Ecosystem Sciences
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences had its origins from three sources:
- the Division of Economic Entomology
- CSIR Wildlife Survey Section
- some components of the Division of Tropical Agriculture whose precursors included the Divisions of Tropical Pastures; Tropical Agronomy, and Tropical Crops and Pastures
The Division of Economic Entomology was established in 1927 as one of the foundation divisions of CSIR. It was renamed the Division of Entomology in 1949 when CSIR became CSIRO and remained as a separate division of CSIRO until 2011.
The CSIR Wildlife Survey Section was established in 1949. It became the Division of Wildlife Research in 1962, was renamed the Division of Wildlife and Rangelands Research in 1982 and then renamed again in 1987 to become the Division of Wildlife and Ecology.
In 2000 the Division of Wildlife and Ecology merged with some components of the Division of Tropical Agriculture to form the Division of Sustainable Ecosystems. The remaining components of the Division of Tropical Agriculture were transferred to the Division of Livestock Industries. The Division of Tropical Agriculture had been established in 1996 by the merger of the Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures and the Division of Tropical Animal Production.
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences was formed in 2011 by the merger of the Division of Entomology and the Division of Sustainable Ecosystems.
In 2014, in a major restructuring of CSIRO, the term Division was replaced by the term Flagship for the organization’s operating units and the title Chief replaced by the title Director. The bulk of the Division of Ecosystem Sciences (268 staff) merged with the bulk of the Division of Land and Water (282 staff) to form the Land and Water flagship. The remaining staff from the Division of Ecosystem Sciences were transferred to National Research Collections Australia (31 staff) or to other flagships as follows: Agriculture (76 staff), Biosecurity (29 staff) and Food and Nutrition (12 staff). In 2015 the term Flagship was dropped from the organization.
History of Ecosystem Sciences
Chief of Division/Officer-in-Charge
| Division | Chief |
| Economic Entomology (1927-49) | Robin John Tillyard (1928-1934) Alexander John Nicholson (1936-1949) |
| Entomology (1949-2011) | Alexander John Nicholson (1949-60) Douglas Frew Waterhouse (1960-81) Maxwell John Whitten (1982-95) Paul William Wellings (1995-1997) Jim Cullen (1997-2002) Joanne Christine Daly (2003-2007) William Mark Lonsdale (2007-2010) |
| Wildlife Section (1949-62) | Francis Noble Ratcliffe (1949-1961) Harold James Frith (1961-62) |
| Wildlife Research (1962-82) | Harold James Frith (1962-81) Cecil Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe (Acting 1981) Alan Eric Newsome (Acting 1981-82) Charles Joseph Krebs (1982) |
| Wildlife and Rangelands Research (1982-87) | Charles Joseph Krebs (1982-84) Allan Durham Wilson (Acting 1984) Brian H Walker (1985-87) |
| Wildlife and Ecology (1987-2000) | Brian H Walker (1987-99) Stephen Ross Morton (2000) |
| Tropical Agriculture (1996-2000) | Elizabeth Heij (1997-2000) |
| Sustainable Ecosystems (2000-11) | Stephen Ross Morton (2000-2003) Andrew Keith Leonard Johnson (2003-2006) Brian Anthony Keating (2006-2008) Daniel Walker (Acting 2008-2010) |
| Ecosystem Sciences (2011-14) | William Mark Lonsdale (2011-14) |
Sources
• Schedvin CB, Trace K, 1978, Historical Directory of CSIR and CSIRO 1926-1976, CSIRO Publishing.
• Encyclopedia of Australian Science
• CSIRO Annual Reports
• CSIRO Communications