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Dr Rodrigo Bustamante

Pronouns: he,him,his

Domain Leader

https://people.csiro.au/b/r/rodrigo-bustamante

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Biography

I am a senior research scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Brisbane, Australia. I have more than 30 years of experience as an experimental marine ecologist that has conducted ecological sciences and evidence-based coastal-marine research in Chile, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Ecuador (Galapagos Islands), and for the past 24 years, in Australia. My work is at the interface of coastal-marine ecosystem conservation management, the sustainability of natural resources and science-based planning and decision-making. My aim is to support the development of science-based environmental planning and policies applied to management or coastal and marine ecosystems and natural resources. My current applied research includes implementation of spatially explicit forms of integrated ecosystem-based management applied to multiple-uses, zoning, with fisheries, aquaculture and coastal and renewable energy developments in particular. I also work on the interdisciplinary research needed to assess and incorporate likely impacts of human development on marine and coastal biodiversity and its effects on human values, services and assets. My professional attention is also on developing decision-support and integrated model-based systems that evaluate the likely trade-offs across uses and socioecological components of coastal systems, especially in the context of adaptation and mitigation responses to impacts of use, development and climate change. For the past 10 years, along with my work in Australia, I have concentrated on the development of the science-based research portfolio supporting sustainable and productive fisheries and aquaculture – management and industry operations – in Chile and Colombia. My science & technical publication output to date is over 150 contributions (across peer reviewed articles and technical reports) attracting greater than 7,200 citations. Aside from these academic outputs, a SagePolicyProfiles indicator of impact and management uptake highlights that my research already has reach and trust within the regulatory and policy spaces, with more than 7,700 policy documents drawing on the science that I have led and/or been part of.

Other Interests

Boating, Fishing, Diving, Hiking, Camping, Cooking, Travelling, Movies, Books and Music

Current Roles

  • Senior Research Scientist
    Research Scientist

Academic Qualifications

  • 1994

    PhD (Zoology)
    Cape Town University

  • 1982

    BSc (Hon) Marine Biology & Technology
    Catholic University of Chile

Professional Experiences

  • 2000-present

    Senior Research Scientist
    CSIRO Oceans and Atmospheric Research

  • 1994-2000

    Head of Department of Marine Research and Coastal Conservation
    Charles Darwin Research Station, Galapagos Island, Ecuador

  • 1990-1994

    Research Officer
    Zoology Department, University of Cape Town, South Africa

  • 1985-1988

    Research Assistant
    Department of Ecology, Catholic University of Chile, Chile

  • 1980-1983

    Research Assistant
    Department of Marine Biology and Technology, Catholic University of Chile, Talcahuano, Chile

Achievements and Awards

  • 2002-present

    Governing Member of the General Assembly of the Charles Darwin Foundation
    Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands

  • 2000-present

    Fellowship in Marine Conservation
    Pew Charitable Trust

  • 1994-1994

    South African “Purcell Memorial Prize” for the best Ph.D. Dissertation in Zoological Sciences
    Cape Town University, South Africa

  • 1992-1994

    Marine Biology Research Institute Postgraduate Scholarship
    Cape Town University, South Africa

  • 1989-1992

    South African Foundation for Research Development Doctoral Bursary
    South African National Research Foundation

  • 1988-1990

    University of Cape Town Foreign Students Scholarship
    Cape Town University, South Africa

Publications

We have publications by Dr Rodrigo Bustamante