Chris Gillies
Director, Oceans Program, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Invertebrate ecology, Marine food webs, Coastal climate change
Biography
Chris Gillies has worked across the science and conservation sectors in both aquatic and terrestrial environments but his true passion is the ocean. He was formerly the Director of Science at Earthwatch Australia, where he managed the scientific program across their expedition and citizen science portfolio. He has served as an invertebrate ecologist for both state and federal government environmental agencies and several consultancies. Chris’s doctoral research focused on Antarctic shallow-water marine food webs and his later research includes coastal climate change, impacts of marine debris and shellfish reef ecology. He is a three-time summer Australian Antarctic
As the Marine Manager for Australia, Chris leads our Great Southern Seascapes program helping to protect and restore healthy marine ecosystems from Western Australia to New South Wales.
Chris has a
- Switch to:
- In the News
- Publications
The Hidden History of Australian Oyster Reefs
Chris used historical records to map the former extent of Australian shellfish reefs. These new data will feed some of Australia’s first efforts to restore shellfish reefs across the nation.
Aquaculture Could Be Conservation’s Secret Weapon
Chris's research shows that aquaculture could be a valuable tool for conservation, restoring lost ecosystem services while providing food for people.
2019
Leo, K., Gillies, CL., Fitzsimons, J., Hales, L., Beck, M. (in review). Coastal habitat squeeze: A review of adaptation solutions for saltmarsh, mangrove and beach habitats. Ocean and Coastal Management.
McLeod, IM.,
Gentry, RR., Alleway, HK., Bishop, MJ., Gillies CL., Waters, T. and Jones, R., 2019. Exploring the potential for marine aquaculture to contribute to ecosystem services. Reviews in Aquaculture.
Alleway HK, Gillies CL, Bishop MJ, Gentry RR, Theuerkauf SJ, and Jones R; The Ecosystem Services of Marine Aquaculture: Valuing Benefits to People and Nature, BioScience, Volume 69, Issue 1, 1 January 2019, Pages 59–68, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biy137
McLeod IM, Purandare J, Gillies CL, Smith A
2018
McLeod I, Schmider J, Creighton C and Gillies CL (2018) Seven pearls of wisdom: Advice from Traditional Owners to improve engagement of local Indigenous people in shellfish ecosystem restoration. Ecological Management and Restoration https://doi.org/10.1111/emr.12318
Gillies CL, McLeod IM, Alleway HK et al. (2018) Continental-scale loss and future recovery of shellfish reef ecosystems in Australia. PloS One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190914
2017
Gillies CL, Crawford M and Hancock B. (2017) Restoring Angasi oyster reefs – what is the endpoint ecosystem we are aiming for and how do we get there? Ecological Management and Restoration https://doi.org/10.1111/emr.12278
Chandler M, See L, Buesching CD, Cousins, JA, Gillies CL, Kays RW, Newman C, Pereira HM, and Tiago P. (2017) Involving Citizen Scientists in Biodiversity Observation.
2016
2015
CL Gillies, JA Fitzsimons, S Branigan et al. (2015) Scaling-up marine restoration efforts in Australia Ecological Management and Restoration 16:84-85
CL Gillies, Creighton C
Creighton C, Gillies CL and McLeod IM (eds) (2015) Australia’s saltmarshes: a synopsis to underpin the repair and conservation of Australia’s environmental, social and economically important bays and estuaries. Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER) Publication, James Cook University, Townsville, 63pp.
Pecl G, Gillies CL, Sbrocchi C
2014
Smith SDA, Gillies CL and Shortland-Jones H. (2014) Patterns of marine debris distribution on the beaches of Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Marine Pollution Bulletin 88 (1), 188-193
2013
Gillies CL, Stark JS, Johnstone GJ
2012
CL Gillies, JS Stark, GJ Johnstone, SDA Smith. (2012) Carbon flow and trophic structure of an Antarctic coastal benthic community as determined by δ 13 C and δ 15 N, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 97, 44-57
Gillies CL, Stark JS
2011
Raymond B, Marshall M, Nevitt G, Gillies CL, Van Den Hoff J, Stark JS et al. (2011) A Southern Ocean dietary database: Ecological Archives E092-097 Ecology 92 (5), 1188-1188
2009
Gillies CL, Hose GH and Turak E (2009) What do qualitative rapid assessment collections of macroinvertebrates represent? A comparison with extensive quantitative sampling, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 149 (1-4), 99-112