The term "biodiversity" is thrown around and inserted into conversations all the time. But when one person says biodiversity, is the full meaning of the term conveyed to anybody listening? Dr. Holly Parsons from Birdlife Australia (Birds In Backyards) is joined by Jacinta Humphrey, a PhD candidate at LaTrobe University in Melbourne. Her research focuses on the impacts of urban development on birds at the landscape scale. Holly and Jacinta kick around a lot of the issues that are picked up in any discussion about biodiversity in an urban setting with Grant.
Jacinta is interested in what drives change in urban bird communities – is it the presence of anthropogenic elements in a landscape (e.g. impervious surfaces, housing, people, noise, light, etc.), the absence of natural habitat (e.g. patches of native vegetation, large old trees, etc.), or a combination of both? She aims to determine the relative influence of housing cover and canopy tree cover on species richness, community composition and the occurrence of individual bird species across suburban Melbourne.
Ultimately, Jacinta hopes to develop some recommendations for local governments and private residents on how to better support native birdlife in our suburbs.
Jacinta is interested in urban ecology, threatened species management and novel methods of science communication. She is passionate about making urban spaces more wildlife-friendly and hopes that her research will contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.
You can follow Jacinta on Twitter at @HumphreyJE_
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Jacinta Humphrey
Jacinta Humphrey (she/her) is a PhD student with the Research Centre for Future Landscapes at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Her research focuses on the impacts of urban development on birds at the landscape scale.
PhD candidate
LaTrobe University
