Dr Leanne Fernandes

 

Marine Resource Management Coordinator, James Cook University (2008-) Research Interests Select Publications

Research Interests

Leanne is a Queenslander who completed her B.Sc. (Marine Biology and Zoology double major) and M.Sc. (Tropical Ecology) at James Cook University in the 1980s. She received her Ph.D. in Geography on decision support systems for coral reef management and M.A. in resource economics in 1996 at the University of Hawaii on an East West Centre scholarship.  She then was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship with the Cooperative Research Centre for the Sustainable Development of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area to explore multiple objective marine resource management on the Great Barrier Reef.  She sees her greatest achievement in her role of Manager, Representative Areas Program at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.  This six-year, collaborative, participatory and multidisciplinary Program led to protection of at least 20% of every “bioregion” in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park within no-take areas.  In 2005, she helped to hardwire enhanced levels of community engagement within the Marine Park Authority by establishing a new Community Partnerships Group.  She has since set up her own consultancy (Earth to Ocean Consulting) and is currently employed as the Marine Resource Management Coordinator at the CoE.

Select Publications

Dobbs, K., Fernandes, L., Slegers, S., Jago, B., Thompson, L., Hall, J., Day, J., Cameron, D., Tanzer, J., Macdonald, F., and Limpus, C. (2007). Incorporating marine turtle habitats into the marine protected area design for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia, Pacific Conservation Biology 13: 293-302.

Dobbs, K., Fernandes, L., Slegers, S., Jago, B., Thompson, L., Hall, J., Day, J., Cameron, D., Tanzer, J., Macdonald, F., Marsh, H. and Coles, R. (2008). Incorporating dugong habitats into the marine protected area design for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Queensland, Australia. Ocean Coast. Mgt. 51:368-375.

Fernandes, L., Day, J., Lewis, A., Slegers, S., Kerrigan, B., Breen, D., Cameron, D, Jago, B., Hall, J., Lowe, D., Innes, J., Tanzer, J., Chadwick, V., Thompson, L., Gorman, K., Simmons, M., Barnett, B., Sampson, K., De’ath, G., Mapstone, B., Marsh, H., Possingham, H., Ball, I., Ward, T., Dobbs, K., Aumend, J., Slater, D.  & K. Stapleton (2005) Establishing representative no-take areas in the Great Barrier Reef: large-scale implementation of theory on marine protected areas. Conservation Biology: 1733-44.

Day, J., Fernandes, L. and B. Jago (2005) Planning for the future of the Great Barrier Reef. Queensland Planner. 45(3): 12-14.

Day, J., Fernandes, L., Lewis, A. and J. Innes (2004) Representative Areas Program – an ecosystem approach to biodiversity protection planning. Proceedings of the Second International Tropical Ecosystems Management Symposium (ITMEMS), Manila, Philippines, 24-27 March 2003. Manila, Philippines : The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 2004 p. 251-265.

Lewis, A., Slegers, S., Lowe, D., Muler, L., Fernandes, L. & J.Day (2003) Use of spatial analysis and GIS techniques to re-zone the Great BarrierReef Marine Park. In Woodroffe CD and Furness, RA (eds) Coastal GIS 2003: an integrated approach to Australian coastal issues. Wollongong Papers on Maritime Policy: 14.

Day, J., Fernandes, L.,Lewis A., De’ath G., Slegers S., Barnett B., Kerrigan B., Breen D., Innes, J., Oliver J., Ward T. and D.Lowe (2002) The Representative Areas Program – Protecting the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Proceedings of the Ninth International Coral Reef Symposium, Bali 23-27 October 2000. Vol. 1.  Ministry of Environment, Indonesian Government, Indonesian Institute of Sciences and International Society for Reef Studies.

Fernandes, L., Ridgley, M.A. and T. van’t Hof. (1999) Multiple criteria analysis integrates economic, ecological and social objectives for coral reef managers. Coral Reefs 18: 393-402

Fernandes, L. Marsh, H. and Moran, P. 1999. What do you mean “There’s an outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish”? Australian Parks and Wildlife. 1(3): 12-16.