Personal profile
Research interests
My research broadly focuses on how fire has shaped and maintains the biota of Australia’s tropical savanna landscapes, and how contemporary fire regimes can best be managed for biodiversity conservation, especially in relation to declining small mammals and fire-sensitive vegetation communities. I have a strong interest in the resourcing of fire and biodiversity management through the generation of carbon credits, and much of my work builds the knowledge base underpinning the development of carbon accounting methodologies for savanna fire management, especially those relating to biosequestration. I also work on the large-scale (continental to global) distribution of fire (pyrogeography), seeking to understand the drivers of fire activity, its coupling with vegetation, and the likely impacts of global environmental change.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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2021 Rainmaker Start-up - Estimating the population sizes of Australian birds
Garnett, S. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A) & Murphy, B. (Co Investigator/Chief Investigator B)
5/08/21 → 4/06/22
Project: Research
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2021 Rainmaker Start-up grant: Building partnerships to develop culturally appropriate PES mechanisms for Indigenous peoples and local communities"
Sangha, K. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Russell-Smith, J. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Garnett, S. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Edwards, A. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Evans, J. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Yates, C. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Banks, S. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A) & Murphy, B. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A)
1/11/21 → 31/01/23
Project: Research
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2023 Rainmaker Co-investment – Cat management guided by Country
Murphy, B. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Davies, H. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Legge, S. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Ryan, S. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Hradsky, B. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A) & Ballard, G. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A)
1/07/24 → 31/12/27
Project: Research
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2023 Rainmaker Co-investment - Improving desert fire management with culturally directed science
Legge, S. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A), Murphy, B. (Co Investigator/Chief Investigator B) & Banks, S. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A)
1/07/23 → 30/06/27
Project: Research
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Abundance of the Brush-tailed Rabbit-Rat at Shark Bay, Melville Island
Neave, G. (Student Investigator) & Murphy, B. (Supervisor)
11/05/21 → 31/12/21
Project: Research
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A cross-cultural approach to describing and conserving a new mammal species in the Kimberley, Western Australia
Murphy, B. (Supervisor), Potter, L. (Student Investigator) & Woinarski, J. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A)
10/10/24 → 9/10/28
Project: Research
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ARC (UTas) Aboriginal patch burning and the quest for sustainable fire management
Murphy, B. (Principal Investigator/Chief Investigator A)
30/06/15 → 30/06/17
Project: Research
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Challenges and prospects of cotton farming in the tropics: lessons for northern Australia
Kassa, G., Sangha, K. K., Murphy, B. P. & Mazhar, M. S., Jan 2026, In: Journal of Cotton Research. 9, 1, p. 1-18 18 p., 2.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Incorporating fire severity mapping into fuel accumulation curves
Gordon, C. E., Collins, L., Jenkins, M., Murphy, B. P., Nguyen, T. H., Price, O. F., Volkova, L., Weston, C. J. & Nolan, R. H., Mar 2026, In: Science of the Total Environment. 1022, p. 1-10 10 p., 181574.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent
Lu, R., Williams, L. J., Trouvé, R., Murphy, B. P., Baker, P. J., Carle, H., Forrester, D. I., Green, P. T., Liddell, M. J., Marunda, C., Mannes, D., Mazanec, R., Ngugi, M. R., Neldner, V. J., Prior, L., Ruthrof, K. X., Suitor, S., Xia, J. & Medlyn, B. E., Jan 2026, In: Nature Plants. 12, 1, p. 62-73 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Spatial metrics in fire ecology: seeking consistency amidst complexity
Carey, A. R., Cary, G. J., Cremona, T., Davies, H. F., Murphy, B. P. & Banks, S. C., Feb 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Biological Reviews. p. 1-21 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
The Contrasting Role of Fire in Shaping Landscape Genetic Patterns of Small Mammals Across Two Islands
Carey, A. R., Cremona, T., Neave, G., Davies, H. F., Murphy, B. P., Cary, G. J., Rangers, T. & Banks, S. C., Apr 2026, In: Ecology and Evolution. 16, 4, p. 1-16 16 p., e73320.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Declines in greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) geographic range and realised niche are best explained by the invasive red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Geyle, H. M., Young, A. R., Murphy, B. P., Dickman, C. R., Schlesinger, C., Dixon, K. M., Moore, H., Legge, S., Silcock, J., Indigo, N., Dziminski, M., Greatwich, B., Newsome, T. M., Paltridge, R., Southgate, R., Arkinstall, C., Bradley, K., Central Land Council Rangers, Jackett, N. & Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa Rangers & 15 others, , Feb 2025, In: Biological Conservation. 302, p. 1-13 13 p., 110872.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)81 Downloads (Pure) -
Drone-based surveys improve estimates of tree hollow abundance and accessibility
Rochelmeyer, E., Levick, S., Murphy, B., Stobo-Wilson, A. & Richards, A. E., 1 Jan 2025, In: Ecological Solutions and Evidence. 6, 1, p. 1-12 12 p., e70007.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile80 Downloads (Pure)
Press/Media
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The bushfire scientists finding the balance between protecting communities, carbon and biodiversity
10/10/20
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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1.7 million foxes, 300 million native animals killed every year: now we know damage foxes wreak
Stobo-Wilson, A., Woinarski, J. C. Z., Murphy, B. & Legge, S.
15/03/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Around 9,000 species have already gone extinct in Australia and we’ll likely lose another this week – new study
Murphy, B., Legge, S. & Woinarski, J. C. Z.
9/12/24 → 10/12/24
3 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Researchers take places as Eureka finalists
Stobo-Wilson, A., Woinarski, J. C. Z., Murphy, B., Macdonald, J. & Geyle, H.
2/10/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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A Top End coastal reserve is set to become a national park, but not everyone is pleased
24/02/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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At the coalface in Collinsville, promises, politics and power plants
13/05/22
4 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
Thesis
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Grass, fire and kangaroos: can stable isotopes reveal Australia's past and future ecology?
Murphy, B. (Author), Bowman, D. (Supervisor), 2006Student thesis: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - CDU
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