Breadcrumb
Contact
samantha.andres@humboldt.edu- Remote online
Office Hours
- 11 am – 12 pm via ZOOM (or by appointment)
Samantha Andres, Ph.D.
Lecturer
I am a conservation scientist whose research spans protecting, managing, and restoring ecosystems, alongside transdisciplinary work that builds capacity, develops partnerships, and drives evidence-based environmental action. At its core, my work integrates ecological science with social, cultural, and economic considerations to create conservation solutions that are effective, just, and sustainable.
My connection to ecology began early, wandering the woodlands near my hometown, turning over logs to find salamanders, climbing trees, and learning to notice the small details that make ecosystems unique. That curiosity further developed during my BSc at Humboldt State University, where I cultivated a deep appreciation for native plants, wild spaces, and ecological systems.
After graduating, I worked for several seasons as a field biologist across the western United States, contributing to riparian monitoring for cutthroat and bull trout in Montana with the US Forest Service, rare plant conservation in Colorado with the Bureau of Land Management, and dryland ecosystem restoration in Moab with the US Geological Survey. In 2018, I moved to Australia to pursue a PhD in applied conservation science, where I remained for a postdoctoral research fellowship doing ecological restoration research.
At the core of my approach is the integration of ecological evidence with social, cultural, and economic contexts to enable conservation outcomes that are effective, just, and durable. Beyond research, I am committed to strategic science communication that translates evidence into action. I work closely with government agencies, industry partners, nonprofits, and communities to support on-the-ground outcomes and policy-relevant decision-making. I believe conservation succeeds when collaboration is genuine, science is accessible, and decisions reflect the diverse needs of both people and place.
Research Focus
My research brings together field-based research, modelling, and stakeholder-informed analysis to address complex environmental challenges. Recent projects include leading large-scale experimental trials of drone-based precision seeding to support cost-effective and scalable ecosystem restoration, as well as applied research on native seed supply chains to inform restoration policy and long-term sector viability. I have also conducted extensive field-based research on threatened and rare plant species, contributing to monitoring management and policy planning across diverse ecological contexts.
- PhD in Ecology and Conservation, Western Sydney University, Australia
- BSc in Ecology and Biodiversity, Humboldt State University, California
- ESM 108 Environmental Science and Climate Change
Andres, S.E., Chen, T., Mills, C.M. (2025). Pelletised Seeding Improves Seed Retention in Acacia
Decurrens: Implications for Ecological Restoration. Austral Ecology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70158
Gallagher, R.V. Andres, S.E., et al. (2025). Emerging impacts of renewable technologies on global plant
diversity. Plants People Planet. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.70082
Andres, S.E. et al. (2024) Using seed morphological traits to predict performance to seed encapsulation
across diverse suites of native species. Plants. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162256
Andres, S.E. et al. (2024). Constraints of commercially available seed diversity in restoration:
Implications for plant functional diversity. Plants People Planet. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10523
Andres, S.E. et al. (2024) Not enough trees – scaling up koala habitat restoration using seed
enhancement technologies. Conservation Science and Practice. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13180
Andres, S.E. et al. (2024). A framework for ecological restoration cost accounting across context and
scale. Biological Conservation. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110671
Andres, S.E. et al. (2023). Soil chemistry and fungal communities are associated with dieback in an
Endangered Australian shrub. Plant and Soil. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05724-7
Andres, S.E. et al. (2022). Defining biodiverse reforestation: why it matters for climate change mitigation
and biodiversity. Plants, People, Planet. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10329
Andres, S.E. et al. (2022). Fire severity and the post-fire soil environment affect Persoonia hirsuta
seedling regeneration following the 2019-2020 fires. Austral Ecology. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13217
Andres, S.E. et al. (2021). Does threatened species listing status predict climate change risk? A case
study with Australian Persoonia (Proteaceae) species. Global Ecology and Conservation. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01862
Andres, S.E. et al. Assessing translocation management techniques through experimental trials: A case
study of the Endangered shrub Persoonia hirsuta. Restoration Ecology. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13603
Restoration is Expensive, but Technology Can Help. Current Conservation - Science communication,
2025.
Our looming seed deficit - what does this mean for 'nature repair' Australian Seedbank Partnership –
Webinar, 2025.
Sowing Resilience: Embedding Diversity in the Native Seed Supply Chain. The Conversation -
Science communication, 2024.
New Approaches with Drones for Restoring Biodiverse Native Vegetation. Australasian Network for
Plant Conservation. Australasian Network for Plant Conservation - Conference issue, 2022.
Scientific Success Saving Endangered Plant on Mining Site. Australian Institute for Botanical
Science - Press release, 2022.
Saving Endangered Plant Species on Mining Sites. New South Wales Department of Planning
and Environment Social Channel - Television coverage, 2022.
Lichens, we like them: Considering intimate relationships in biodiversity conservation - Envirobites.
Science communication, 2020.