
Heidi Alleway
Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research)
Division of Research and Innovation
Drawing on experience in public policy and natural resource management my research concentrates on the complex nexus of science and societal action. Part science, part storytelling and part application, I work on issues associated with the human use of marine and coastal ecosystems and resources, and build collaborations to address them.
I am exploring the role of aquaculture to support ecosystem function and deliver ecosystem services, including approaches to provide climate benefits and support climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Passionate about retaining historical understanding in research and practice (historical ecology) I also investigate ways that historical information and knowledge of past environments may be used to inform and inspire species and habitat restoration.
As an experienced policy practitioner, having worked for nearly two decades in government and industry management, I am increasingly motivated by the challenge of connecting global ideas and science through time to some of the world's most pressing ocean challenges, including food and ecosystem security, with local solutions that deliver genuine social, environmental and economic values.
Learning from the past
Change in ecosystems over time can be vastly underestimated, and underappreciated. Marine and coastal environments have endured centuries of human use and exploitation, but where the past cannot be vividly recalled or a new baseline for 'normal' has already been accepted, these impacts can be overlooked. The shifting baselines syndrome has a stubborn influence on the way people view and interact with nature, and, as a result, the way manage our activities. Historical records, such as archived reports, letters, journals and photographs, as well as museum collections and geological records, can be used to recreate a more accurate understanding of past environments and human activities.
> I research post-colonial human interactions with marine and coastal resources, and use and build a range of materials and methods to establish historical baselines that can be readily adopted in contemporary natural resource management (e.g. environmental policies, stock assessments).
Designing our future
Aquaculture is the fastest growing primary production sector in the world. This industry provides a unique opportunity to grow a sustainable, socially equitable and accessible, low greenhouse gas emission source of protein. But new and more effective solutions to overcoming the historical and ongoing negative impacts from industrial-scale activity are needed.
Additionally, the positive influence that aquaculture can have on surrounding ecosystems is not well understood. Services beyond solely the production of food (e.g. water filtration, nutrient removal, carbon sequestration) can, under certain circumstances, be associated with a wide range of activities and sectors, particularly the farming of shellfish and algae, but also finfish. New knowledge and primary data on the full range of effects (positive and negative) and ecological and societal values associated with aquaculture are needed.
> I am working with industry and environmental NGOs to understand the positive impacts that aquaculture can have on marine and coastal ecosystems, and to resolve operational and governance approaches that could be used to design and intentionally support aquaculture's delivery of ecosystem services.
Collaborating on grand challenges
A fundamental, and increasingly important, part of my work is supporting collectives to address common needs or issues. Collaboration can be an emotional and exhausting endeavour, but the complexity and scale of the challenges people and nature now face means they cannot be overcome by individuals alone.
> I am assisting industry, government, researchers and communities to understand and appreciate each others values and guiding processes, and enabling collaborations by connecting people and knowledge.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2018 - ongoing Executive Officer, Research Engagement University of Adelaide 2015 - 2018 General Manager, Aquaculture Policy and Environment Primary Industries and Regions South Australia 2015 - 2015 Program Leader, Fisheries Enhancement Primary Industries and Regions South Australia 2009 - 2015 Senior Advisor, Aquatic Pests Biosecurity SA 2007 - 2009 Policy Officer, Fisheries and Biosecurity Primary Industries and Resources South Australia 2004 - 2005 Coastcare Facilitator Natural Resources Kangaroo Island 2003 - 2004 Fisheries Statistician Department of Fisheries Vanuatu -
Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2018 Award Finalist, SA Science Excellence Awards - Excellence in Research Collaboration South Australian Government Australia — 2016 Award Young Tall Poppy Science Award, South Australia Australian Institute of Policy & Science Australia — 2016 Research Award Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Research Thesis Excellence University of Adelaide Australia — 2005 Award Young South Australian of the Year SA Great Australia — 2005 Award 50 Most Inspiring Young People SA Great Australia — 2004 Award South Australia Young Achiever of the Year, Environment Awards Australia Australia — -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2012 - 2015 University of Adelaide Australia PhD 2006 - 2006 University of Adelaide Australia BSc (Honours) 2000 - 2002 Flinders University Australia BSc (Marine Biology) -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2022 Theuerkauf, S. J., Barrett, L. T., Alleway, H. K., Costa-Pierce, B. A., St. Gelais, A., & Jones, R. C. (2022). Habitat value of bivalve shellfish and seaweed aquaculture for fish and invertebrates: Pathways, synthesis and next steps. Reviews in Aquaculture, 14(1), 54-72.
Scopus92021 McAfee, D., Reinhold, S. L., Alleway, H. K., & Connell, S. D. (2021). Environmental solutions fast-tracked: Reversing public scepticism to public engagement. Biological Conservation, 253, 1-8.
