I am a Forest Engineer with a master’s degree in Forest Resources. My professional journey spans Brazil and Australia, involving community groundwork, not-for-profit organisations, and collaborations with public government. In Brazil, my background as a botanist led me to become deeply involved in social movements and eventually to work with Greenpeace in the Amazon region, dealing with environmental and social conflicts in remote communities at the forefront of rainforest protection. In Australia, my experience broadened as I worked with WasteAid, concentrating on waste strategies and community gardens in NSW remote Indigenous communities. This led me to roles encompassing landscape management at Conservation Volunteers Australia and back to my expertise in addressing biodiversity conflicts at Byron Shire Council. I’m the author of 2 new plant species and co-authored 7 more. I also published a restoration guide for the Brazilian savannah, “Tree Restoration Guide for the Western of Bahia State”, in collaboration with 3 other authors.

I am the Team Leader – Environment with the Moreton Bay Regional Council my primarily role is to lead a team of Officers to deliver wildlife management across the region. My background is a fauna ecologist with 14 years’ experience in the environmental industry. My background has included research, environmental consultancy, resources industry and Local Government. I have been working in flying fox management for the last 7 years.

Dr John Martin is a senior ecologist in the Wildlife Services branch of Ecosure, an author, and a science communicator. Through inspiring community appreciation of and connection with nature, John aims to enhance the prospects for co-existence between wildlife and humans. John joined Ecosure in 2023, he has previously worked at Taronga Conservation Society and the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney where he researched wildlife ecology, including flying-foxes. 

She investigates the transmission of disease agents at the wildlife : human interface. Michelle began her career as a parasitologist but has purposefully shifted from the traditional one host – one pathogen approach to disease ecology to studies of co-infection. More recently, Michelle’s research has pioneered studies of antimicrobial resistance ecology in wildlife where her group is bolstering knowledge of the wildlife arm of the One Health approach to combatting antimicrobial resistance.

Tim is a consultant wildlife ecologist, specialising in the ecology and behaviour of flying-foxes. His work usually involves assessing the potential impact of proposed work on bat fauna, and conducting surveys of bat populations and habitats, for both Councils and private clients. He is currently Chair of the Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society, working with Ku-ring-gai Council to manage and protect the Ku-ring-gai Flying-fox Reserve. Tim has 18 years’ experience as a Wildlife Rescuer and Carer; and 12 years as a volunteer Ranger with the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park, at Calga, NSW, where he also acts as an Animal Behaviour consultant. Through the Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society, the Australasian Bat Society, and the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park, he regularly gives talks on Australian flying-foxes to groups and events, including one at TEDx Canberra in 2013.