Robyn Watts

Professor Robyn Watts

Professor of Environmental Science

Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences

Biography

Professor Robyn Watts conducts research on the ecology, management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. Her major interests include biodiversity, connectivity, flow-ecology relationships and river rehabilitation through altered flow management practices, especially through changing the operation of weirs and dams and delivery of environmental water. She has led multidisciplinary research teams and with colleagues has obtained over $12M funding of competitive research grants and consultancies from a range of different funding organizations including the Australian Research Council, National Water Commission, Land and Water Australia, Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Commonwealth Environmental Water Office and state government and catchment management agencies. Her research has contributed to adaptive management and helped improve the management and restoration of regulated river systems.

Research
  • Ecology, restoration and management of river and floodplain environments
  • Social-ecological systems
  • Ecohydrology
  • Adaptive environmental management
Publications
Full publications list on CRO

Recent Publications

  • Bretzel, J. B., Doyle, K. E., Vu, A. V., Watts, R., Galbusera, C., Boys, C. A., & Baumgartner, L. J. (2024). A touch too much – interactions of various species of freshwater fish and crustacea at a simulated fish protection screen. Ecological Engineering, 204(107281), Article 107281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107281
  • Atminarso, D., Baumgartner, L. J., Watts, R. J., Rourke, M. L., Bond, J., & Wibowo, A. (2024). Evidence of fish community fragmentation in a tropical river upstream and downstream of a dam, despite the presence of a fishway. Pac. Conserv. Biol., [PC22035]. https://doi.org/10.1071/PC22035
  • Liu, X., Watts, R., & Dyer, J. (2024). An environmental flow to an ephemeral creek increases the input of carbon and nutrients to a downstream receiving river. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12(1213001), Article 1213001. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1213001
  • Campbell, C. J., James, C. S., Morris, K., Nicol, J. M., Thomas, R. F., Nielsen, D. L., Gehrig, S. L., Palmer, G. J., Wassens, S., Dyer, F., Southwell, M., Watts, R. J., Bond, N. R., & Capon, S. J. (2022). Blue, green and in-between: Objectives and approaches for evaluating wetland flow regimes based on vegetation outcomes. Marine and Freshwater Research, 73(10), 1212-1224. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF20338
  • Watts, R., Bond, N. R., Healy, S., Liu, X., McCasker, N., Michie, L., Siebers, A., Thiem, J., & Trethewie, J. (2022). Commonwealth Environmental Water Office Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Project: Edward/Kolety-Wakool Flow selected area summary report 2021-22. Commonwealth Environmental Water Office.