In marine conservation planning my current interest is the incorporation of connectivity in marine conservation decisions. Firstly, it is widely accepted that marine conservation requires complementary land management, and my work aims to incorporate conservation of marine-terrestrial-freshwater connectivity in planning.
Within the marine realm, pelagic larval stages mean that organisms can recruit to reefs other than their natal site. Such dispersal connectivity is considered crucial in coral reef conservation theory because it underpins population dynamics and recovery processes; I work on integrating dispersal connectivity systematically and repeatably in marine conservation plans. A particular interest is also how climate change effects of connectivity to alter conservation priorities.
