Dr John Dowe
Riparian Botanist
Email: john.dowe@jcu.edu.au
Phone: 07 4781 5654
John is a botanist and taxonomist, specialising in the floristics and ecology of tropical riparian vegetation, with a particular interest in the systematics and ecology of the palm family [Arecaceae]. He received his PhD from James Cook University for research on the genus Livistona (Australian fan palm), in the fields of systematics, cladistics, biogeography and reproductive biology.
John’s research activities in ACTFR have included:
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the effects of cattle on the vegetation of the riparian zone, with the establishment of enclosure experiments
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the vegetational characterisation of waterholes in the Burdekin River catchment
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the development of a method for the rapid appraisal of the condition of the riparian zone (TRARC)
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riparian condition assessment, monitoring and management
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the taxonomy and botanical history of north Queensland plants
John is a Fellow of the Montgomery Botanical Center, Florida USA, where he collaborates with researchers investigating the effects of cyclones (hurricanes) on riparian and wetland palms.