Peter Menkhorst
{{Short description|Australian ecologist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Peter Menkhorst
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = Australian
| education = BSc Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| occupation = Ecologist
| organization = Victorian Government
| notable_works = Mammals of Victoria: distribution, ecology, conservation. Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia.
The Australian Bird Guide
}}
Peter Menkhorst {{post-nominals|country=AUS|PSM}} is an Australian ecologist and an authority on Australian mammals and birds. He is experienced in wildlife management, including management of over-abundant Koalas, and in threatened species recovery; he has developed recovery plans and led recovery teams for a number of species including the Orange-bellied Parrot; Helmeted Honeyeater, Regent Honeyeater, Mountain Pygmy Possum and Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby. Menkhorst is also a natural history author and recently co-authored The Australian Bird Guide.
Career
Menkhorst graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science from Monash University majoring in Botany and Zoology. He has over 40 years experience in fauna survey and ecological research conducted for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and its predecessors.{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Menkhorst|title=Peter Menkhorst {{!}} Bachelor of Science, Monash University 1973, joint major in zoology and botany {{!}} Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning|website=ResearchGate|language=en|access-date=2018-08-06}} In 2018 he was a program leader in the Community Ecology Section at the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, leading the Waterbird and Wetland Program.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ari.vic.gov.au/about-us/staff|title=Staff|date=2018-06-28|website=Arthur Rylah Institute|language=en|access-date=2018-08-09}}
The Waterbird and Wetland program is collecting and analysing long time-series of data from natural and artificial wetlands across Victoria including Western Port, Port Phillip, Western Treatment Plant and Murray Valley to understand the impact of weather patterns and management of land and water on bird populations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Peter-Menkhorst-Lab|title=Peter Menkhorst's Lab|website=ResearchGate|language=en|access-date=2018-08-06}} The aim is to understand these systems and in doing so help improve conservation outcomes. The team also assists in the management of Duck Hunting in Victoria{{Cite web|title=Hunter's Bag Survey: 2016 Victorian duck hunting season|date=2016-06-30|url=http://www.gma.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/328460/Hunters-Bag-Survey-report-2016_final.pdf}}
Publications
Menkhorst has authored or co-authored field guides to both the birds and the mammals of Australia and has written many scientific papers and unpublished reports - see Google Scholar or Research Gate.
Books by Peter Menkhorst Include:
- Mammals of Victoria : Ecology, Distribution and Conservation {{Cite book|title=Mammals of Victoria : Ecology, Distribution and Conservation|publisher=Oxford University Press Australia|year=1995|isbn=0195540166|editor-last=Menkhorst|editor-first=Peter}}
- Field Guide to Mammals of Australia{{Cite book|title=Field Guide to Mammals of Australia|last=Menkhorst|first=Peter|publisher=Oxford University Press Australia|year=2011|isbn=978-0195573954|edition=Third, revised}}
- The Australian Bird Guide{{Cite book|title=The Australian Bird Guide|publisher=CSIRO Publishing|year=2017|isbn=978-0643097544}}
Menkhorst has also reviewed numerous books for Australian Book Review.{{Cite web|url=https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/archive/2015/author/1131-petermenkhorst|title=Peter Menkhorst|website=www.australianbookreview.com.au|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-08-09}} Titles reviewed include: Sentinel Chicken by Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty, Where Songs Began by Tim Low{{Cite news|url=https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/archive/2014/2233-where-song-began-by-tim-low|title='Where Song Began' by Tim Low|last=Menkhorst|first=Peter|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en-gb}} and Platypus by Ann Moyal.{{Cite news|url=https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/archive/2011/326-ann-moyal-platypus|title=Ann Moyal: Platypus|last=Menkhorst|first=Peter|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en-gb}}
Awards
- 1998 Australian Natural History Medallion{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/VictorianNatura116Fiel|title=The victorian naturalist|date=1884|publisher=South Yarra, [Vic.]: Field Naturalists Club of Victoria|others=Museum Victoria|pages=[https://archive.org/details/VictorianNatura116Fiel/page/4 4], 5}}
- 2017 Whitley Medal - Royal Zoological Society of NSW{{Cite web|url=http://www.rzsnsw.org.au/whitley-award-winners|title=Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales {{!}} Whitley Award Winners|website=Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales|language=en|access-date=2018-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809090739/http://www.rzsnsw.org.au/whitley-award-winners|archive-date=2018-08-09|url-status=dead}}
- 2019 Australian Honours List Public Service Medal
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web|url=http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/environment-and-wildlife/arthur-rylah-institute/ari-staff|title=Staff|author=Arthur Rylah|date=28 June 2018|website=Arthur Rylah Institute|access-date=2 July 2018}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/author/1131-petermenkhorst|title=Peter Menkhorst|website=Australianbookreview.com.au|access-date=2 July 2018}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menkhorst, Peter}}
Category:Australian ecologists