Ms Finella Dawlings

I am a post-doc research associate with the Conservation Science Research Group (UoN), conducting research into the management of invasive rodents on Norfolk Island, particularly in relation to their effects on the island's fauna and flora species, many of which are threatened. This project will identify the significance of the reinvasion of rodents, determine whether control activities that are pulsed or continual yield better outcomes, investigate the roles of cats as predators of rodents and native wildlife, and assess how these issues translate to the biodiversity on the island more broadly.

PhD: Novel use of remote sensors to improve population monitoring and ecological understanding of threatened vertebrates for the purpose of conservation management

I conducted my PhD in the Research Ecology and Conservation lab (Monash University) in 2020-24, during which I investigated the use of remote sensors to improve monitoring and conservation management of Australian biodiversity. I compared vehicle-mounted thermal scanners with traditional spotlights as tools for detecting and monitoring small grassland birds and mammals in the Northern Plains of Victoria, including the Endangered Plains-wanderer. I also explored the RPASs as a tool for monitoring canopy-dwelling species, as well as build an understanding of the nesting distribution and population trend of the Christmas Island Frigatebird. My research reshaped monitoring protocols for small endotherms in open habitats, and canopy-dwelling species, and I was able to contribute to the design of new monitoring programs for Plains-wanderers and Christmas Island Frigatebirds.

Honours:

Previously, I completed my honours project with the REC lab (Monash University) in 2017-18, on the breeding ecology and nesting threats of Norfolk Island Robins. I used camera traps to determine the nest success rates and threats to nesting success of the NI Robin, and used thermal cameras to determine invasive rodent densities on the island. I found that invasive rodents presented a serious threat to the nesting success of the Robin, and therefore threatened the survival of the species. I also undertook an undergraduate research project in the REC lab in 2016. I performed a dynamic factor analysis on a 38-year dataset of 41 seabirds to describe the trajectory of seabird populations in the Bonney Upwelling, many of which displayed ongoing declines.