Rate My Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher

Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher is a Wiradjuri scholar serving as Professor of Biogeography in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science, at the University of Melbourne. He holds the position of Assistant Dean (Indigenous) in the Faculty of Science and Director of Research at the Indigenous Knowledge Institute, where he co-leads the Healthy Country theme. Fletcher's research specializes in the long-term interactions between humans, climate, disturbance, and vegetation at local, regional, and global scales. Utilizing paleoecological techniques including palynology and paleofire reconstruction, his work investigates fire regimes, environmental legacies of Indigenous land management, and the ecological impacts of colonization. He critiques concepts of 'wilderness' by evidencing deep anthropogenic influences on Australian ecosystems over millennia.

Fletcher has obtained significant funding from the Australian Research Council, including Discovery Indigenous grants and participation in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures from 2024 to 2031. His scholarship has substantial impact, with publications in leading journals such as "Shrub cover declined as Indigenous populations expanded across Australia" (Science, 2024), documenting vegetation responses to Indigenous demographics; "Indigenous knowledge and the shackles of wilderness" (PNAS, 2021), challenging colonial paradigms in conservation; "The loss of an indigenous constructed landscape following British invasion of Australia" (2020), analyzing post-invasion transformations; "Historical ecology and community-based approaches to fire management, stewardship, and ecosystem resilience" (One Earth, 2024); and "Understanding Fire Regimes for a Better Anthropocene" (Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 2023). These contributions influence biogeography, environmental management, bushfire policy, and integration of Indigenous knowledge in climate science. Fletcher engages publicly via Pursuit by the University of Melbourne, podcasts such as "Everything is Country," and discussions on cultural burning and Country.