Dr Shane Brooks

I am an aquatic ecologist and information technology specialist. I run an independent consultancy business leveraging my 25 years of water industry and research experience to improve the sustainable management of rivers and wetlands. I provide pragmatic advice informed by strong scientific evidence, critical analysis and logical thinking.

My competencies and experience in river and wetland ecology and data-driven information technology allow me to efficiently communicate and work with managers, research scientists and IT technologists (nerds). I pride myself in providing clarity and a bridge of understanding for clients and stakeholders in the business of data gathering, evaluation, information sharing and knowledge building.

My enthusiasm for the environment is balanced by pragmatism knowing the social and political environment in which decisions are typically made and complexities of managing uncertainty and risk.

I work with teams of like-minded scientists to deliver projects that vary in scale from site level investigations up to large scale national strategic management planning projects.

Professional History

2009 – Present: Independent aquatic ecology & technology consultant
2001 – Present: Director of LitePC Technologies Pty Ltd
2001 – 2005: Research Fellow, Monash University
1998 – 2001: Research Fellow, University of Maryland, USA
1994 - 1998: Adjunct Research Fellow, Monash University
1990 - 1998: Ph.D. Thesis: “The impacts of natural disturbance in lotic ecosystems”, Monash University
1989: B. Sc. (Hons, First Class), University of Adelaide

Areas of Expertise

Aquatic Ecology

Rivers, wetlands, estuaries and riparian systems
Prioritising and mapping values and threats
Biodiversity, condition, structure and function, ecological processes
Patch dynamics and disturbance ecology
Land use impacts

Ecosystem science and restoration

Ecosystem services
Australian Government Aquatic Ecosystems Toolkit
Australian National Aquatic Ecosystem (ANAE) classification
Environmental Management Plans, Conservation Management Plans
Climate change vulnerability, impacts

Environmental water

Murray Darling Basin Plan objectives and performance evaluation
Water industry policy and practice
Monitoring and evaluation of expected and measured outcomes

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI)

Development of MERI frameworks and strategies
Objective setting, prioritisation, change detection
Implementation and project management
Stakeholder consultation and communication

GIS, remote sensing, land surface mapping

GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS, MapInfo, GRASS, GDAL), automated work-flow
Digital terrain models, flow accumulation, network tracing (Geofabric, ArcHydro),
Satellite, LiDAR and drone image analysis and land cover mapping
Site location, land-use, and inundation mapping

Data management, integration and analysis

Data management (governance policy, quality control, quality assurance, security and accessibility)
Data collation, interoperability, inspection, cleaning etc.
Databases and spreadsheets (SQL, MS Access, Envirosys, Excel)
Automation via programming and scripting (Unix Shell, Python, Perl, VBA)

Information technology for decision support

Decision support, prioritisation and risk analyses
Web site design, data forms and report summaries
Project management tracking workflow, progress, issues
Collaboration tools

Ramsar and High Ecological Value Aquatic Ecosystems (HEVAE)

Ecological Character Description
Critical Components, Processes and Services (CPS)
Setting and evaluating Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC)
Ramsar Management Plans
Ramsar boundary description to Australian Government and Ramsar Secretariat standards
HEVAE determination and boundary delineation