Stefan Caddy-Retalic

I am interested in promoting sustainable urban landscapes, including more resilient trees, in Australia. I am also interested in using living and preserved plant collections to enhance biodiversity conservation, improve quality of life and enable new science. My research combines biomolecular techniques (stable isotopes, DNA metabarcoding) with traditional ecological survey methods (vegetation metrics, invertebrate trapping) to integrate species change from a population to biome level. My fieldwork is conducted on a climate gradient from the south coast of South Australia through the Mt Lofty Ranges, Flinders Ranges, Gammon Ranges and Stony Plains to investigate changes within species, communities and biomes to better understand the interrelationships and drivers of this change.

In addition to my scientific work, I have a strong interest in working with government and have worked in environmental policy and programs for the South Australian and Commonwealth governments. I have also managed science projects for the University of Adelaide and Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). My primary interest is in conducting research to address real world problems and bridging the gap between ecological theory and the current needs of land managers.