Dr Kristen J Williams: integrating ecological process knowledge in land evaluation and planning studies

Dr Kristen Williams uses sophisticated computer modelling to integrate information about the social, economic and biodiversity values of a region to develop maps, tools and plans for nature conservation.

• 30 November 2010 | Updated 14 October 2011

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities

Dr Williams is a theoretical and quantitative plant ecologist with interdisciplinary expertise in spatial ecological modelling and biodiversity conservation planning, applied to adaptation and vulnerability assessments of climate and land use change. 

Her research aims to incorporate process-level understanding of biodiversity and the environment into land evaluation and spatial prioritisation studies by applying novel methods of knowledge integration using geographic information analysis and statistics. 

Collectively, her work tests the hypothesis that incorporating system understanding of ecology and environment in land evaluation research will result in more enduring planning and policy decisions, when coupled with a participatory action-research process. 

Dr Williams has particular interests in:

• the role of environmental heterogeneity and primary productivity in controlling plant species diversity, and adaptive potential of micro- and macro-refugia in a trending climate
• incorporating whole-landscape modelling of biodiversity persistence dynamics and functional ecology into land evaluation and spatial conservation prioritisation 
• integrated methods of identifying gaps in biological datasets to efficiently prioritise areas for new surveys that consider logistics and other constraints 
• developing and testing new environment predictors that are more proximally-related to resources, conditions and other determinants (e.g. biogeographic history, biotic-interactions, disturbance stochastic factors) of biodiversity distribution patterns used in spatial statistical models (species and assemblages) 
• use of empirical and process modelling of plant species distributions to compare and contrast physiological and ecological niches to test vegetation theory such as the continuum concept
• the physiology, ecology, life-history strategies and environmental correlates of eucalypt and acacia species distributions to predict co-occurrence, dominance and diversity patterns.

Dr Williams is currently working on:

• predicting suitable growing areas for compatible mixtures of native tree and shrub species for landscape recovery and ecological restoration in a changing climate 
• applications of generalised dissimilarity modelling to predict compositional patterns of biodiversity for conservation assessment and development of environmental predictors
• whole landscape modelling of biodiversity persistence incorporating dynamic measures of land-use – condition and spatial context 
• identifying areas of biodiversity significance and conservation concern 
• prioritising areas for conservation investment and biological survey.

Background

Dr Williams joined CSIRO in 2003, following five years with the Queensland State Government in applied forestry and biodiversity conservation research and planning roles.

This included co-developing and implementing the State's bioregional biodiversity planning assessment program.

Her research is founded in many years of assessment and mapping biodiversity and conservation values in Tasmanian forests, where her work underpinned a representative system of reserves for dry sclerophyll forests.

In CSIRO, her research is enriched by her broad practical and theoretical experience in biodiversity survey, analysis, conservation assessment and planning. 

Academic qualifications

Dr Williams has been awarded a:

• Biological Science Technician Certificate from the South Australia Institute of Technology, Adelaide Australia in 1981
• Bachelor of Science from the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia in 1985 and First Class Honours in 1990
• Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science from the University of Tasmania in 1998.
  Thesis titled: Predicting eucalypt distributions in Tasmania: an application of generalised linear modelling
• Geographic Information Systems Professional – Asia-Pacific Certification (GISP-AP, 2009–14) from the Spatial Sciences Institute in 2009.

Achievements

Dr Kristen Williams has published over 30 peer-reviewed journal papers, book chapters or books and over 70 technical and consultancy reports.

She has contributed to a wide range of trans-disciplinary projects in Tasmania, Queensland (QLD), Western Australia, Nationally and Melanesia (West Papua and Papua New Guinea).

In 2009–10 Dr Williams lead the technical implementation of a continental-scale analysis of biodiversity compositional turnover applied to a number of taxonomic groups comprising plants, vertebrates and invertebrates.

In 2008 Dr Williams received a CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystem team award for 'outstanding contributions in the research-community partnerships in biodiversity conservation that have provided protection of the southern cassowary habitat at Mission Beach'.

She introduced a novel approach to spatially represent a business-as-usual scenario to 2025 and associated impacts on habitat fragmentation which, in combination with other value assessments embedded in a collaborative process, resulted in a community-based plan to manage habitat networks.

Between 2006 and 2008 Dr Williams provided ecological input into a market-based research program for competitive tenders at the landscape scale to ensure the collective value of conservation work proposals (e.g. their complementarity and connectivity) are taken into account when deciding incentive payments.

Between 2004 and 2008, Dr Williams worked in partnership with Conservation International in Melanesia to identify key biodiversity areas and priorities in the New Guinea Wilderness.

She built local staff capacities in spatial analysis, information management and assisted implementation of their data-driven method of conservation assessment.

Dr Williams' work with WWF in Perth on the 'Auction for Landscape Recovery' (2004–05) included a ground breaking application of regional biodiversity complementarity integrated with site assessment data.

The ALR study revealed successes, failures and areas for further development. This lead to implementation of project findings in Market Based Instrument policy frameworks and operational guidelines such as 'Designer Carrots'. 

With the QLD Government, Dr Williams was recognised for achievements in forestry-related spatial modelling (DNR Team Awards 1999 nominee) and development of the Common Nature Conservation Classification System (Royal Australian Planning Institute (QLD) Rural Planning Award for Excellence 2001).

Dr KJ Williams is an invited participant on a range of research working groups and member of professional societies, including:

• Environmental Futures Network Working Group
• Vegetation Function Network Working Group
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Campaign
• Macadamia Conservation Committee
• Spatial Sciences Institute
• Ecological Society of Australia.

Read Dr Williams's research impact at her Researcher ID page [external link].