Aaron Organ has over 13 years experience in the environmental field. He has previously worked as a field ecologist in East Gippsland Victoria, and has worked as a ranger in Queensland and Victoria, having extensive experience in National Park and Reserve management throughout Australia.

Aaron has experience relating to the ecology and management of flora and fauna species, and ecological communities throughout south eastern Australia. He has provided ecological advice to a range of clients for proposed residential and industrial subdivisions, and large infrastructure projects such as wind farms in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Aaron has also played an integral role in a long-term flora and fauna monitoring project along the Illawarra escarpment New South Wales, and provided pre and post approval advice to clients for road and pipeline developments throughout Victoria. He has authored and/or co-authored over 90 reports, including significance and impact minimisation assessments, and environmental and species management plans.

Aaron is one of the leading professionals on the ecology and habitat requirements on a number of fauna species, including the Growling Grass Frog Litoria raniformis. He also has extensive experience in the development of threatened species and environmental management plans, fauna habitat and significance assessments, targeted fauna surveys, threatened species salvage, impact mitigation and amelioration measures, avian surveys and large scale Environmental Impact Assessments.

During his recent consulting experience he has written over 200 reports for a range of clients, such as road authorities, water utilities, planning consultancies, property developers, engineering firms and government agencies, in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. A selection of the projects managed includes proposed roads and pipelines, residential and industrial developments, the auditing of timber harvesting in State Forests, biodiversity studies and environmental management plans.

Clare has over ten years experience working in the environmental field for both the UK public and private sectors. During this time she has gained skills working as a senior ecological consultant and surveyor, an ecologist for the British Army, a statutory nature conservation consultee in Scotland and an aquatic environmental field studies tutor for students in England. Clare also volunteered for a year in 2006 with Parks Victoria where she furthered her understanding of Victorian and Australian ecological issues and legislation. She also gained experience surveying and monitoring a wide range of vertebrate fauna, including threatened species and invasive animals in many of the Park reserves and was involved with stakeholder and partnership projects including the Southern Ark Mammal Recovery project in East Gippsland, Brush-tail Phascogale ABC monitoring and Re-introduction of the Brush-tail Rock Wallaby in the Grampians NP.

Clare has extensive experience of implementing and providing best practice ecological advice to clients in the UK for a wide range of issues including habitat, wildlife and reserve management, protected habitat and species legislation, environmental planning guidelines and policy, ecological impact assessment, housing schemes, industrial sites, windfarms, fishfarms, pipelines and electricity projects; as well as being involved in biodiversity partnerships, public consultations and educational awareness projects. During her career Clare has project managed numerous projects from conception to completion and written and co-authored various ecological reports and ecological management plans including two large UK Army Training Area MPs. Clare is a Member of the UK Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) and a Chartered Environmentalist accredited by the UK Society of the Environment (SocEnv) which requires members to practice a responsible and ethical code of conduct, together with continuing professional development.

Clare has a genuine interest in flora and fauna ecology and conservation and has a particular interest in mammals. Her honours research focused on captive primate behavioural ecology and master’s research investigated the diversity and conservation implications of small mammals on protected lowland heathland habitats using direct trapping and indirect hair-tube analysis methods. Clare has also been involved with various voluntary projects including the UK National Amphibian and Reptile Survey (NAARS), the UK National Bat Monitoring Project (NBMP), the Warwickshire and Gloucester Bat Groups Rare Bat Projects (UK), The UK Mammal Society Water Shrew Survey, The Organ Pipes NP bat monitoring project (VIC) and the Cypriot EPA’s Marine Turtles Monitoring Project.

Cameron Amos completed a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Marine, Freshwater and Antarctic Ecology with Honours in 1999 at the University of Tasmania. Professionally, Cameron has eight years experience in freshwater ecology including three years in Tasmania working with the state government, and five years within Victoria as a Senior Aquatic Ecologist with an environmental consultancy.

In Tasmania, the projects that Cameron was involved in were the determination of environmental flows using macroinvertebrate collection and subsequent identification, fish surveys and physical form assessments, and the determination of river health by monitoring macroinvertebrates and water quality parameters. Key skills Cameron obtained during this period include the collection of macroinvertebrates using various techniques, the identification and the training of macroinvertebrates to species, and leading teams in the collection and identification of fish species throughout Tasmania.

As a Senior Aquatic Ecologist in Victoria, Cameron has been involved in several projects pertaining to the collection and identification of macroinvertebrates to species level through New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Cameron has also managed a large number of fish surveys throughout south-eastern Australia and has used multiple survey techniques such as backpack and boat electrofishing, and netting. He has also completed scientific reports for projects which he has managed, including catchment health surveys, environmental impact assessments, and baseline data collection and river health determination using fish, macroinvertebrates, water quality and aquatic vegetation. Clients who Cameron has built a strong working relationships with over the years include the Victorian Environment Protection Authority, various water boards and water authorities, Catchment Management Authorities, power generation companies, and mining companies.

