My current research interests focus on the ecology of coastal ecosystems, how they respond to change and how we value the services they provide; these are important topics as we try and move marine resource management into a more ecosystem-based framework.
I am interested in the positive potential we have to actively restore degraded coastal ecosystems by generating the ecological knowledge needed for successful restoration, identifying the ecosystem benefits this will provide and in sustaining engagement of society.
I am working to understand how marine biodiversity links the way ecosystems function and in turn how this translates to the ecosystem services we value.
My interest in ecosystem dynamics has led me to think about tipping points and particularly the huge gap between theoretical and empirical research. Rapid changes in ecosystems are happening around the world, but we are still in the process of learning how to assess the risk of such changes before they happen.
All of my ecological interests are linked to a growing interest in the interactions between ecosystems and society. My interest here is in try to engage in identifying effective processes for change and helping society make informed choices about how we restore, conserve and use marine ecosystems.
I collaborate extensively in my research with colleagues from universities, NIWA, and resource management and conservation agencies in NZ as well as colleagues around the world.
My current interests build on my background in:
Ecology of marine soft-bottom communities, particularly in estuarine and coastal habitats.
Ecosystem function and scale dependent processes in heterogeneous environments.
Influence of disturbance events on populations and communities and the consequent recovery processes.
Spatial and temporal variation in populations and communities.
Ecological impact assessment, particularly of diffuse source and cumulative effects.
Design and implementation of ecological monitoring programmes.
Environmental effects of commercial fishing.
Organism-sediment interactions.
Organism-hydrodynamic interactions.
Resilience and feedback processes in benthic ecosystems.
Marine ecosystem services.
High Antarctic coastal ecosystems.
Ecological knowledge and its role in framing decision making processes.
Socio-ecological systems.