Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Climate change is altering the distribution of organisms and the structure of ecosystems across the globe, and one of the most dramatically effected biomes are wetlands. My research has explored the impact of climate change across different types of wetlands- from coastal wetlands impacted by sea-level rise, to freshwater wetlands subject to the dual stressors of altered climatic conditions and water extraction. Our team has identified new approaches to wetland management, drawing attention to the benefits of carbon sequestration (“blue carbon”) in coastal wetlands, and pioneering tools helping river managers better accommodate the needs of wetlands when planning water allocations. This work has proceeded in partnership with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, ANSTO, the University of Wollongong, the US Geological Survey, and Beijing Forestry University.
Research interests
Response of wetlands to climate change, including sea-level rise, elevated atmospheric CO2, temperature, hydrological modification. Geomorphology and landscape evolution in the coastal zone.
Link through to Saintilan et al. (2020) Thresholds of mangrove response to rapid sea-level rise. Science. 368(6495) 1118-1121
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6495/1118.full?ijkey=CF6GjowPFI92w&keytype=ref&siteid=sci
Link through to Saintilan et al (2023) Widespread retreat of coastal habitat is likely at warming levels above 1.5oC. Nature 621 112-119. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06448-z.pdf
Education/Academic qualification
Coastal ecology, Doctor of Science, Australian coastal wetlands and their response to sea-level rise, University of Sydney
Award Date: 8 May 2025
Biogeography, PhD, Mangrove ecology and biomass in two east coast Australian estuaries, University of Sydney
Award Date: 1 Feb 1996
External positions
Senior Principal Research Science and Senior Team Leader, Water and Wetlands, Office of Environment and Heritage, NSW - ABN Cancelled 30 June 22
1 Jan 2012 → 17 Feb 2015
Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO
1 Jul 2011 → 30 Jun 2012
Head, Rivers and Wetlands Unit, Office of Environment and Heritage, NSW - ABN Cancelled 30 June 22
1 Feb 2007 → 1 Jan 2012
Associate Professor and Director, Centre for Environmental Restoration and Stewardship, Australian Catholic University
1 Jan 2004 → 31 Jan 2006
Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Australian Catholic University
21 Feb 1994 → 31 Dec 2003
Lecturer , University of Sydney
1 Jan 1993 → 31 Dec 1993
Lecturer, The University of New South Wales
1 Jan 1987 → 31 Dec 1987
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Test the capacity of environmental fingerprinting techniques to authenticate the origin of salmon in supermarket seafood supply chains
Saintilan, N. (Primary Chief Investigator), Green, J. (Student CI) & Mazumder, D. (Partner Investigator)
1/01/25 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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Does tidal restoration lead to carbon sequestration gains by coastal wetlands?
Kelleway, J. (Primary Chief Investigator), Gadd, P. (Chief Investigator), Zawadzki, A. (Chief Investigator), Saintilan, N. (Chief Investigator), Heijnis, H. (Chief Investigator), Rogers, K. (Chief Investigator) & Owers, C. (Chief Investigator)
1/07/17 → …
Project: Research
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Macquarie University Species Spectrum Research Center
Herberstein, M. (Primary Chief Investigator), Gillings, M. (Chief Investigator), Jacob, D. (Chief Investigator), Saintilan, N. (Chief Investigator), Barron, A. (Chief Investigator), Westoby, M. (Chief Investigator), Sofronov, G. (Chief Investigator) & Tetu, S. (Chief Investigator)
1/01/17 → …
Project: Research
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Ecological benefits of Blackwater
Saintilan, N. (Primary Chief Investigator), Maguire, J. (Chief Investigator), Kobayashi, Y. (Chief Investigator) & Mazumder, D. (Chief Investigator)
15/01/16 → …
Project: Research
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MQ Marine Research Centre
George, S. (Primary Chief Investigator), Armand, L. (Chief Investigator), Armbrecht, L. (Chief Investigator), Bishop, M. (Chief Investigator), Brock, G. (Chief Investigator), Daczko, N. (Chief Investigator), Dadd, K. (Chief Investigator), Goodwin, I. (Chief Investigator), Grech, A. (Chief Investigator), Hesse, P. (Chief Investigator), Irvine, A. (Chief Investigator), Jacob, D. (Chief Investigator), Kennedy, M. (Chief Investigator), Kosnik, M. (Chief Investigator), Loehr, S. (Chief Investigator), Madin, E. (Chief Investigator), Madin, J. (Chief Investigator), Ostrowski, M. (Chief Investigator), Paulsen, I. (Chief Investigator), Saintilan, N. (Chief Investigator), Tetu, S. (Chief Investigator), Williamson, J. (Chief Investigator), Wood, L. (Chief Investigator) & O'Brien, P. (Chief Investigator)
1/07/15 → …
Project: Research
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Ecological connectivity between mangroves and seagrasses increases sediment blue carbon storage
Guo, X., Song, S., Chen, L., Zhang, C., Ye, S., Ding, Y., Gou, R., Huang, X., Lv, S., Saintilan, N., Friess, D. A. & Lin, G., 15 Jul 2025, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 318, p. 1-9 9 p., 109231.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Identification and scenario-based optimization of ecological corridor networks for waterbirds in typical coastal wetlands
Huang, G., Hu, W., Du, J., Jia, Y., Zhou, Z., Lei, G., Saintilan, N., Wen, L. & Wang, Y., Feb 2025, In: Ecological Indicators. 171, p. 1-15 15 p., 113147.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Citations (Scopus)59 Downloads (Pure) -
Identifying non-breeding habitat conservation gaps of the critically threatened Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) using species distribution model
Jia, Y., Sun, L., Guo, J., Ren, S., Yang, H., Huang, G., Wen, L., Saintilan, N., Chen, Q., Wang, Y. & Lei, G., Sept 2025, In: Global Ecology and Conservation. 61, p. 1-12 12 p., e03640.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile20 Downloads (Pure) -
Inundation and salinity regimes support blue carbon conditions in Australian temperate supratidal forests
Kelleway, J. J., Gorham, C., Trevathan-Tackett, S. M., Palacios, M., Serrano, O., Lavery, P. S., Nagel-Tynan, Z., Conroy, B. M., Bendall-Pease, G., Rigney, S. D., Deutscher, N. M., Hughes, M. G., Carvalho, R. C., Owers, C. J., Jones, A. R., Russell, S. K., Planque, C., Saintilan, N. & Rogers, K., Oct 2025, In: Ecological Applications. 35, 7, p. 1-22 22 p., e70123.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Lateral responses of coastal intertidal meta-ecosystems to sea-level rise: lessons from the Yangtze Estuary
Gao, Y., Zhou, B.-J., Zhao, B., Chen, J., Saintilan, N., Macreadie, P. I., Akhand, A., Zhao, F., Zhang, T. T., Yang, S. L., Wang, S.-K., Ren, J. L. & Zhuang, P., Sept 2025, In: Remote Sensing. 17, 17, p. 1-17 17 p., 3109.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Prizes
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Department of Planning Industry and Environment Eureka Prize for Environmental Research 2019
Saintilan, N. (Recipient), 4 Aug 2019
Prize
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