David Taggart

David Taggart

School of Animal and Veterinary Science

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology


Use of highly interactive wildlife species to deliver ecosystem and production landscape benefits

  • Projects looking at re-establishing missing fauna from the Southern Yorke Peninsula and measuring the cost and benefits of returning target species

Marsupial - life history, ecology, reproductive biology and conservation studies

  • Projects examining: wombats - 28 yrs, rock wallabies - 18 years, small marsupial carnivores - 25 yrs, koalas - 5 yrs, other macropods - 10 yrs, bandicoots / bettongs / potoroos - 5 yrs.

Development and application of translocation and reintroduction methodologies for marsupials

  • Species including: Brush-tailed rock wallaby, black-footed rock wallaby, mainland tammar wallaby, gilberts potoroo, brush-tailed bettong
  • Member of national and state Wildlife Recovery Teams

Development and application of assisted reproductive technologies and breeding programs for rare and endangered marsupials

  • Projects examining the development and application of gamete collection and cryopreservation / in vitro fertilization / ovarian stimulation / cross fostering

Spatial distribution and abundance studies in Australian vertebrate fauna

  • Projects looking at local, state and national southern hairy-nosed wombat, brush-tailed rock wallaby and yellow-footed rock wallaby distributions and abundance

Genetic studies and management of Australian wildlife

  • Projects looking at population genetics and inbreeding in marsupials

Wildlife health and disease in Australia’s native mammal fauna

  • Projects looking at the impacts of season, diet and drought on wildlife health and condition.  Disease investigations including: sarcoptic mange in hairy-nosed wombats; oxalate nephrosis in koalas

North Kimberley Biodiversity

  • Mammal, bird, frog, reptile and vegetation surveys pre and post introduction of landscape scale ecological burning.

Across the past 20 years I have obtained significant funding to support wildlife conservation and research programs / activities  from federal granting bodies, state government granting bodies, philanthropic trusts, philanthropic individuals and the corporate sector.  I and collaborators currently have 2 ARC Linkage Grants looking at: ‘Hairy-nosed wombat distribution and ecology' and the Use of unmanned aerial vehicles for tracking and monitoring wildlife’ and Federal funding for a Re-wilding project on the Southern Yorke Peninsula

Year – Present    Supervision of 17 PhD, 3 Masters, and 41 Honours Students

                            University of Adelaide, Monash University, University of Melbourne

 

2017-Present      Course Co-ordinator / Lecturer Ecology and Management of Vertebrate Pests

                            School of Animal and Veterinary science, University of Adelaide, South Australia

2017-Present      Casual lecturer Wildlife Management

                            School of Animal and Veterinary science, University of Adelaide, South Australia

2016                    Casual Lecturer / Co-Course Co-coordinator Wildlife Management

                            School of Animal and Veterinary science, University of Adelaide, South Australia

2012                    Senior Lecturer in Population Ecology

                            School of Earth & Environmental Science, University of Adelaide, South Australia                              

2007                    Casual Lecturer in Conservation and Restoration

                                                School of Earth & Environmental Science, University of Adelaide, South Australia

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 Principal Supervisor Assessing small arboreal and terrestrial mammal diversity and fitness in south-east South Australia to evaluate their climate risk and improve conservation outcomes. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Stacey Kathleen Dix
    2022 Co-Supervisor Landscape Genetics of the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Gemma Chantelle Sansom
    2021 Principal Supervisor Monitoring of the reintroduction of the Brush-Tailed Bettong Bettongia penicillate into the Southern Yorke Peninsula. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Chloe Helen Frick
    2020 Principal Supervisor Ecological and health factors which impact abundance of yellow-footed rock-wallabies (Petrogale xanthopus xanthopus) in semi-arid South Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Lauren Elizabeth Werner
    2020 Principal Supervisor Ecological and Genetic studies of Hairy-nosed Wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Shannon Kleemann
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2017 - 2021 Co-Supervisor The significance of social factors in the planning and implementation of feral cat management programs Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Brooke Patricia Deak
    2015 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombats: When, Where, How Many, and Why Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Michael Swinbourne
    2011 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Understanding the causes of human–wombat conflict and exploring non-lethal damage mitigation strategies for the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Casey Lauren O'Brien
    2010 - 2014 Principal Supervisor Reintroduction as a tool for the recovery of warru (Petrogale lateralis MacDonnell Ranges race) on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands of South Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Rebecca Sarah West
    2008 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Oxalate nephrosis in a population of South Australian koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Natasha Speight
    2007 - 2011 Principal Supervisor Phylogeny, phylogeography and conservation genetics of the brachyotis group of rock-wallabies Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Sally Potter
    2007 - 2011 Principal Supervisor Ecology of warru (Petrogale lateralis MacDonnell Ranges race) in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, South Australia. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Laura Ruykys
    2007 - 2016 Co-Supervisor The occurrence, relative abundance and environmental associations of small terrestrial mammals in the Northern Kimberley, Western Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Liberty Olds
    2005 - 2008 Principal Supervisor Reproductive Strategies of the Red-Tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Wendy Foster
    2005 - 2010 Principal Supervisor The Effect of Habitat Fragmentation and Population Isolation on the Genetic Diversity, Reproductive Status and Population Viability of the Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in South Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Elisa Sparrow
  • Committee Memberships

    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2013 - ongoing Member Science Committee of the Southern Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby Recovery Team - Australia
    1997 - ongoing Member Captive Breeding Working Group of the Southern Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby Recovery Team - Australia
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2009 - ongoing Member Save the Devil Foundation Australia
    2008 - ongoing Member National Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby Recovery Team Australia
    2007 - ongoing Member Mainland Tammar Wallaby Recovery Team Australia
    2004 - ongoing Member Warru Recovery Team, S.A. Australia
    2004 - ongoing Member Gilberts Potoroo Recovery Team Australia
    1996 - ongoing Member Southern Brus-tailed Rock Wallaby Recovery Team Australia
    1987 - ongoing Member Australian Mammal Society Australia

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