Scopus2 WoS22020 Gentry, R. R., Alleway, H. K., Bishop, M. J., Gillies, C. L., Waters, T., & Jones, R. (2020). Exploring the potential for marine aquaculture to contribute to ecosystem services. Reviews in Aquaculture, 12(2), 499-512.
Scopus38 WoS322020 Gillies, C., Castine, S., Alleway, H., Crawford, C., Fitzsimons, J., Hancock, B., . . . zu Ermgassen, P. (2020). Conservation status of the Oyster Reef Ecosystem of Southern and Eastern Australia. Global Ecology and Conservation, 22, 16 pages.
Scopus5 WoS62020 Caswell, B. A., Klein, E. S., Alleway, H. K., Ball, J. E., Botero, J., Cardinale, M., . . . Thurstan, R. H. (2020). Something old, something new: Historical perspectives provide lessons for blue growth agendas. Fish and Fisheries, 21(4), 774-796.
Scopus18 WoS182020 zu Ermgassen, P. S. E., Thurstan, R. H., Corrales, J., Alleway, H., Carranza, A., Dankers, N., . . . Sanderson, W. G. (2020). The benefits of bivalve reef restoration: A global synthesis of underrepresented species. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 30(11), 2050-2065.
Scopus132019 Mcafee, D., Alleway, H. K., & Connell, S. D. (2019). Environmental solutions sparked by environmental history.. Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, 34(2), 386-394.
Scopus13 WoS132019 Theuerkauf, S. J., Morris, J. A., Waters, T. J., Wickliffe, L. C., Alleway, H. K., & Jones, R. C. (2019). A global spatial analysis reveals where marine aquaculture can benefit nature and people. PloS one, 14(10), e0222282.
Scopus20 WoS18 Europe PMC42019 Alleway, H. K., Gillies, C., Bishop, M., Gentry, R., Theuerkauf, S., & Jones, R. (2019). The ecosystem services of marine aquaculture: valuing benefits to people and nature. Bioscience, 69(1), 59-68.
Scopus52 WoS492018 Ojaveer, H., Galil, B., Carlton, J., Alleway, H., Goulletquer, P., Lehtiniemi, M., . . . Zaiko, A. (2018). Historical baselines in marine bioinvasions: Implications for policy and management. PLoS ONE, 13(8), 48 pages.
Scopus65 WoS60 Europe PMC62018 Gillies, C. L., McLeod, I. M., Alleway, H. K., Cook, P., Crawford, C., Creighton, C., . . . Warnock, B. (2018). Australian shellfish ecosystems: past distribution, current status and future direction. PLOS ONE, 13(2), 1-23.
Scopus42 WoS37 Europe PMC52016 Alleway, H., Gillanders, B., & Connell, S. (2016). 'Neo-Europe' and its ecological consequences: the example of systematic degradation in Australia's inland fisheries. BIOLOGY LETTERS, 12(1), 1-7.
Scopus3 WoS32016 Izzo, C., Doubleday, Z., Grammer, G., Gilmore, K., Alleway, H., Barnes, T., . . . Gillanders, B. (2016). Fish as proxies of ecological and environmental change. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 26(3), 265-286.
Scopus37 WoS362015 Alleway, H., & Connell, S. (2015). Loss of an ecological baseline through the eradication of oyster reefs from coastal ecosystems and human memory. Conservation Biology, 29(3), 795-804.
Scopus75 WoS68 Europe PMC82015 Gillies, C. L., Fitzsimons, J. A., Branigan, S., Hale, L., Hancock, B., Creighton, C., . . . Winstanley, R. (2015). Scaling-up marine restoration efforts in Australia. Ecological Management and Restoration, 16(2), 84-85.
Scopus25 WoS242014 Alleway, H., Connell, S., Ward, T., & Gillanders, B. (2014). Historical changes in mean trophic level of southern Australian fisheries. Marine and Freshwater Research, 65(10), 884-893.
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Conference Papers
Year Citation 2016 Alleway, H., Thurstan, R., Lauer, P., & Connell, S. (2016). Incorporating historical data into aquaculture planning. In ICES Journal of Marine Science Vol. 73 (pp. 1427-1436). UK: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.
Scopus7 WoS82016 Engelhard, G., Thurstan, R., MacKenzie, B., Alleway, H., Bannister, R., Cardinale, M., . . . Lescrauwaet, A. (2016). ICES meets marine historical ecology: Placing the history of fish and fisheries in current policy context. In ICES Journal of Marine Science. 3rd International Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World's Oceans Vol. 73 (pp. 1386-1403). Online: Oxford University Press.
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Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2015 - ongoing Member Shellfish Reef Restoration Network Australia 2013 - ongoing Member EU COST Oceans Past Initiative United Kingdom 2013 - ongoing Member ICES Working Group on the History of Fish and Fisheries Denmark
Connect With Me
External Profiles