Mr Adam Kilpatrick

Biography/ Background

Adam is a third year Ph.D candidate in the Spatial Information Group, Landscape Sciences, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide. His Ph.D project title is:

"Rangeland condition monitoring using remotely sensed cross-fence comparisons"

Rangelands are ecosystems which we humans use to graze domestic stock for meat production. They cover a large percentage of earth's terrestrial land mass, e.g. 41% of South Australia. Effectively monitoring the effects of rangeland management has proven logistically and statistically impossible using field based monitoring methods alone. Remote Sensing is the obvious answer, and various satellite imagery platforms already allow us to monitor vegetation cover levels and changes across the globe, even on a daily basis. Determing whether our land management drives these changes in vegetation, however, is rather difficult due to the large spatial and temporal variability of natural variables such as rainfall and soil type.

Adam's research is a continuation (after a hiatus), of cutting edge research conducted for his honours degree. The methodology being developed and tested is a critical breakthrough that has the potential to allow paddock/field-scale, timely monitoring of the effects of management, whilst controlling for natural variables, on developed rangelands throughout Australia and the world.

Adam is also involved in other aspects of rangeland, arid and spatial ecology, including projects on the ecology and management of rare and threatened flora and fauna species, ecology and management of feral animals, remote sensing of dryland agriculture, and experimental design.

Qualifications

B.Sc (Sustainable Environments) majoring in Land and Water Management

B.Sc Hons (First Class, 1A) in Soil and Land Systems. "Rangeland condition monitoring using remotely-sensed cross-fence comparisons"

Awards & Achievements

Prime Minister's Australia Asia Scholar (Postgraduate, 2013)

SA Adventurer of the Year (2012)

SA Young Achievers Awards: Flinders Ports Environment Award Winner (2012)

AW Howard Memorial Trust Travel Grant (2011) (Awarded for travel to the IX International Rangelands Congress, Argentina).

Australian Geographic Society Seed Grant (2010) (Awarded to support the "22nd World Jamboree Trike Expedition").

Australian Postgraduate Award (2009-) (Scholarship for Ph.D)

Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute:

1. 14th Australasian Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Conference, Honours Student Award (2008). (Only award given nationwide to attend biennial conference for an honours student).
   
2. South Australian Spatial Excellence Awards, Undergraduate/Graduate Student Award (2009). (Awarded to best undergraduate, honours or postgraduate certificate/diploma student in South Australia)

Teaching Interests

Students: Tina Schroeder (Honours, 2012-) "Can the dingo suppress introduced predators and save our threatened species?"

Demonstrating and lecturing (applications) in Remote Sensing III

Demonstrating in GIS for Environmental Management III

Demonstrating in GIS for Agriculture & Natural Resource III

Demonstrating in Spatial Information and Land Evaluation (II)

Research Interests

Rangeland, Arid/semi-arid, Landscape, and Spatial Ecology

Spatial Sciences (Remote Sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), spatial modelling and data analysis, theoretical models)

Publications

Journal Articles

Kilpatrick, A.D., Warren-Smith, S.C., Read, J.L., Lewis, M.M., Ostendorf, B. (2011). Cross-fence comparisons: theory for spatially comprehensive, controlled variable assessment of treatment effects in managed landscapes. Ecol Informatics. 6, 170-176. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2010.10.001

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2010.10.001

Read, J.L., Moseby, K.E., Briffa, J., Kilpatrick, A.D., Freeman, A. (2011). Eradication of rabbits from landscape scale exclosures: pipedream or possibility? Ecol Manage Rest. 12 (1), 47-54.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2011.00567.x/abstract

Read, J.L. and Kilpatrick, A.D. (2009). Improved Conservation Status of Atriplex Kochiana Maiden. Trans Roy Soc Sth Aust. 133 (1), 172-177.

Conference Presentations (Peer-reviewed proceedings)

Lyle, G., Kilpatrick, A. and Ostendorf, B. (2009). "I can't be green if I'm in the red!" The creation of high resolution broad scale economic estimates to assist in the decision to adopt alternative land uses in the SA cropping region. In: Ostendorf, B., Baldock, P., Bruce, D., Burdett, M. and Corcoran, P. (eds.), Proceedings of the Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute Biennial International Conference, Adelaide 2009, Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute, pp. 1259-1270. ISBN: 978-0-9581366-8-6

Conference Presentations

Kilpatrick, A.D., Warren-Smith, S.C., Read, J.L., Lewis, M.M., Ostendorf, B. (2012) Developments in monitoring rangelands using remotely-sensed cross-fence comparisons. XXII Congress of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Melbourne, Australia.

Kilpatrick, A.D., Lewis, M.M., Ostendorf, B., Read, J.L., Warren-Smith, S. (2011) Rangeland monitoring using remotely-sensed cross-fence comparisons. IX International Rangeland Congress, Rosario, Argentina.

Kilpatrick, A.D., Lewis, M.M., Ostendorf, B. (2011) Designing paired sample rangeland experiments: Spatial variance considerations. IX International Rangeland Congress, Rosario, Argentina.

Kilpatrick, A.D., Lewis, M.M., Ostendorf, B. (2010) Premise testing of a methodology using models: rangeland monitoring using remotely sensed cross-fence comparisons. 15th Australasian Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Conference, Alice Springs, Australia

Kilpatrick, A.D., Lewis, M.M., Ostendorf, B., Read, J.L., Warren-Smith, S. (2010) Rangeland monitoring using remotely-sensed, cross-fence comparisons. Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute, Spatial Information Day 2010, Adelaide, Australia.

Kilpatrick, A.D., Lewis, M.M., Ostendorf, B., Read, J.L., Warren-Smith, S. (2008) Rangeland condition monitoring: using remotely-sensed, cross-fence comparison methodology. 14th Australasian Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Conference, Darwin, Australia.

Reports

Lewis, M., Turner, D., Kilpatrick, A., Arbon, K. (2011). Remote sensing tools for assessing land condition in the Gawler Bioregion. Report by The University of Adelaide to the South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board, Port Augusta.

Lyle,G., Clarke,K., Hobbs,T., Kilpatrick, A., Summers, D., Ostendorf, B.
(2009) Land Use Planning for Sustainable Production Systems.  Report to SA
Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation. pp 120.

Kilpatrick, A., Gilbert, B. and Newman, J. (2006). Threshold densities for Burrowing Bettongs at Arid Recovery. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide. Arid Recovery Technical Report 2006 (6).

Professional Associations

Member (Student) Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI), Australia

Member (Student) Australian Rangeland Society

Community Engagement

Venturer Leader and Bushwalking Team Member, Scout Association of Australia (SA Branch). My Scouting work focuses mostly on promoting, motivating and inspiring adventure and international friendship. E.g.:

worldtrike.crazyguyonabike.com

Expertise for Media Contact

Categories	Environment, Science and technology
Expertise	rangelands; monitoring rangelands; desertification; overgrazing; remote sensing; GIS; dingos; feral cats; foxes; rabbits; arid ecology; deserts; sustainability; landscape ecology; Scouts
Notes	Please see my university website
Mobile	61434262199

Entry last updated: Monday, 15 Apr 2013