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Dr Peter Brown

Research Scientist

https://people.csiro.au/B/P/Peter-Brown

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Contact details:

GPO BOX 1700
CANBERRA ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA

Biography

With a strong background in ecology of vertebrate pests in agricultural systems, Dr Peter Brown is working to strengthen natural resource management decisions in Australia and south-east Asia through participatory engagement with rural communities. Dr Brown joined CSIRO in 1993 as a technical officer servicing field projects to manage mouse plagues in Australia. Since then he has led research projects working with farmers to develop ecologically based rodent management strategies in Australia and expanding into south-east Asia (particularly Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and Laos). Key elements were linking biological and ecological knowledge into decision frameworks, understanding damage thresholds and capacity building of local staff. In 2006 Dr Brown diversified his interests into examining the potential impact of climate change on Australia's biodiversity. He then went on to explore various aspects of adaptive capacity of Australia's rural households and develop engagement strategies for rural communities to examine their own adaptive capacity, economic sustainability and social well-being. More recently, he has focussed on working with farmers in Australia and Southeast Asia in looking at what might constrain or enable farmers to improve natural resource management decisions and outcomes and to better manage for climate change in the future. Common across all his work, has been working as an ecologist to engage with rural communities to examine issues in agricultural systems and working closely with economists and sociologists. Researcher ID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/G-2690-2010

Professional Areas

Current Roles

  • Team Leader
    Rodent Management Team

  • Project Leader, various mouse management projects funded by GRDC
    Mouse surveillance and modelling, mouse ecology, improve effectiveness of rodenticides for improved management of mice in agricultural systems

Academic Qualifications

  • 2005

    PhD behavioural and population ecology of small mammals
    UNSW

  • 1993

    MAppSc resourse management
    UC

  • 1988

    BAppSc ecology and natural resources
    CCAE

Achievements and Awards

  • 2021-2021

    Trusted Advisor Award for outstanding communications during the mouse plague to enable CSIRO to be seen as the "go-to" source of information about mouse plagues
    CSIRO H&B

  • 2020-2020

    Excellence in Animal Research Ethics Award to Rodent Management Team
    CSIRO Animal Ethics Committee

  • 2020-2020

    Reward to Rodent Management Team for reinventing field work in the times of COVID-19
    CSIRO

  • 2009-2009

    Award for work on the implications of climate change for Australia's National Reserve System
    CSIRO

  • 2009-2009

    Team Award for excellence in converting rigerous science to agricultural and NRM policy advice for State and Federal Governments
    CSIRO

  • 2002-2002

    Award for Excellence in Partnership
    CSIRO

  • 1999-1999

    Chief's Award for Scientific Achievement by a young scientist (Individual)
    CSIRO

  • 1997-1997

    Chief's Award for Scientific Achievement and Impact (Team Award)
    CSIRO

Other highlights

  • 2012-Present

    Member of the National Mouse Management Working Group / National Mouse Group

  • 2003-Present

    Conference Organising Committee, International Conference on Rodent Biology and Management (ICRBM)

Publications

We have publications by Dr Peter Brown