Staff

Gerry Swan - Research Associate

Gerry Swan

Research interests

Distribution of reptiles in New South Wales.

I have considerable field experience throughout New South Wales over the past 30 years, and in 1990 published the book "A Field Guide to the Snakes and Lizards of New South Wales". I am also interested in long term fluctuations in reptile populations and the effects of land use and habitat change on species diversity.

Species diversity and conservation of reptiles of western New South Wales.

My particular research interest is in the reptile fauna of the western regions of the New South Wales . Over the past 10 years I have initiated and co-ordinated extensive field surveys of Mutawintji National Park , Sturt National Park , Lake Peery National Park and Yathong Nature Reserve, usually as a collaborative venture with the Australian Herpetological Society and Australian Museum .

Other collaborative field research projects in the region include:

work at Yathong to look at the species diversity of reptiles in an area that has been heavily baited for foxes compared with an area where no baiting has been carried out at all
a project to survey for the rare scincid lizard Egernia margaretae in the far west of the state. This species was only recently recognised as occurring in New South Wales as a result of our survey work in Mutawintji National Park, and was subsequently listed as an Endangered Species under the state’s Threatened Species Act.

Other interests

Public awareness/education regarding reptiles.

I take an active role in amateur reptile groups to encourage a better image for reptiles. I have been a member of the Australian Herpetological Society for more than 30 years and served a term of 5-6 years as president. More recently I have published three books of a 'popular' nature on reptiles and frogs. I was a member of the working party that negotiated the reptile keeping regulations with the National Parks and Wildlife Service in New South Wales, and am currently a member of the Native Animal Keepers Consultative Committee set up by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to advise the Minister. I have been the editor of Australia’s only herpetological journal ‘Herpetofauna’, for more than 30 years.