Shields, James Michael (Jim) (1952 - 2019)

Summary

Jim Shields was a forest ecologist and wildlife manager who, for over 30 years, played a significant role in the management of New South Wales State forests. His work concentrated on terrestrial vertebrate communities in connection with the long-term effects of logging, and involved extensive field work and wildlife surveys, particularly of birds. The outcome was policy guidelines and recommendations that resulted in management practices such as wildlife corridors, retention of buffer strips along waterways, protection of old growth forest and tree hollows, and the abandonment of the replacement of native forest with pine plantations. Shields was involved in the development of training courses for forestry staff in the identification of wildlife, a program which ultimately became a masters degree in wildlife management at Macquarie University. In 2003 Shields left State Forests N.S.W. to establish a consultancy. He was successful in training Australia's first koala detection dog. Other projects included forest restoration planning and preparing and implementing a program to mitigate the spread of dieback caused by bell miners in south coast forests. After retiring to the New South Wales south coast Shields became involved with a number of local conservation groups, including the Far South Coast Birdwatchers.

Details

Chronology

1978

Career event - Camp Cook, Australian Museum research trip to Clarke Range, Queensland

1979

Life event - Became an Australian resident

1979 - 1987?

Career position - Wildlife Research and Management Officer, Wood Technology and Forest research Division, Forestry Commission of New South Wales

1985

Education - Graduate Diploma in Forestry, Australian National University

1990

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

1990 - 1995

Career position - Head, Ecology and Silvercultural Section, Forest Research Division, Forestry Commission of New South Wales (later State Forests)

1995 - 1998

Career position - Wildlife Manager, Southern Region, State Forests, New South Wales

1998 - 2003

Career position - Wildlife Manager, State Forests, New South Wales, Coffs Harbour

2003

Career event - Established consultancy Local Environmental Solutions with Elizabeth Larsen

2008

Life event - Retired

Related entries

Published resources

Book Sections

• Shields, James, ' Wildlife management in New South Wales public forests: a personal history 1974 - 2004' in Conservation of Australia’s forest fauna, Lunney, Daniel, ed. (Sydney: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 2004), pp. 1039-54. Details

Journal Articles

• Boles, Walter, 'Obituary: Jim Shields', Corella, 45 (2021), 59. Details