Rate My Professor Clare Morrison

Clare Morrison serves as a Lecturer in the Environmental Sustainability and Management group in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University. She completed her PhD at Griffith University between 1997 and 2001, focusing on conservation-related topics, and holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) from the University of Wollongong. Her career trajectory includes roles as a Research Fellow in the International Centre for Ecotourism Research at Griffith University from 2010 to 2013 and previous positions at the University of the South Pacific. Morrison's academic interests lie in conservation biology, with particular expertise in the distribution, ecology, and conservation status of reptiles and amphibians in Pacific Island nations, the potential of ecotourism to support threatened species recovery, application of population viability analysis for management decisions, and stakeholder perceptions of climate change impacts and adaptation limits in tourism-dependent regions.

In addition to her research, Morrison is actively involved in teaching, convening the undergraduate course Ecology (2051ENV) at Griffith University. She maintains a prolific publication record, with her work garnering over 2,300 citations according to ResearchGate. Among her influential contributions are "Geographic variation in life-history characteristics of tropical lizards: a synthesis" published in 2003 in the Journal of Animal Ecology (743 citations), "Birdwatching and avitourism: a global review of research into its economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts and how these might benefit bird conservation" (2015, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 245 citations), "Repeatability and Reproducibility of Population Viability Analysis (PVA) and the Implications for Threatened Species Management" (2016, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution), "Tourism and the Conservation of Critically Endangered Frogs" (2012, PLOS ONE), "Limits to Climate Change Adaptation: Insights from the Australian Alps Ski Industry" (2013, Geographical Research), "A Regional Review of Genetic Resource Access and Benefit-Sharing" (2021), and "From cash to conservation: Which wildlife species appear on banknotes? A worldwide analysis" (2024, People and Nature). As an academic editor, she has supported the publication of numerous studies by providing editing services. Her research has practical implications for biodiversity conservation policies and practices globally, particularly in island ecosystems vulnerable to environmental change.