Cameron brings to Ecology Partners Pty. Ltd. extensive experience in the collection and identification of macroinvertebrates to species level, and is an authority on many native fish species throughout south-eastern Australia. He also provides training and quality assurance to existing clients and staff with respect to the identification and collection of macroinvertebrates and fish.

Jane has had extensive experience working on botanical projects throughout the Mornington Peninsula and Victorian Alpine regions. She played a key role in the management and collection of data during the 2006/2007 International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) field season, located on the Bogong High Plains in the Victorian Alps. The ITEX program was instigated in 2003 to monitor the effect of climate change on several key alpine plant species. Jane has also worked on several alpine restoration projects including the revegetation of subalpine bushfire containment lines and has assisted with alpine grassland and heathland vegetation surveys. She completed her Honours research on the patterns and process of Celmisia herbfield recovery, which enabled her to specialise on alpine flora species and Ecological Vegetation Classes throughout the Victorian Alps Bioregion.

She has also previously worked in an indigenous nursery and undertaken applied restoration and land management of local wetland and terrestrial ecosystems, with a private bushland restoration company on the Mornington Peninsula. This work has concreted Jane’s knowledge and identification of indigenous and exotic species around the Port Phillip and Western Port areas. Jane has also spent time living and working in the remote Hollyford Valley located in the Fiordland National Park on the west coast of New Zealand. This experience has given Jane invaluable knowledge of cool temperate rainforest systems and of New Zealand’s various Beech (Nothofagus) species. Her current role with Ecology Partners Pty. Ltd. has enabled her to undertake several projects throughout a range of vegetation communities in south-eastern Australia.

Warren has worked in the conservation industry for over seven years as both an environmental consultant and a manager of bushland areas. Through his work in the industry he has gained an excellent understanding and invaluable experience in the assessment, management and rehabilitation of a range of ecosystems from severely degraded plains grasslands to high quality cool-temperate rainforests. He has managed large habitat restoration projects for a range of local and state government authorities. These projects have focused on a holistic approach to restoring ecosystems through environmental weed control, revegetation with appropriate species, pest animal management and fencing of assets.

Warren’s experience as an environmental consultant has included working on detailed projects such as Net Gain assessments, flora and fauna surveys, environmental weed mapping and monitoring of remnant vegetation in urban areas. Warren has excellent plant identification skills and good knowledge of both the indigenous and exotic flora of Melbourne and South-East Australia, and Ecological Vegetation Classes. He is currently completing a Diploma in Conservation & Land Management at NMIT.

As a bushland manager for over six years, Warren has lead and supervised crews of people on a regular basis, liaising with clients and the general public to achieve excellent outcomes for both the client and the managed area.

Warren’s primary role at Ecology Partners Pty. Ltd. is to undertake botanical assessments and to provide advice to a range of State Government and private clients, using his knowledge of flora and vegetation communities, together with relevant government legislation and policy, in order to achieve desired outcomes.

Clio has completed a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology at the University of New South Wales in 2004. She then went on to complete her honours degree in Zoology, which assessed the effects of sound on vigilance behaviour in macropods with a view to developing acoustic deterrents for problem wildlife.

Clio has an interest in wildlife conservation and has a particularly strong background working hands-on with Australian marsupials. At the Macquarie University Marsupial Conservation Centre and through the Road Ecology Research Group she gained extensive experience in the safe capture, handling and behavioural monitoring of wallabies and kangaroos, which supported her honours project working with red-necked pademelons Thylogale thetis.

Clio has worked on a wide variety of projects including flora and fauna assessments, and targeted surveys for threatened fauna species. She has a particular interest in the impact of human activities on wildlife and has been involved in projects addressing these issues on roads, in residential areas and within the forestry industry. Most recently she was involved in a project looking at changes in Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis populations with the duplication of the Hume Highway and has further worked extensively with small mammals and road behaviour.

Clio’s experience extends to Australian amphibians and herpetofauna. She has been involved with the rescue and relocation of snakes and lizards throughout Sydney, habitat assessments for the Growling Grass Frog Litoria raniformis in Victoria and most recently detailed population monitoring of the Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea at Sydney Olympic Park.

Her extensive experience with field survey techniques for terrestrial and arboreal mammals, bats, birds and frogs gives Clio a strong working knowledge of Australian fauna, the social and environmental issues that surround them and associated technical skills. She works closely with a range of Ecology Partners Pty. Ltd. clients articulating the balance between urban and peri-urban development and the conservation of a suite of fauna, including significant species.

