Dr Jess Marsh
The University of Adelaide
Jess Marsh is a founder and Conservation Lead of the national charity Invertebrates Australia.
Jess’ research is focused around developing mechanisms to improve our ability to meaningfully conserve Australia’s invertebrates, and to tackle some of the challenges that it presents.
Jess is a spider taxonomist and invertebrate conservation biologist. From naming and describing new species, with a focus on those of likely conservation concern, to the challenge of trying to understand what threatens species and how we can best protect them. She uses a combination of genetic work, mapping of species distributions, and analysis of traits, to predict and document the invertebrate taxa and habitats that are likely most at risk from threat events. She has a special interest in highly range-restricted and conservation-significant invertebrate species and the habitats that are important to them, such as caves.
She is affiliated with Murdoch University and the South Australian Museum.
"Biodiversity loss is a huge threat to nature, to agriculture, and to our way of lives. Invertebrates form such a crucial part of biodiversity, and yet are so often overlooked. I joined the Biodiversity Council because I am a passionate advocate for invertebrates, and because, as a multidisciplinary group of experts, I feel we have a real chance to turn the tide on biodiversity decline." - Dr Jess Marsh
