Assessing Bitou Bush Control
Tanya Mason
Institute for Conservation Biology
Tanya Mason obtained her Bachelor of
Science (Environmental Science) in 1998 at UNSW. Her current PhD research at the
University of Wollongong focuses on the impacts of bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides
monilifera ssp. rotundata) invasion in coastal dune communities of New South
Wales. Bitou bush significantly alters native shrubland and woodland community
structure. Her work addresses impacts of the invasion process and assesses the
ecological success of control programmes, which have been running at some
coastal locations for over a decade. Tanya’s research has involved extensive
field survey, collection of seed bank information and a comparison of her local
findings with global invasive species effects.
She describes her career journey so far: “After completing my Bachelor of Science with honours, I took a year out to experience other cultures and lifestyles in places such as India, Nepal, Thailand and central and western Europe, always seeking out the beautiful natural vistas and experiencing a range of biotas from tropical rainforests, to alpine herbfields. On my return I worked for an environmental consultancy on the New South Wales south coast which required application of research findings in fire and weed ecology for management solutions. During that time I rediscovered my love of research. I have worked along much of the NSW coastline, and am still amazed at the solitude that can be found along tracts of our highly populated coast. I hope to continue and expand my research on invasion and restoration ecology into the future.”
