Dr Raylene Cooke
  Phone   +61 3 925 17608
Email   raylene.cooke@deakin.edu.au
Position   Senior Lecturer
Campus   Burwood
Research grouping   Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Research interests

  1. ecology and conservation of raptors
  2. urban ecology and disturbance gradients
  3. conservation strategies in developing countries


Career

Bachelor of Education (Environmental Science) 1994
BSc(Honours) 1995
PhD (2001)
Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University (2002 – 2006)
Senior Lecturer School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University (2007 - present)

Key publications

Bilney, R.J., Cooke, R., and White, J.G. (2010) Underestimated and severe: small mammal decline from the forests of south-eastern Australia since European settlement, as revealed by a top-order predator Biological Conservation 143 , 52–59

Hogan, F.E., and Cooke, R. (2010) Insights into the breeding behaviour and dispersal of the powerful owl through the collection of shed feathers Emu 110, 178–184

Bilney, R.J., White, J.G., L’Hotellier, F., and Cooke, R. (in press) Spatial ecology of Sooty Owls in south-eastern Australian coastal forests: implications for forest management and reserve design Emu

Bilney, R.J., Cooke, R., and White, J.G. (in press) Potential competition between two top-order predators following a dramatic contraction in the diversity of their prey base Animal Biology

De Bondi, N., White, J.G., Stevens, M., and Cooke, R. (2010) A comparison of the effectiveness of camera trapping and live trapping for sampling terrestrial small-mammal communities Wildlife Research 37, 456-465

View entire list of audited publications

Professional activities

Treasurer Australasian Raptor Association
Fellow - College of Distinguished Deakin Educators
ALTC citation for outstanding contributions to student learning 2007

 

PhD students

Student nameThesis title
Fiona Hogan (completed 2008)DNA fingerprinting the powerful owl Rohan Bilney (completed 2010)The diet and ecology of large forest owls in East Gippsland. Victor Hurley Factors effecting breeding success of peregrine falcons in Victoria. Bronwyn IsaacSpatial ecology of the powerful owl over an urban-to-forest gradient Marian Weaving The response of nocturnal birds to a suburban-forest gradient Kate StevensThe ecology and behaviour of the grey-crowned babbler Belinda Christie (co-supervisor)Critical thinking for sustainability: effective pedagogy in university education  

 

Honours students

Student nameThesis title Simon Cassidy (2011)The influence of urbanisation on the distribution of raptors: a presence only geospatial approach. Catriona Campbell (2011)Molecular data contradicts the suspected ancestry of the Lord Howe Island Masked Owl. Mark MacKinnon (2010)The diet of peregrine falcons in different habitat types across Victoria Belinda Christie (2009)Environmental education ideals & realities: A Victorian case study of government secondary curriculum Natasha De Bondi (2009)Assessing the applicability of camera trapping as an indexing method for small mammal populations Matthew Vinicombe (2009)The impact of severe, landscape-scale wildfire on bird communities: Grampians National Park case study Felicity L’Hotellier (2008)Response of masked and sooty owls to intensive and long-term fox baiting. Marian Weaving (2008)Distribution of nocturnal birds along an urban-forest gradient Kate Stevens (2008)Conservation value of paddock trees to birds within an agricultural matrix in south-western Victoria Mike Stevens (2008)Response of small mammal populations to large-scale wildlfires in the Grampians National Park (Collaborative project with Parks Victoria)  

 

Teaching areas

wildlife conservation
ecotourism and interpretation
park management
professional practice


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22nd September 2011