Using computational and field-based methods to improve the conservation status of Australian squamates

Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate. Reptiles are particularly affected: more than one-fifth of species worldwide are threatened, yet conservation assessments are often incomplete due to major gaps in data. In Australia, high squamate diversity and endemism compound these challenges. Conservation relies on assessments under frameworks such as the IUCN Red List and the EPBC Act, and conservation management, yet both require improved data. My project addresses these gaps by generating knowledge to improve species status assessments, conducting fieldwork to investigate the ecology and threats of threatened Australian squamates, and informing conservation strategies.