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Senior LecturerTeresa Konlechner Profile

BAppSci(Otago)
PhD(Otago)

Richardson Building room 4C3
Office Hours: email to make an appointment
Tel +64 3 479 8856
Email teresa.konlechner@otago.ac.nz

Teaching

  • ENVI 311 Understanding Environmental Issues
  • ENVI 312 Interdisciplinary Aspects of Climate Change
  • GEOG 201 Field Research Methods
  • GEOG 301 Field Research Studies
  • GEOG 397 Environmental Management: Policy and Practice

Research Interests

Teresa’s research interests lie in all aspects of geomorphology and ecology. She focuses on understanding the dynamics of vegetated coastal environments, including the processes of erosion, sediment transport, and deposition that shape these landscapes. Her work often involves studying the impacts of climate change and human activities on coastal systems, aiming to develop strategies for sustainable management and conservation of these important ecosystems. Teresa employs a range of methods, including field studies, remote sensing, and eco-geomorphic assessments, to investigate how natural and anthropogenic factors influence coastal morphology and ecosystem health. She is particularly focused on the development and implementation of living shorelines (nature-based solutions), which use natural materials and vegetation to mitigate hazards and protect coastlines, while enhancing ecosystem health and resilience. Her research also encompasses the conservation and restoration of species and ecosystems, invasive species, and the evolution and function of coastal environments (i.e. sand dunes, wetlands, coral islands) in response to changing disturbance regimes.

Current Postgraduate Supervision

  • Rose Somerville (MSc), Assessing the decline of a cultural and ecological keystone species (pīkao/pīngao) in coastal Otago (Primary Supervisor: Teresa Konlechner).
  • Jimmy Daamen (MSc), Quantifying foredune response and dune destabilisation to wave erosion (Primary supervisor: Teresa Konlechner).
  • Ralph Roob (PhD, University of Melbourne), Investigating the ecological, geomorphologic and engineered influence of artificial shellfish reefs in addressing coastal hazard impacts (Primary Supervisor: Rebecca Morris (UoM), co-supervisors: Teresa Konlechner (UoO), Steve Swearer (UoWA)).

Completed postgraduate supervision

  • 2023 Niall Quinn (PGDipSc), How do we measure the “effectiveness” of living shoreline approaches to coastal hazard mitigation (Primary Supervisor: Teresa Konlechner).
  • 2022 Jinjuan Gao (PhD, University of Melbourne), Patterns and drivers of vegetation change in coastal dunes (Primary supervisor: David Kennedy, co-supervisor: Teresa Konlechner).
  • 2022 Marita McGuirk (PhD, University of Melbourne), Vegetation as a control on incipient foredune formation (Primary supervisor: David Kennedy, co-supervisor: Teresa Konlechner).
  • 2018 Zhenni Jiang (MSc, University of Melbourne), Foredune Dynamics on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay (Primary supervisor: David Kennedy, co-supervisor: Teresa Konlechner).
  • 2017 Jack Solomon (BScHons), Foredune Geomorphology along Ninety Mile Beach (Primary supervisor: David Kennedy, co-supervisor: Teresa Konlechner).

Publications

Daamen, J., Ohlemüller, R., Konlechner, T., & Hilton, M. (2024). Assessing the ecological impact of Pelargonium capitatum (rose-scented geranium) in northern New Zealand sand dunes. Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society (NZES) Conference. (pp. 88). Retrieved from https://confer.eventsair.com/nzes2024 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Hilton, M., & Konlechner, T. (2024). New Zealand's active sand dunes: Preliminary findings from the Dune Systems of National Significance Project. Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society (NZES) Conference. (pp. 46). Retrieved from https://confer.eventsair.com/nzes2024 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Ryan, E., Dickson, M., Ford, M., Tuck, M., & Konlechner, T. (2024). A new national typology of coastal change for Aotearoa New Zealand. Proceedings of the New Zealand Coastal Society (NZCS) Annual Conference. Retrieved from https://www.coastalsociety.org.nz/ Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Tuck, M., Dickson, M., Ryan, E., Ford, M., & Konlechner, T. (2024). A national scale coastal change dataset for Aotearoa New Zealand [Data article]. Data in Brief, 57, 111104. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2024.111104 Journal - Research Other

Morris, R. L., Campbell-Hooper, E., Waters, E., Bishop, M. J., Lowe, R. J., Strain, E. M. A., … Konlechner, T. M., … Swearer, S. E. (2024). Current extent and future opportunities for living shorelines in Australia. Science of the Total Environment, 917, 170363. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170363 Journal - Research Article

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