Suzanne Lazaroo
25 July 2025: The ºì¶¹ÊÓƵ’s Distinguished Professor Arthur Georges FAA received the prestigious 20th annual Behler Turtle Conservation Award last Friday at a ceremony in Tennessee, the United States.
Presented at the Awards Banquet of the 23rd Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles, the honour recognised Professor Georges for his extensive research in wildlife conservation and on-ground turtle recovery efforts.
An internationally-renowned evolutionary ecologist and herpetologist, Professor Georges works within the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) at the University’s Faculty of Science and Technology.
He has been with the University since 1983, joining when it was still the Canberra College of Advanced Education. Last year, Professor Georges was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS), for his exceptional contributions to science.
The Behler Turtle Conservation Award is named after American naturalist, herpetologist and activist John Behler, a founding member of the (TSA). It is co-presented by the TSA, the (TFTSG), the (TC) and the (TCF).
University Vice-Chancellor and President The Honourable Bill Shorten extended his congratulations to Professor Georges on the award, calling it exceptionally well-deserved.
“Arthur’s career has been not only distinguished, but remarkably meaningful, in the impact he has had on conservation, ecology – even on our understanding of life itself, through his genomics sequencing work,” Mr Shorten said.
“Right here at UC, he was also the Foundation Director of the University’s Institute for Applied Ecology, leading its evolution from the Applied Ecology Research Group which he founded. I’m delighted to see his stellar work in conservation and recovery honoured with this award.”
Professor Georges said that receiving the award was a huge honour, and he truly appreciated the recognition of his peers, both nationally and internationally.
“But my biggest hope for this award is that it will draw both public and government attention to the plight of Australia’s freshwater turtles, especially in terms of land use and water resource allocation.
“In terms of conservation, turtles have been comparatively under the radar – particularly when you compare them with fish and macroinvertebrates, because of their commercial value or value in assessing stream health – and it is time that everyone realises how important it is to support their conservation. It’s time for their moment in the sun, so to speak!”
True to his mission, Professor Georges seized the opportunity when he delivered the Plenary address at the Symposium, casting a global spotlight on the challenges faced by freshwater turtles at home in Australia.
“Australia is the driest continent on earth, which is obviously already a challenge for turtles – coupled with the challenges of climate change, this makes conservation efforts for our freshwater turtles even more urgent,” he said.
Professor Georges’ passion for reptiles and amphibians dates back to a childhood spent on a rural property in Bunyaville near Brisbane, Queensland – coupled with a love of science fiction from the likes of Madeleine L’Engle, Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov, it propelled him firmly onto his life path as a scientist.
He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Queensland, before doing an extra year of zoology and an honours year in reptile physiology. When Professor Georges went on to do his PhD in Zoology, he focused on the freshwater turtles of Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world.
Professor Georges’ long connection to the University began shortly after he completed his PhD – with a short-term contract role with the Canberra College of Advanced Education (CCAE), the ºì¶¹ÊÓƵ’s previous incarnation. While the role was to teach mathematics, he still pursued his turtle research at the same time.
His broader body of work with reptiles grew out of his study of the ecology of sex determination in the endangered Pig-nosed Turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) in Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG), during which he found palpable differences in ecological outcomes in the wild and compared with simpler scenarios in the lab.
“It opened the door to looking at the more complex variables in the wild, and subsequently, in the impact of natural fluctuations in those variables,” he said.
Professor Georges also led studies on the Long-necked Turtle (Chelodina longicollis), the ecology of the Northern Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina rugosa) and chelid phylogeography, which focuses on tracing the historical processes that have shaped the geographic distribution of freshwater turtle lineages within that family.
He is a co-author of recent editions of Turtles of the World, led by Anders Rhodin and John Iverson, which provides leadership on the often-complex decisions around which species should be on the radar in challenging times for freshwater turtle species.
In 2006, he founded the Piku Project to promote conservation and the study of turtles in the context of building capacity through community-led conservation in PNG, uniting government, scientists, corporations and community.
Out of this emerged the Piku Biodiversity Network Incorporated (PBN), an NGO which promotes and enables biodiversity conservation in PNG through environmental education, community-led conservation and knowledge generation. While the NGO has now transitioned to energetic and capable national leadership, Professor Georges still sits on its board.
Professor Georges has contributed extensive strategic research to underpin conservation efforts for threatened and endangered species, and led the expert assessment of threatened species of freshwater turtle, so that they were listed under Australia's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act (EPBA).
Professor Georges was the Chair of the Scientific Committee in the ACT for 17 years, a role in which he has assisted the ACT government in building and maintaining one of the best records for nature conservation of any jurisdiction in Australia. He retired from the role just last year.
Other former roles include and Board Member of the Invasive Animals CRC. Professor Georges was also the former President of both the Australasian Wildlife Management Society and the Australian Society for Herpetologists.
Looking back on his long and distinguished career – with plenty of road ahead still in his sights – Professor Georges marvels at his luck.
“I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to pursue my passions in life, and to have built a career on such a foundation – and I have been able to work with amazing teachers, students, mentors and collaborators alike,” he said.
“A scientist couldn’t ask for more! Well, more funding for turtle conservation efforts perhaps? But that’s something we can all work on.”