Julia Back

Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar

Media Profile

"Fur seals, historically exploited by humans and endangered in many areas around the world have been shown to be very sensitive to disruption."

Julia Back, a Linfield College (Oregon) graduate, will have the opportunity to study fur seals up close and personal in Australia thanks to winning a Fulbright Scholarship. Julia is one of fifteen Americans to be granted a Postgraduate Scholarship to Australia in 2007, which she will use to begin her Master’s degree at Deakin University in Melbourne.

Julia’s research, Impacts of Boat-Based Tourism on Australian Fur Seal Conservation, will study the behavioral responses of Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) to boat-based disturbances at breeding colonies. Her research will observe individuals at a colony on a Kanowna Island off the coast of South Eastern Australia. A local wildlife agency, Parks Victoria, will provide funding for direct research expenses for the project. Julia will conduct her research under the supervision of Dr John P. Y. Arnould, who has been studying population ecology and behavior of Australian fur seals for more than ten years.

“The Australian fur seal is one of the few seal species that occur in large colonies close to human habitation. Several boat tour operators in the Melbourne area have applied for permits to take tourists to view and photograph this species. However, due to historic exploitation, the species is generally wary of human contact and little research has been done to investigate the impacts of boat disturbances on individuals at colonies.”

“This information is a crucial element in the development of appropriate protocols for tourist operators. Insufficient controls on boat approaches have the potential to cause severe disruptions of normal behavior in this species and could result in reduced reproductive success or even affect colony structure.”

Developed countries like the U.S. and Australia have become increasingly dependent on income from the tourism sector, which can support and promote sustainable use of natural resources according to Julia.

“New opportunities for income in eco-tourism continue to arise, resulting in a growing need for research in conservation biology. Australian fur seals are an ideal subject for this type of research. Australia, unlike many developing countries with control over fur seal habitat, already has a political framework for monitoring tourism practices that will be extremely helpful.”

Julia has previously been recognised for her academic performance, being named as a Ford Family Foundation Scholar, Linfield College Trustee Scholar and the Linfield College Dean’s List (2004 and 2005). Her interest in conservation biology took Julia to the Galapagos Islands in 2006, where she conducted undergraduate study abroad with Universidad San Francisco de Quito. It was there that she developed her academic interest in sea lions and fur seals.