Bird Conservation Scholars

ABOUT

The Bird Conservation Fund supports applied scientific research, via scholarships towards projects that can help us better manage private land to support Tasmania’s wonderful bird species.

This scholarship is worth up to $5,000, and is given annually to a student project focusing on critical knowledge gaps in bird conservation across Tasmania.

Award value

Grant value is cash funding up to $3,000 for Honours, $4,000 for Masters and $5,000 for PhD or Post-doctoral research project. Typically one grant is awarded annually with the potential of two grants if both projects are deemed worthy. Funding amounts may be varied from time-to-time at the commencement of a new funding round.

Funds can be used for:

purchase or assistance with any aspect of the project deemed necessary
travel to conferences within Australia and abroad by students to deliver a presentation or contribute a paper or poster related to their research.

The funds are not available for salary, to increase a stipend or as personal cash payments.

Eligibility

Students must be enrolled in a current Honours, Masters or PhD program.
Students are only eligible for funding toward current (not retrospective) research undertaken at an approved Australian tertiary institution.
Award funds are provided on the strict understanding that funds will be exempt from institutional administration charges.
The student’s work must be wholly or majority focused in Tasmania and or related to issues directly relevant to the conservation of Australian native bird species.
A group project may be considered providing a key researcher is involved.
Students are only eligible for one award during the life of their project.

How to apply

Refer to the ‘Application Guidelines’ and download the ‘Research Award Application’ form below. The 2026 BCF scholarship has been filled. Please check back here for the details of the 2027 scholarship.

DOWNLOAD FORM

APPLICATION GUIDE

CURRENT RECIPIENT

Saundra LeClair

Saundra doing some Latham’s snipe banding as part of the Latham’s Snipe Project (ACT).

Saundra LeClair is a Master’s student at Federation University researching Latham’s snipe, a migratory shorebird that is widespread but poorly understood during its non-breeding season in Australia. Latham’s snipe are highly cryptic, roosting during the day in dense vegetation and foraging at night, sometimes kilometres away from their roosting sites. This makes them a challenge to study. Saundra’s project aims to improve understanding of how Latham’s snipe use wetlands and surrounding habitats, and how different management practices may influence snipe habitat suitability. By building a clearer picture of their habitat through water depth surveys and vegetation structure analyses, the research will help inform wetland conservation and management across Tasmania’s wetland landscapes.