Professor Chris Dickman wins prestigious award for Australian marsupials book

Chris Dickman, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology and Director of the Institute of Wildlife Research in the School of Biological Sciences, Sydney University, has won the prestigious Whitley Medal  for his book 'A fragile balance: the extraordinary story of Australian marsupials.'

The Whitley Medal is only awarded when a publication has made a landmark contribution to the understanding, content or dissemination of zoological knowledge. The Whitley Medal is the most sought after prize in zoological publishing in Australia. Professor Dickman's book on Australian marsupials is a fascinatingly detailed and beautifully illustrated account of these unique mammals. 'A fragile balance' manages to appeal to the general public while also containing enough detail to please biologists, describing the evolution and diversity of marsupials, along with entertaining stories of Professor Dickman's own research experiences whilst studying them.

Professor Chris Dickman has led research projects at Bush Heritage reserves Ethabuka and Craven’s Peak for almost two decades. The projects looked at the effects of rainfall and fire on the diversity and abundance on mammals and reptiles in the spinifex grasslands in the Simpson Desert. One of the more recent projects looked at the effect of cattle grazing on small mammals and reptiles, in the hope of improving management of cattle grazing on off-reserve areas.

The data that they have collected over the years will prove invaluable to the management of Cravens Peak and Ethabuka in the future.

Bush Heritage Australia would like to congratulate Professor Dickman in receiving this prestigious medal.