Keynote Presentations
Keynote Presentations
Professor David Lindenmayer
Research Director for Ecology and Lead Scientist, ANU Research
Professor David Lindenmayer is an Australian scientist and academic. He is an expert in landscape ecology, conservation and biodiversity. His areas of expertise also include environmental management, forestry management and environment, terrestrial ecology, wildlife and habitat management, environmental monitoring, forestry fire management, natural resource management, zoology and forestry sciences. He currently runs 6 large-scale, long-term research programs in south-eastern Australia, primarily associated with developing ways to conserve biodiversity in reserves, national parks, wood production forests, plantations, and on farm land.
A Professor of Ecology and Conservation Biology at The Australian National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society, he has published more than 1240 scientific articles including over 785 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 45 books on a wide range of topics associated with forestry, woodlands, wildlife and biodiversity conservation and ecologically sustainable natural resource management. His areas of expertise are directly relevant to a particular focus on the endangered Leadbeater's possum. His work on wildlife conservation and biodiversity has, for many years, led world research in this area. David's conservation and biodiversity research has been recognised through numerous awards, including the Eureka Science Prize (twice), Whitley Award (seven times), the Serventy Medal for Ornithology, and the Australian Natural History Medallion. He is an Australian Research Council Laureate, a member of the Australian Academy of Science and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for “distinguished service to conservation and the environment in the field of landscape ecology, to tertiary education, and to professional organisations."
Kate McBride
Healthy River Advocate
Kate McBride is a fifth-generation farmer from Western NSW. She was born and brought up on Tolarno Station, a 500,000 acre sheep property located along the Lower Darling river. In 2020 Kate completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Adelaide University, majoring in management. This year she has begun a masters in Global Food and Agricultural Business.
Having grown up on the Darling-Barka River and seeing its continual mismanagement, in 2017 Kate became a healthy river ambassador and has worked with people from all walks of life fighting for better water management within the Murray Darling Basin.
In 2017 Kate was elected by fellow landholders onto the Western Local Land Services board becoming the youngest board member in the history of the organisation. Kate has been an active member of both the Aboriginal Community Advisory Group and Chair of the Regional Weeds Committee. In 2020 Kate was elected for a second term and continues her responsibilities overseeing 42% of the state’s landmass.
Over the past five years she has become a familiar face in the fight for a healthy Darling- Barka River and Menindee Lakes and had been interviewed for a number of programs, most notably Australian Story ‘Cry me a river’ and ABC’s Q&A Drought special. This work has led her to working on other issues that face rural communities such as mental health and natural disasters.
In 2019 Kate completed Women & Leadership Australia's 'Executive Ready' program and is set to complete the Peter Cullen Trust 'Women in Water' program in 2021. In early 2021 Kate became a 'Livestock Leader', strengthening her ability to advocate for the Agricultural industry. She is passionate about rural and regional Australia and is dedicated to fixing water management and other social and environmental issues to ensure healthy communities.
In February 2021 Kate began working at The Australia Institute in their Anne Kantor Young Women Environmentalists Fellowship, in partnership with Conservation SA continuing her work on water and rural issues. Based between Adelaide and Canberra for this work it has furthered her ability to work with politicians for outcomes. Her first official report was released in May and can be found under ‘1200 Bridges Too Far’ on The Australia Institutes website.
Associate Professor Dale Nimmo
Charles Sturt University
Associate Professor Nimmo is a disturbance and wildlife ecologist who has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles focussed mainly on the impacts of disturbance on biodiversity, including studies of birds, mammals (native and introduced), reptiles, invertebrates, and plants across a broad range of ecosystems. His work has been recognised by a DECRA fellowship with the Australian Research Council and a Tall Poppy Award from the Australian Institute of Policy. Dale was a member of the federal government’s Expert Panel for wildlife and threatened species bushfire recovery in the wake of the 2019-20 Australian megafires. Other areas of research include the ecological impacts of invasive predators and promoting the resilience of biodiversity to climatic extremes.
Professor David Keith
University of New South Wales
David is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science, and holds a joint position sponsored by the University of NSW and the NSW Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment. His research interests include Fire ecology, Biodiversity risk assessment, Plant population biology and Ecosystem ecology on which he has published 200 peer-reviewed articles. David’s interest in fire ecology extends to long term effects of fire regimes on plants and animals, and the interaction of fires with other factors that influence their response. David played a major role in development of Red List criteria for threatened species and ecosystems, now used worldwide to assess risks of species extinction and ecosystem collapse. As Theme Leader of the Red List of Ecosystems program in the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, David leads a global multi-disciplinary network of scientists and practitioners engaged in the assessment of risks to ecosystems.
David was appointed to his current position after more than 25 years with NSW conservation agencies, where he undertook strategic research and scientific policy advice to support the management of biodiversity. He continues that work in his current role.
Kate Harriden
PhD Candidate - Fenner School of Environment & Society ANU
Kate’s PhD, at the Fenner School of Environment & Society ANU, investigates the application of Indigenous water science(s) to urban water management, ostensibly to improve water quality outcomes. This transdisciplinary research applies methods as diverse as relational accountability, walking country, deep observation, water quality testing and physical measurements, collaboration and photography in the quest to identify, install and monitor site-specific small-scale infrastructure in an over-engineered stormwater channel. This PhD journey was inspired by an idea introduced to her by a former team-mate at her most recent public sector position, on the Industry award winning Healthy Waterways project, managed by the ACT’s Environment Directorate.
Kate is the current holder of the Icon Aspi Baria Scholarship and current Student of the Year (2020) for the ACT branch of the Australian Water Association (AWA). She is the Global Water Forum’s Indigenous water knowledge topic editor. Kate has held positions on a number of committees, including the Aust. Assoc. for Environmental Education (AAEE) ACT and National committees and the AWA ACT Branch Committee. Kate has published journal papers, book chapters, book reviews and translations, mostly water related.
As Visiting Indigenous Fellow at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), Kate’s research seeks to embed Indigenous pedagogy into university undergraduate teaching. Her research philosophy is that research is for practical outcomes and knowledge is for sharing. Kate believes that expertise is not held only by ‘experts’ and that current academic standards of evidence need revising.
Nicole Hansen
Senior Project Officer, Saving our Species Program
Dr Nicole Hansen is an ecologist and Senior Project Officer for the Saving our Species program - a flagship cost-effective framework which maximises the security of New South Wales’ threatened species and ecological communities in the wild, through bringing together volunteers, scientists, businesses, and conservation groups.
With extensive experience in field-based ecological research and environmental policy, Nicole has over 13 years experience across the environmental, government and research industries, constituting a career focused on conservation biology, natural resource management and threatened species monitoring. Nicole regularly provides technical advice and innovative methods for avoiding and mitigating environmental impacts concerning threatened species, and coordinates the on-ground implementation of monitoring, evaluation and reporting for the Saving our Species projects.
We are extremely close to being able to announce our full line-up of exciting keynote presenters for this conference. Watch this space over the coming days, or follow our socials for the key conference announcements. With recognised leaders in community, culture, academia and change, we’re sure that you won’t be disappointed.