Lyn completed a Bachelor of Science in Botany in 1998 at the University of Melbourne. She also has a Bachelor of Business majoring in property from RMIT. She has worked for the University of Melbourne Forestry Department and on behalf of Australian Paper regarding the sustainable management of Eucalyptus regnans and the effects of clear felling on nitrogen mineralisation in soils of such forests. She has also worked at the National Herbarium of Victoria as a research assistant on the viability of Banksias for floriculture and the identification and distribution of Geastrum triplex.

In recent years Lyn has operated her own business, CTC Vegetation Consultants, predominantly in the areas of flora survey, environmental management, habitat assessment, Net Gain analysis and land remediation. She has previously worked with a range of private landholders, surveying and planning firms, and local councils.

Lyn has also worked as a certified practicing valuer in the areas of land acquisition and compensation, family and taxation law, mortgage finance and council revaluations.

She has a strong background in professional consultancy for both government and non-government organisations. She is also a member of the Friends of the Geelong Botanic Gardens and Geelong Field Naturalists Club, and currently undertakes a range of projects at Ecology Partners Pty. Ltd., including impact assessments, detailed Net Gain assessments and vegetation mapping.

Ian completed a Science Degree in 2006 majoring in ecology and botany at The University of Melbourne. He went on to complete a research based Honours project in 2007, investigating the seedbank dynamics of serotinous woody shrubs over a spatial and temporal scale, in the mid-west region of Western Australia. Since graduating Ian has been working as a research assistant for both The University of Melbourne and Murdoch University on a range of ecological projects including the effects of wildfire regimes on biodiversity conservation, the effects of climate change on local vegetation dynamics as well as aspects of mine site rehabilitation. During this time he has gained a vast knowledge of local and regional ecological and environmental processes, species identification, methodologies for ecosystem assessment, environmental monitoring and ecosystem management.

Throughout the many research projects Ian has worked on he has gained an in-depth knowledge of many environmental issues associated with both temperate and Mediterranean environments, particularly in the field of fire ecology. While the majority of Ian’s formal experience has been located in Western Australia, he has spent the majority of his life in Victoria and has extensive experience in species identification and ecological processes from many Victorian ecosystems.

Throughout his work Ian has also gained experience in the process of land remediation such as weed removal, revegetation and site monitoring. This has contributed greatly to his understanding of on-site restoration and ecological management techniques, exotic species identification and removal strategies, and aspects of public liaison.

Ian is a team player who is able to take on the types of responsibilities required of a botanist, and he brings an articulated approach to problem solving which is an asset to the Company.

Anna completed her Honours research at The University of Melbourne in 2007, studying the effects of river regulation on the aquatic and riparian flora of north-east Victoria. Since graduation, Anna has been working as an environmental consultant with a large multidisciplinary firm, spending most of her time undertaking Net Gain assessments, and surveying and mapping Victorian Volcanic Plains grassland communities, for a range a range of private and Government clients. Anna also has a broad knowledge of the flora of greater Melbourne, having completed surveys of a wide range of vegetation communities.

During her Honours fieldwork, Anna gained a strong understanding of environmental issues facing north-east Victoria, particularly associated with riparian habitats. She has also previously volunteered as a ranger at the Ettamogah Wildlife Sanctuary and was a student mentor at the Wonga Wetlands Environmental Education Centre.

Anna has also volunteered at the Melbourne University Herbarium, assisting with data collection and analysis. In particular, she undertook a restoration project for samples from the Cyperaceae family, which have been collected over the past thirty years, from north of Melbourne and in south Gippsland. This work has provided Anna with expert knowledge of these flora species and has expanded her botanical knowledge of other riparian species.

Anna was also selected as a student ambassador on an environmental study exchange to Georgia, USA. During her time overseas, she stayed at the University of Georgia Marine Institute, and visited many schools and community groups, discussing environmental issues ranging from the Georgia south coast to the Appalachian Mountains.

Her key role at Ecology Partners Pty. Ltd. is to undertake botanical projects, advising a range of our clients on the potential impacts associated with proposed developments, and providing innovative solutions which minimises the risk to clients and where a suitable ecological outcome is achieved.

Daniel has completed a Bachelor of Science, with majors in Zoology, at the University of Melbourne in 2006. He then went on to complete an honours year in Zoology, in which he investigated the intercolony movements of the Crested Tern, Sterna bergii, between the two main Victorian colonies at Mud Island and Phillip Island, in relation to food resource quality and abundance in Port Phillip and Westernport Bays.

