Dr. Ben Fest
Research Fellow, Soil and Carbon
Dr. Benedikt Fest is a Research Fellow in Ecosystem ecology at the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) at Federation University Australia.
Ben has expertise quantifying, estimating and modelling soil/sediment carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas fluxes in forest and blue carbon ecosystems. He holds a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Melbourne, where his research focused on soil methane uptake and carbon cycling in Australian ecosystems.
Ben’s work at CeRDI involves leading research projects that explore the carbon sequestration potential of agroecosystems. His research has been pivotal in developing nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation, particularly through the restoration and management of blue carbon ecosystems.
He has published frequently on topics such as soil methane oxidation, carbon stock estimation, and the impacts of land management practices on greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to his research, Ben collaborates with various industry and government partners to implement sustainable land management practices.
His contributions to environmental science have been recognized through numerous grants, reflecting his commitment to advancing knowledge and practical solutions for climate resilience. Ben’s expertise in soil and carbon dynamics, combined with his dedication to environmental sustainability, make him a valued member of the academic and research community.
Current extent and future opportunities for living shorelines in Australia
The coastal protection and blue carbon benefits of hybrid mangrove living shorelines
A review of sediment carbon sampling methods in mangroves and their broader impacts on stock estimates for blue carbon ecosystems
Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs), such as mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses, are attracting...
Modeled approaches to estimating blue carbon accumulation with mangrove restoration to support a blue carbon accounting method for Australia
Fine-scale spatial variability in organic carbon in a temperate mangrove forest: Implications for estimating carbon stocks in blue carbon ecosystems
Impacts of land management practices on blue carbon stocks and greenhouse gas fluxes in coastal ecosystems—A meta-analysis
Developing a nature-based coastal defence strategy for Australia
On-farm trial on the effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor DMPP indicates no benefits under commercial Australian farming practices
Soil methane oxidation in both dry and wet temperate eucalypt forests shows a near-identical relationship with soil air-filled porosity
Soil Methane Uptake Increases under Continuous Throughfall Reduction in a Temperate Evergreen, Broadleaved Eucalypt Forest
Changes in soil moisture drive soil methane uptake along a fire regeneration chronosequence in a eucalypt forest landscape
Fire in Australian savannas: From leaf to landscape
Reduced throughfall decreases autotrophic respiration, but not heterotrophic respiration in a dry temperate broadleaved evergreen forest
Repeated fuel reduction burns have little long-term impact on soil greenhouse gas exchange in a dry sclerophyll eucalypt forest
Differences in carbon density and soil CH4/N2O flux among remnant and agro-ecosystems established since European settlement in the Mornington Peninsula, Australia
The relationships between termite mound CH4/CO2 emissions and internal concentration ratios are species specific
Land use change and the impact on greenhouse gas exchange in north Australian savanna soils
Seasonal variation and fire effects on CH4, N2O and CO2 exchange in savanna soils of northern Australia
Soil-atmosphere greenhouse gas exchange in a cool, temperate Eucalyptus delegatensis forest in south-eastern Australia