Dr Karleah Berris awarded Churchill Fellowship

Dr Berris is one of 75 Australians—and seven South Australians—selected for a fellowship this year.

The Richard Rischbeith Churchill Fellowship will enable Dr Berris to investigate strategies that encourage farmers to lead wildlife conservation in productive agricultural landscapes.

She will travel to the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom to meet landholders, conservation practitioners and organisations successfully restoring wildlife populations in intensively farmed areas.

Dr Berris, who leads the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board’s Biodiversity Unit,  said the fellowship would explore practical ways to support conservation and productive agriculture within the same landscape.

“Protected areas and predator-free safe havens remain extremely important, but many threatened species also need to be able to survive alongside agriculture,” Dr Berris said.

“Farmers manage vast areas of habitat and can play a central role in wildlife recovery when conservation programs recognise their knowledge, operating environment and contribution.

“I want to learn directly from farmers and project leaders who are using results-based incentives, compensation schemes and farmer-led models to achieve measurable conservation outcomes.

“The goal is to understand what motivates landholders to participate, what makes these approaches successful and whether they could be adapted for Australian agricultural landscapes.”

Kangaroo Island Landscape Board Chair Andrew Heinrich said the fellowship recognised Dr Berris’s expertise and commitment to practical, collaborative conservation.

“Kangaroo Island’s farmers have a long history of caring for native vegetation and wildlife while operating productive agricultural businesses,” Mr Heinrich said.

“Karleah’s fellowship provides an exciting opportunity to bring international knowledge back to the Island and explore approaches that deliver meaningful outcomes for both landholders and threatened species.

“The experience and connections she gains from this experience will benefit the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board, our farming community and conservation programs more broadly.”

Churchill Fellowships support Australians from all walks of life to travel overseas, learn from leading experts and organisations, and bring their knowledge home to drive positive change.

Churchill Trust CEO Christine Dacey said the 2026 recipients were united by their curiosity, commitment and determination to create change.

Dr Berris’s fellowship will investigate the social and economic factors that motivate farmers to conserve wildlife, as well as the effectiveness of government-led programs that reward landholders for achieving conservation outcomes.

More information about Dr Berris’s fellowship project and the 2026 Churchill Fellowship recipients is available from the Churchill Trust.