Daniel has had a keen interest in native flora and fauna and wildlife conservation from a young age, and is particularly knowledgeable in Australian bird species, assemblages, their vocalisations and their associations with specific types of habitat. He has worked on a multitude of research orientated projects, assisting in survey and monitoring work on a broad range of terrestrial, riparian and marine fauna species. Daniel also has extensive experience with field survey and trapping techniques for terrestrial mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Working closely with Philip Island Nature Park during his honours year, Daniel gained extensive experience in the safe capture, handling and behavioural monitoring of marine seabirds. Innovation and creativity allowed the development of several techniques in both the capture and recapture of the birds, and also the successful deployment and retrieval of a multitude of Time-Depth Recorder (TDR) bio-logger devices.

Daniel has interests in the effects of growing populations and expanding development on all native flora and fauna species in an already heavily fragmented environment, and more specifically, a key interest in the effects of these processes on the survival of both local and migratory seabird and terrestrial fauna populations.

Kailash has completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science, with majors in Ecology and Biology, at Deakin University in 2006. He then went on to complete an honours year in Environmental Science, in which he investigated the behavioural thermoregulation of Australian fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus, at Kanowna Island in northern central Bass Strait, in relation to the impacts of ambient temperature and solar radiation.

Kailash has been involved in the environment from a young age, with a particular interest in the complex interactions between flora and fauna. He has worked on a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic surveys, assisting on various research based projects investigating the diversity, abundance, and behavioural aspects of various mammal and bird species. As such, he has had experience with a range of field survey and trapping techniques for terrestrial and aquatic mammals, invertebrates, and birds.

Working directly with other honours and PhD students during his honours year, Kailash gained extensive experience in the capture and handling of marine mammals and birds. He has assisted in the deployment and recovery of various devices including satellite trackers and critter cameras, together with recording measurements and taking samples to be analysed for presence of parasites and diseases.

Kailash is interested in the effects of population growth and continuing development, combined with the impacts of climate change, on the distribution and diversity of native flora and fauna.

Jenna completed a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Zoology and Ecology with a minor in Botany at Monash University in 2006. She then went on to complete her honours degree in Ecology. Her project investigated the effect of different environmental factors on the spread of the invasive weed Phalaris aquatica in riparian zones.

While working at Maroondah Council in 2007 as an environmental planner for the Council offices,

Jenna did informal flora and fauna surveys for Parks Victoria, and worked for an indigenous nursery which greatly improved her plant identification skills and widened her awareness of issues surrounding park maintenance and establishment.

As a member of Ecology Partners Pty. Ltd., Jenna applies her knowledge to a range of projects, including flora surveys, impact assessment and vegetation mapping.

Andrew completed his Bachelor of Biological Science at La Trobe University Bundoora in 2005 majoring in Zoology. Throughout his degree Andrew gained experience in conducting comprehensive and critical analysis survey techniques on a range of flora and fauna interactions within a broad range of marine, terrestrial and riparian environments. Andrew also volunteered for Earthwatch in the ‘Birds of the Coorong’ research program where he furthered his knowledge on marine, terrestrial and riparian avifauna and various other surveying techniques (i.e. mist-netting and mud sampling).

With a strong interest in marine avifauna Andrew has been in numerous research programs for Phillip Island Nature Park (PINP) and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). During this time Andrew developed extensive experience in the capture and handling of marine birds whilst developing an understanding of the ecological factors which may influencing their reproductive success such as diet, foraging ecology and fledgling success rates.

Andrew completed his Honours degree in 2007 on the ‘Factors influencing the timing of breeding in Black-faced Cormorants Phalacrocorax fuscescens. Information on oceanic and environmental variables, predation, foraging range and diet was collected to understand why this species bred during winter. As peak laying occurred at a time when mean ambient temperatures were at their lowest, possible explanations for winter breeding may be related to temperature as the predicted factors were similar between breeding and non-breeding periods.

Andrew has recently completed 18 months of field experience in an environmental management role, furthering his understanding of ecological and environmental processes and their interactions with native and exotic flora and fauna species. Andrew has interests in sustaining natural biodiversity and its associated ecology in response to expanding developments and their affects on native populations.

Zed has worked as a GIS Officer/Cartographer for several years. Most recently he has worked at the Institute of Transport Studies at Monash University as the principle GIS Officer where he undertook GIS research work, map production and transport modelling on numerous industry funded research projects. Prior to this he was employed by publishing company Explore Australia Pty. Ltd. where he collaborated on various high quality cartographic publications including their flagship product Explore Australia and the Explore Australia’s National Parks.

Zed completed a Bachelor of Arts at Melbourne University majoring in History and Political Science and later completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Multimedia Cartography at RMIT Melbourne. He then completed an Honours thesis in Cartography (First Class). His thesis investigated methods in which maps are able to portray disparate information ranging from the geographical to the historical.

He also has experience in environmental simulation modelling, environmental rehabilitation planning and environmental impact assessment. His work for Ecology Partners Pty. Ltd. involves the manipulation of geographical data for maps, figures and geographical analysis for various projects throughout south-eastern Australia.