023) Can an acoustic observatory contribute to conservation of threatened species? Austral Ecology, 48, 1230-1237.
- Insights from citizen science reveal priority areas for conserving biodiversity in Bangladesh
- Chowdhury S, Fuller RA, Rokonuzzaman M, Alam S, Das P, Siddika A, Ahmed S, Labi MM, Chowdhury SU, Mukul SA, Böhm M & Hanson JO (2023) Insights from citizen science reveal priority areas for conserving biodiversity in Bangladesh. One Earth, 6, 1315-1325.
- The role of diverse cultural identities in the perceived value of urban forests in Melbourne, Australia, and implications for urban ecosystem research and practice
- Ordóñez Barona C, Sonkkila C, Baumann JM, Threlfall CG, Hochuli DF, Fuller RA, Davern M & Livesley SJ (2023) The role of diverse cultural identities in the perceived value of urban forests in Melbourne, Australia, and implications for urban ecosystem research and practice. Ecology and Society, 28, 3.
- Using modern portfolio theory to enhance ecosystem service delivery: A case study from China
- Zhang X, Jin X, Fuller RA, Liang X, Fan Y & Zhou Y (2023) Using modern portfolio theory to enhance ecosystem service delivery: A case study from China. Journal of Environmental Management, 347, 119064.
- Multiple facets of biodiversity are threatened by mining-induced land-use change in the Brazilian Amazon
- Lloyd TJ, Oliveira U, Soares-Filho BS, Fuller RA, Butt N, Ascher JS, Barbosa JPPP, Batista JAN, Brescovit AD, de Carvalho CJB, De Marco P, Ferro VG, Fortes Leite FS, Löwenberg-Neto P, Paglia AP, Teixeira de Rezende D, Santos AJ, Silva DP, Ferreira de Vasconcelos M & Sonter LJ (2023) Multiple facets of biodiversity are threatened […]
- Drone-induced flight initiation distances for shorebirds in mixed-species flocks
- Wilson JP, Amano T & Fuller RA (2023) Drone-induced flight initiation distances for shorebirds in mixed-species flocks. Journal of Applied Ecology, 60, 1816-1827.
- Quantifying the importance of urban trees to people and nature through tree removal experiments
- Ordóñez C, Threlfall CG, Kendal D, Baumann J, Sonkkila C, Hochuli DF, van der Ree R, Fuller RA, Davern M, Herzog K, English A & Livesley SJ (2023) Quantifying the importance of urban trees to people and nature through tree removal experiments. People and Nature, 5, 1316-1335.
- Using empirical data analysis and expert opinion to identify farmland-associated bird species from their habitat associations
- Lin D-L, Maron M, Amano T, Chang A-Y & Fuller RA (2023) Using empirical data analysis and expert opinion to identify farmland-associated bird species from their habitat associations. Ibis, 165, 974-985.
- Increasing biodiversity knowledge through social media: A case study from tropical Bangladesh
- Chowdhury S, Aich U, Rokonuzzaman M, Alam S, Das P, Siddika A, Ahmed S, Labi MM, Di Marco M, Fuller RA & Callaghan CT (2023) Increasing biodiversity knowledge through social media: A case study from tropical Bangladesh. BioScience, 73, 453-459.
- Retaining natural vegetation to safeguard biodiversity and humanity
- Simmonds JS, Suarez-Castro AF, Reside AE, Watson JEM, Allan JR, Atkinson SC, Borrelli P, Dudley N, Edwards S, Fuller RA, Game ET, Linke S, Maxwell SL, Panagos P, Puydarrieux P, Quétier F, Runting RK, Santini T, Sonter LJ & Maron M (2023) Retaining natural vegetation to safeguard biodiversity and humanity. Conservation Biology, 37, e14040.
- Global governance for pandemic prevention and the wildlife trade
- Gallo-Cajiao E, Lieberman S, Dolšak N, Prakash A, Labonté R, Biggs D, Franklin C, Morrison TH, Viens AM, Fuller RA, Aguiar R, Fidelman P, Watson JEM, Aenishaenslin C & Wiktorowicz M (2023) Global governance for pandemic prevention and the wildlife trade. Lancet Planetary Health, 7, e336-e345.
- Exploring the risks and benefits of flexibility in biodiversity offset location in a case study of migratory shorebirds
- Shumway N, Saunders MI, Nicol S, Fuller RA, Ben-Moshe N, Iwamura T, Kim SW, Murray NJ, Watson JEM & Maron M (2023) Exploring the risks and benefits of flexibility in biodiversity offset location in a case study of migratory shorebirds. Conservation Biology, 37, e14031.
- Remote and local threats are associated with population change in Taiwanese migratory waterbirds
- Lin D-L, Tsai C-Y, Pursner S, Chao J, Lyu A, Amano T, Maron M, Lin R-S, Lin K-H, Chiang K-K, Lin Y-L, Lu L-C, Chang A-Y, Chen W-J & Fuller RA (2023) Remote and local threats are associated with population change in Taiwanese migratory waterbirds. Global Ecology and Conservation, 42, e02402.
- Prospects for monitoring bird migration along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway using weather radar
- Shi X, Hu C, Soderholm J, Chapman J, Mao H, Cui K, Ma Z, Wu D & Fuller RA (2023) Prospects for monitoring bird migration along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway using weather radar. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 9, 169–181.
