DoctorClare Hawkins

Biography

I carried out my Ph.D. on the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), a semi-arboreal mammalian carnivore endemic to the forests of Madagascar. Its ecological similarities to the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) brought me to Tasmania in 2001 to study the latter species' habitat requirements. I subsequently joined the State Government, initially with the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program: I spent four years monitoring the impact and distribution of Devil Facial Tumour Disease, followed by nine years as Senior Zoologist for the Threatened Species Section which included the creation of the Threatened Species Link.

In 2015 I was awarded a Gallaugher Bequest Churchill Fellowship to develop bomb-proof, enduring citizen science study designs for long-term monitoring. With the Bookend Trust, I subsequently established and now coordinate the NatureTrackers and Extinction Matters BioBlitzes programs to monitor threatened, and potentially threatened, species through rigorous citizen science.

Our 2023 BioBlitz was the winner of the Green Gown Awards Australasia 'Creating Impact' award in 2024, and finalist for the International Green Gown 'Creating Impact' award in 2025.