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christina zdenek

Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar

How can human influences be best managed to have the lowest impact on biodiversity? and How resilient are specific species to human disturbances? During the current 6th mass extinction of the Earth – the 5th being the extinction of the dinosaurs – these questions are particularly significant to address before it's too late.

 

Christina Zdenek is one of thirteen Americans to be granted a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission in 2008. Christina is currently completing a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). On her Fulbright she will undertake a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Christina’s project, Determining Sustainable Harvest Rates of the Green Python by Population Viability Analysis, will conduct a population viability analysis on the green python to model quasi-extinction of this rainforest species for a range of scenarios.

“I will conduct conservation research in the rainforests of northeastern Australia, a biome of particularly high biodiversity amid a country with strikingly high endemism. Pythons, like other keystone predators, are integral members of biological communities. Hence, preserving this species in Australia is particularly important.”

“Completing a full Population Viability Analysis (PVA) on the green python will help preserve this species and expand biodiversity in a biome known to contain greater than 50% of the world's species. By conducting this wildlife conservation research now, while Australia’s human population is relatively small, changes can be made in Australia's environmental policy to prevent the ecological degradation common in developed countries, making long-term environmental preservation far more manageable.”

Christina will use RAMAS, a computer based stimulation software, to determine the sustainable rate of harvest for the Green Python according to its life-history stage, distribution, dispersal, and additional human impacts. “RAMAS will be used to model the Green Python's chance of survival over long time periods, such as 20, 50 or 100 years, under variable ‘real-world’ scenarios of harvest rates and other human impacts.”

Christina’s academic performance has been recognized with Kearney Foundation of Soil Sciences Undergraduate Fellowship, UCI in 2007. She has also received a number of sporting awards including the 2007 Athletic Director's Achievement Award, Big Blue Varsity Award for athletics- Utah St. Univ in 2005 and UCI Women’s Basketball full-scholarship in 2005 to present.