- Habitat selection and population status of breeding Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola in an alpine meadow in Sichuan, China
- Ren X, Zhang S, Huang K, Peng H-B, Li C, Zhao D, Pang D, Wu Y, Liu P, Chen P, Hou R, Fuller RA, Hua F & & Que P (2023) Habitat selection and population status of breeding Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola in an alpine meadow in Sichuan, China. Bird Conservation International, 33, e54.
- Effectiveness of acoustic indices as indicators of vertebrate biodiversity
- Allen-Ankins S, McKnight DT, Nordberg EJ, Hoefer S, Roe P, Watson DM, McDonald PG, Fuller RA & Schwarzkopf L (2023) Effectiveness of acoustic indices as indicators of vertebrate biodiversity. Ecological Indicators, 147, 109937.
- The reptile relocation industry in Australia: Perspectives from operators
- Derez CM & Fuller RA (2023) The reptile relocation industry in Australia: Perspectives from operators. Diversity, 15, 343.
- Implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the governance of biodiversity conservation
- Gallo-Cajiao E, Dolšak N, Prakash A, Mundkur T, Harris PG, Mitchell RB, Davidson N, Hansen B, Woodworth BK, Fuller RA, Price M, Petkov N, Mauerhofer V, Morrison TH, Watson JEM, Chowdhury SU, Zöckler C, Widerberg O, Yong DL, Klich D, Smagol V, Piccolo J & Biggs D (2023) Implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for […]
- Three-quarters of insect species are insufficiently represented by protected areas
- Chowdhury S, Zalucki MP, Hanson JO, Tiatragul S, Green D, Watson JEM & Fuller RA (2023) Three-quarters of insect species are insufficiently represented by protected areas. One Earth, 6, 1-8.
- Taiwan’s Breeding Bird Survey reveals very few declining species
- Lin D-L, Ko J C-J, Amano T, Hsu C-T, Fuller RA, Maron M, Fan M-W, Pursner S, Wu T-Y, Wu S-H, Chen W-J, Bayraktarov E, Mundkur T, Lin R-S, Ding T-S, Lee Y-J & Lee P-F (2023) Taiwan’s Breeding Bird Survey reveals very few declining species. Ecological Indicators, 146, 109839.
- FlywayNet: A hidden semi-Markov model for inferring the structure of migratory bird networks from count data
- Nicol S, Cros M-J, Peyrard N, Sabbadin R, Trépos R, Fuller RA & Woodworth BK (2023) FlywayNet: A hidden semi-Markov model for inferring the structure of migratory bird networks from count data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14, 265-279.
- Protected areas and the future of insect conservation
- Chowdhury S, Jennions MD, Zalucki MP, Maron M, Watson JEM & Fuller RA (2023) Protected areas and the future of insect conservation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38, 85-95.
- Threat management priorities for conserving Antarctic biodiversity
- Lee JR, Terauds A, Carwardine J, Shaw JD, Fuller RA, Possingham HP, Chown SL, Convey P, Gilbert N, Hughes KA, McIvor E, Robinson SA, Ropert-Coudert Y, Bergstrom DM, Biersma EM, Christian C, Cowan DA, Frenot Y, Jenouvrier S, Kelley L, Lee MJ, Lynch HJ, Njåstad B, Queseda A, Roura RM, Ashley Shaw E, Stanwell-Smith D, […]
- Backyard buzz: Human population density modifies the value of vegetation cover for insect pollinators in a subtropical city
- Persson AS, Westman A, Smith TJ, Mayfield MM, Olsson P, Smith HG & Fuller RA (2022) Backyard buzz: Human population density modifies the value of vegetation cover for insect pollinators in a subtropical city. Urban Ecosystems, 25, 1875-1890.
- Trends and progress in studying butterfly migration
- Chowdhury S, Zalucki MP, Amano T, Poch TJ, Lin M-M, Ohwaki A, Lin D-L, Yang L, Choi S-W, Jennions MD & Fuller RA (2022) Trends and progress in studying butterfly migration. Integrative Conservation, 1, 8-24.
- Beyond the ecocentric: Diverse values and attitudes influence engagement in pro-environmental behaviours
- Sockhill NJ, Dean AJ, Oh RRY & Fuller RA (2022) Beyond the ecocentric: Diverse values and attitudes influence engagement in pro-environmental behaviours. People and Nature, 5, 1500-1512.
- The benefits of contributing to the citizen science platform iNaturalist as an identifier
- Callaghan CT, Mesaglio T, Ascher JS, Brooks TM, Cabras AA, Chandler M, Cornwell WK, Cristóbal Ríos-Málaver IC, Dankowicz E, Dhiya’ulhaq NU, Fuller RA, Galindo-Leal C, Grattarola F, Hewitt S, Higgins L, Hitchcock C, Hung K-LJ, Iwane T, Kahumbu P, Kendrick R, Kieschnick SR, Kunz G, Lee CC, Lin C-T, Loarie S, Medina MN, McGrouther MA, […]
- An emerging coastal wetland management dilemma between mangrove expansion and shorebird conservation
- Choi C-Y, Xiao H, Jia M, Jackson MV, Lai Y-C, Murray NJ, Gibson L & Fuller RA (2022) An emerging coastal wetland management dilemma between mangrove expansion and shorebird conservation. Conservation Biology, 36, e13905.

