Leader: Richard Hobbs
Contributed by Richard Hobbs
Job: Australian Professorial Fellow, Murdoch University
Where do you work? Perth, Australia and Stanford, USA
Degree(s): B.Sc. in Ecological Science (1st Class Honours) from the University of Edinburgh, an M.A. in Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. from the Department of Botany at the University of Aberdeen.
Describe your work/research: I am an ecologist, with experience in Australia, United Kingdom, Europe and United States. Following a position as postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University 1982-84, I worked with CSIRO Division of Wildlife & Ecology in Western Australia from 1984-2000, latterly as Officer in Charge. I am currently an Australian Professorial Fellow in the School of Environmental Science at Murdoch University, where I lead the Ecosystem Restoration Lab (http://wwwscieng.murdoch.edu.au/centres/ecorestor/index.html).
My particular interests are in vegetation dynamics and management, fragmentation, invasive species, ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration, conservation biology and landscape ecology. My current research focuses on setting and achieving realistic goals for conservation and restoration in a rapidly changing world. I work predominantly in southwestern Australia but also carry on long-term research in California.
I am the author of over 250 refereed publications, many magazine articles and un-refereed publications, and author/editor of 17 books. I was President of the International Association for Landscape Ecology from 1999-2003 and President of the Ecological Society of Australia from 1998-1999. I served as inaugural Chair of the Editorial Board of "Ecological Management and Restoration", have been on numerous other editorial boards, and am now Editor-in-Chief of the journal "Restoration Ecology".
I have been included in the "Top Scientists in Ecology and Environmental Science" in terms of citation of my published work (see http://isihighlycited.com/) and in 2004 I was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (see http://www.science.org.au/aashome.htm).
What inspires you in your work?
The places I work in and the amazing plants and animals I get to research, together with the great people I get to meet and work with — plus the exciting but daunting challenges facing us in making real progress in conserving and restoring ecosystems worldwide.
What are the highlights of your career accomplishments?
I’ve always enjoyed the challenges of doing good science and trying to make a difference to what happens on the ground. So it’s always a highlight when I find someone using my work in some way or being somehow inspired or challenged by it. I’ve also been studying the serpentine grassland at Jasper Ridge in California for 25 years now — persistence pays off and I now have a wonderful long-term dataset which can help us understand long-term ecosystem dynamics. The fact that I can achieve recognition by doing what I really enjoy doing anyway is a bonus!
Why is the Global Mediterranean Action Network exciting to you?
I’ve lived and worked in Mediterranean-type ecosystems for 25 years now, and, despite the camaraderie among people working in the five Mediterranean regions, there hasn’t really been a concerted effort to focus on the importance of, and challenges facing, these areas in a global context. The network provides an excellent platform to do just that.
How did your early experiences in nature influence you?
I was a city kid and hence didn’t have the “classical” biologist’s childhood and close contact with nature. However, there were lots of hills and open spaces near where I lived in Edinburgh, and I guess I got a taste for the outdoors and all that came with it from spending lots of time there. As I got older, frequent camping and hiking trips reinforced my love of being out “in nature,” and this continued as I moved to California and got to experience wonderful places such as Yosemite and Point Lobos. It was a natural extension of this to want to be able to work outdoors and become a field ecologist.
What are your favorite landscapes?
I love the mountains of my native Scotland, the serpentine grasslands in California where I work each year, and the eucalypt woodlands of southwestern Australia which contain some of the most beautiful trees in the world. There are lots of other wonderful landscapes too, though!
Why are you passionate about conservation?
Because the species, ecosystems and landscapes we’re trying to conserve are so endlessly fascinating and amazing, and yet the challenges are often so immense. I think it’s essential that conservation succeeds, not just for the sake of the species and ecosystems themselves, but also in terms of the future of humanity.
What gives you hope?
In spite of all the bad things happening in the world, lots of good things happen too. And things can change very quickly, as we saw, for instance, when the Berlin Wall came down. Things that seem impossible today may suddenly become not just possible but inevitable — so we need to be ready to jump on opportunities when they arise. Also, there are lots of people across the world doing great things, from very local activities up to global level stuff. I’d rather remain hopeful than give up and grumble my way into old age.
What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?
I love photography and take far too many photographs wherever I go. I also enjoy theater and live music, and I make a point of sampling the local ales and wines of places I visit. I have aspirations to play electric guitar and tin whistle really well, but never practice enough to make the aspirations a reality — and the same goes for watercolour painting. Spending time with family and friends is also important to me.
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