Keren Raiter

BSc (Hons, Conservation Biology), BA (Philosophy)

PhD, University of Western Australia since June 2011

Email: keren.raiter@grs.uwa.edu.au

I am a conservation ecologist interested in both the practical and philosophical integration of ecological insights into real-world management, policy, and decision-making.

I am particularly interested in maintaining and improving ecological processes and functions that sustain biodiversity and, ultimately, human wellbeing in the face of development and climate change to achieve resilient ecosystems at both local and landscape scales.

I am currently investigating the cumulative impacts of mineral exploration and mining in the world’s largest remaining temperate woodland: the Great Western Woodlands. I am also looking at ways to mitigate these impacts, such as ecological offsets, in working towards net positive ecological outcomes. The current working title of my thesis is ‘Ecology, mining and offsets: balancing ecological integrity and economic prosperity in the Great Western Woodlands of Western Australia’

This PhD project is supervised by Professor Richard Hobbs (UWA), Dr Kerrie Wilson (UQ), Professor Hugh Possingham (UQ), and Dr Suzanne Prober (CSIRO), and is supported by the UWA Gledden Postgraduate Research Scholarship, the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, and The Wilderness Society.