Recent News

Richardson LS, Fuller RA, Stewart DA, McDonald JA, Robertson K & Oswald SA (2023) Saving our seabirds: Variable breeding success of Red-tailed Tropicbirds in the Great Barrier Reef reveals the need for robust monitoring Emu, 123, e02659.

Zhao S, Wang T, Li X, Xu H, Liu N, Xu A, Fuller RA & Li B (2023) Comparing different management strategies of river mouths for waterbird conservation: a case study along the Yellow Sea coast Global Ecology and Conservation, 47, e02659.

Schwarzkopf L, Roe P, Mcdonald PG, Watson DM, Fuller RA & Allen-Ankins S (2023) Can an acoustic observatory contribute to conservation of threatened species? Austral Ecology, 48, 1230-1237.

Chowdhury S, Fuller RA, Rokonuzzaman M, Alam S, Das P, Siddika A, Ahmed S, Labi MM, Chowdhury SU, Mukul SA, Böhm M & Hanson JO (2023) Insights from citizen science reveal priority areas for conserving biodiversity in Bangladesh. One Earth, 6, 1315-1325.

Zhang X, Jin X, Fuller RA, Liang X, Fan Y & Zhou Y (2023) Using modern portfolio theory to enhance ecosystem service delivery: A case study from China. Journal of Environmental Management, 347, 119064.

Wilson JP, Amano T & Fuller RA (2023) Drone-induced flight initiation distances for shorebirds in mixed-species flocks. Journal of Applied Ecology, 60, 1816-1827.

Ordóñez C, Threlfall CG, Kendal D, Baumann J, Sonkkila C, Hochuli DF, van der Ree R, Fuller RA, Davern M, Herzog K, English A & Livesley SJ (2023) Quantifying the importance of urban trees to people and nature through tree removal experiments. People and Nature, 5, 1316-1335.

Lin D-L, Maron M, Amano T, Chang A-Y & Fuller RA (2023) Using empirical data analysis and expert opinion to identify farmland-associated bird species from their habitat associations. Ibis, 165, 974-985.

Chowdhury S, Aich U, Rokonuzzaman M, Alam S, Das P, Siddika A, Ahmed S, Labi MM, Di Marco M, Fuller RA & Callaghan CT (2023) Increasing biodiversity knowledge through social media: A case study from tropical Bangladesh. BioScience, 73, 453-459.

