Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementJohanna Leonhardt
PhD candidate
James Cook University
johanna.leonhardt@my.jcu.edu.au
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
As a passionate conservationist and an ocean-lover, a career in marine biology was an easy choice! Attending a University on the surf coast of Victoria, Australia, I had the unique opportunity to study a B.Sc and gain a greater respect and love for the ocean through surfing and marine activities. However my marine conservation efforts didn’t start until I travelled up to Far North Queensland in 2010, where I decided to go back to uni to study a Masters in Conservation and Management at James Cook University. This gave me the opportunity to visit the beautiful Great Barrier Reef through diving and snorkelling on many sites along the coast (from Port Douglas to to Gladstone), both recreationally and for research.
My love of animals lead me to focus my research on marine turtle health for a few years, where I gained knowledge and inspiration from my fellow researchers and teachers – the up-close experiences I’ve had with these marine reptiles, including a research expedition to Raine Island, have been some of the best moments of my academic life.
Currently, I am focusing on coral health, including their resilience and ability to grow and reproduce after a major disturbance. I am also looking at the current interspecific relationship some species of coral have with algal-farming damselfish, and if this relationship will impact the future survival and persistence of the Great Barrier Reef. I have also been given the opportunity to work in the tourism industry on a weekly basis, travelling out on daily tours, educating people from all around the world about the ecological and physiological elements of a coral reef system, including the very apparent threats to the reef and current conservation efforts made by other researchers at JCU and other affiliates.
I have been given this unique opportunity to spread awareness and make people think about their future actions (however seemingly small) and how it may affect such a beautiful ecosystem whilst being involved in research and conservation on the GBR.
“Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration.”
~ Evan Esar
James Cook University researchers have found brightly coloured fish are becoming increasingly rare as coral declines, with the phenomenon likely to get worse in the future. Christopher Hemingson, a
Researchers working with stakeholders in the Great Barrier Reef region have come up with ideas on how groups responsible for looking after the reef can operate more effectively when the next bleaching
A new study has delivered a stark warning about the impacts of urban growth on the world’s coral reefs. As coastal developments expand at pace around the world, a year-long study of coral on a reef
Alarming new research shows global warming of 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels will be catastrophic for almost all coral reefs – including those once thought of as refuges. Associate Profes
Abstract: The past few years have seen unprecedented coral bleaching and mortality on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) but the consequences of this on biodiversity are not yet known. This talk will expl
Abstract: Molecular approaches have revolutionised our understanding of the systematics and evolution of most branches on the tree of life, including corals. Over the last twenty-five years molecula
Abstract: Outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) are a major driver of coral decline across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and compound upon the impacts of increasingly frequent and severe coral
Abstract: Being a new staff member at JCU, I will start with a short overview of my research. Next I will zoom in on a specific topic that I have been interested in for a long time: the impact of e
Abstract: The harsh truth is that, despite exciting innovations and increases in activity, ocean conservation is not succeeding, at least not fast enough. This is my conclusion from the last decad
This talk is the last of the parachute science seminar series organized by the ARC CoE Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) committee. Abstract Universities and institutions across th
This talk is the second of three on parachute science being organized by the ARC CoE Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) committee. Abstract For millenia, Traditional Owners have hel
This talk is the first of three on parachute science being organized by the ARC CoE Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) committee. Abstract Parachute science is the practice whereby
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