Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementChico Birrell
PhD graduate
University of Queensland
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Chico first experienced coral reefs as a “beche de mer” collector from Cairns in 1993. As an Ecological Science undergraduate at the University of Edinburgh he became involved in initiatives for conservation of coral reefs in Central America. Following work in the tourism and dive industry in Spain, Portugal and Morocco he moved to Townsville and undertook an MSc to investigate the impacts of macroalgae on coral reproduction at James Cook University. Since 2003 Chico has worked as an independent marine consultant, a dive instructor and biologist on the Great Barrier Reef and in the Coral Sea for Undersea Explorer, as a research assistant at James Cook University, as a benthic ecologist for the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Western Australia (Scott Reef, Ningaloo Reef and Kimberley Region), as a translator and interpreter (Portuguese, Spanish), as a scientific commercial diver and for coral health and fecundity monitoring projects as a consultant in Western Australia.. In 2011 Chico joined ARC Laureate Prof. Peter Mumby at the University of Queensland, for a PhD to explore the ecology and dynamics of macroalgae and provide insights for conservation measures to boost coral reef resilience. He also dedicates spare time to the Australian Coral Reef Society (www.australiancoralreefsociety.org)
New research on the Great Barrier Reef associates severe coral loss with substantial increases in the size of large, long-living herbivorous fish. However, the ecosystem is also left vulnerable to cra
Though coral reefs are in sharp decline across the world, scientists say some reefs can still thrive with plentiful fish stocks, high fish biodiversity, and well-preserved ecosystem functions. An i
Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its third coral bleaching event in just five years. The 2020 bleaching is severe, and more widespread than earlier events. “We surveyed 1,0
Stunning ‘gardens’ of deep-sea corals have been discovered in the Bremer Canyon Marine Park by Australian and international scientists during an oceanographic expedition aboard Schmidt Ocean Insti
Abstract: The dynamics of metapopulations are governed by many factors, including the spatial structure of populations across the landscape, life-history characteristics, demographic processes, and t
Abstract: I will start with a brief overview of the importance of movement as an element of ecological adaptation to environmental change. I will then consider two examples, both involving birds, of
Abstract: Achieving sustainable development requires scientists, decision-makers and practitioners to understand and work with synergies and trade-offs among the social, economic and environmental co
Abstract: In this talk you will discover that my research encompasses a diverse range of projects associated with ecology and fisheries across a variety of species. As such, I will discuss the findin
Abstract: Wildlife crime is a significant global problem that undermines efforts to protect the environment, applies immense pressure to often fragile social and cultural structures and deprives econ
Abstract: The talk will provide an early account of the severity and extent of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 2020, and how it compares with earlier mass bleaching in 1998, 2002, 2016 a
Abstract: The continuing and rapid global decline of coral reefs calls for new approaches to sustain reefs and the millions of people who depend on them. In this talk, I present ongoing work by my re
Abstract: International conflict over fishery resources is a growing security concern. Increasing incidences of conflict, diminishing fishery resources and climate impacts on marine systems have aler
Partner Research Institutions
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au