Gallo-Cajiao E, Lieberman S, Dolšak N, Prakash A, Labonté R, Biggs D, Franklin C, Morrison TH, Viens AM, Fuller RA, Aguiar R, Fidelman P, Watson JEM, Aenishaenslin C & Wiktorowicz M (2023) Global governance for pandemic prevention and the wildlife trade. Lancet Planetary Health, 7, e336-e345.

Shumway N, Saunders MI, Nicol S, Fuller RA, Ben-Moshe N, Iwamura T, Kim SW, Murray NJ, Watson JEM & Maron M (2023) Exploring the risks and benefits of flexibility in biodiversity offset location in a case study of migratory shorebirds. Conservation Biology, 37, e14031.

Lin D-L, Tsai C-Y, Pursner S, Chao J, Lyu A, Amano T, Maron M, Lin R-S, Lin K-H, Chiang K-K, Lin Y-L, Lu L-C, Chang A-Y, Chen W-J & Fuller RA (2023) Remote and local threats are associated with population change in Taiwanese migratory waterbirds. Global Ecology and Conservation, 42, e02402.

Shi X, Hu C, Soderholm J, Chapman J, Mao H, Cui K, Ma Z, Wu D & Fuller RA (2023) Prospects for monitoring bird migration along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway using weather radar. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 9, 169–181.

Ren X, Zhang S, Huang K, Peng H-B, Li C, Zhao D, Pang D, Wu Y, Liu P, Chen P, Hou R, Fuller RA, Hua F & & Que P (2023) Habitat selection and population status of breeding Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola in an alpine meadow in Sichuan, China. Bird Conservation International, 33, e54.

Allen-Ankins S, McKnight DT, Nordberg EJ, Hoefer S, Roe P, Watson DM, McDonald PG, Fuller RA & Schwarzkopf L (2023) Effectiveness of acoustic indices as indicators of vertebrate biodiversity. Ecological Indicators, 147, 109937.

Derez CM & Fuller RA (2023) The reptile relocation industry in Australia: Perspectives from operators. Diversity, 15, 343.

Chowdhury S, Zalucki MP, Hanson JO, Tiatragul S, Green D, Watson JEM & Fuller RA (2023) Three-quarters of insect species are insufficiently represented by protected areas. One Earth, 6, 1-8.

Lin D-L, Ko J C-J, Amano T, Hsu C-T, Fuller RA, Maron M, Fan M-W, Pursner S, Wu T-Y, Wu S-H, Chen W-J, Bayraktarov E, Mundkur T, Lin R-S, Ding T-S, Lee Y-J & Lee P-F (2023) Taiwan’s Breeding Bird Survey reveals very few declining species. Ecological Indicators, 146, 109839.

Nicol S, Cros M-J, Peyrard N, Sabbadin R, Trépos R, Fuller RA & Woodworth BK (2023) FlywayNet: A hidden semi-Markov model for inferring the structure of migratory bird networks from count data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14, 265-279.

Chowdhury S, Jennions MD, Zalucki MP, Maron M, Watson JEM & Fuller RA (2023) Protected areas and the future of insect conservation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38, 85-95.

Persson AS, Westman A, Smith TJ, Mayfield MM, Olsson P, Smith HG & Fuller RA (2022) Backyard buzz: Human population density modifies the value of vegetation cover for insect pollinators in a subtropical city. Urban Ecosystems, 25, 1875-1890.

Chowdhury S, Zalucki MP, Amano T, Poch TJ, Lin M-M, Ohwaki A, Lin D-L, Yang L, Choi S-W, Jennions MD & Fuller RA (2022) Trends and progress in studying butterfly migration. Integrative Conservation, 1, 8-24.

Sockhill NJ, Dean AJ, Oh RRY & Fuller RA (2022) Beyond the ecocentric: Diverse values and attitudes influence engagement in pro-environmental behaviours. People and Nature, 5, 1500-1512.

Choi C-Y, Xiao H, Jia M, Jackson MV, Lai Y-C, Murray NJ, Gibson L & Fuller RA (2022) An emerging coastal wetland management dilemma between mangrove expansion and shorebird conservation. Conservation Biology, 36, e13905.