Tara is an animal scientist and PhD candidate working in the One Health research unit at the University of Adelaide. With a focus on the conservation of native species and threatened ecosystems, she is researching the health of Brushtail possums and aims to uncover their unknown ecology in South Australia.

I am an Honorary Principal Fellow in the School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne, and Principal Consultant for Macropus Consulting. I first trained in Psychology then did a PhD in Zoology. I joined the University of Melbourne, where I taught undergraduate and postgraduate subjects, and supervised 58 Honours, 10 Masters and 26 Ph D students. I have written over 150 peer-reviewed papers and 70 technical reports, and presented over 100 papers at scientific meetings. My research is almost entirely field-based, melding behavioural ecology with conservation biology in a range of wildlife taxa, particularly macropods (kangaroos and wallabies), as well as wombats, bandicoots, bats, deer, gulls and lizards. I am currently a member of ten advisory bodies, ethics committees, editorial boards and recovery teams. My goal is to integrate high-quality science into the effective and humane management of wildlife.

Mike Letnic is an applied ecologist and conservation biologist who has studied Australia’s arid ecosystems from more than 25 years. His primary research goal is to tackle the grand challenge of biodiversity conservation in a world with an ever-expanding human footprint. Mike’s research aims to bridge the gap between theoretical research and management and translate research findings into improved on-ground outcomes for the conservation of fauna, flora and wild landscapes.

Simon Heislers B.Sc. (Hons.). I am an Ecologist (Botanist / Zoologist) with 30 years’ experience working in a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic (marine and freshwater) ecosystems in south-eastern Australia. This has involved research, environmental monitoring, and natural resource, conservation and land management. Areas of expertise include conservation and habitat restoration, native vegetation management, terrestrial flora and fauna surveys, management of rare species (flora and fauna), plantation forestry, Koala population management, marine and freshwater fisheries management, marine invertebrate taxonomy and ecology, marine flora and fauna surveys, freshwater benthic chemistry, project management, stewardship and stakeholder engagement. Institutions I have worked for include Phillip Island Nature Parks, Hancock Victoria Plantations, Fisheries Victoria, Monash University, Sydney University, Museum Victoria and Conservation Forests and Lands.

I am a Phd studying the effects of hyper-abundant kanagroo populations on biodiversity conservation on dryland conservation properties. I am particularly interested in understanding how grazing by kangaroos during high rainfall periods has cascading effects on biodiversity in arid zones during low rainfall periods. To do this, I am using a range of traditional data collection methods coupled with remote sensing and eDNA to develop a mechanistic understanding of if, when, and how kangaroos jeapordise biodiversity conservation. Ultimately, my research aims to improve our fundamental understanding of how arid ecosystems operate, and to contribute to more ethical and effective kanagroo management that achieves conservation outcomes.

Cassia Paragnani is the Kangaroo Partnership Project coordinator, responsible for engagement across a range of sectors involved or invested in the management of kangaroos in South Australia. Through facilitating knowledge flow and collaboration opportunities, Cassia coordinates the brokering of solutions to a complex, divisive and ‘wicked’ issue amid increasingly divergent and opposing societal values. Aligning with her NSW counterparts, she co-chairs the National Resource Management conversation on kangaroo management, supplying information, specialist speakers and opportunities to unite NRM regions around Australia. Cassia applies cross disciplinary knowledge with a background in a range of STEM subjects and experience in outreach – including, but not limited to palaeontology, zoology, ecology, geomorphology, geoscience, and biotechnology. Prior to her work in STEM and coordination Cassia was heavily involved with archaeology, studying and then working to assess indigenous cultural heritage sites.

I am a PhD Candidate interested in how understanding the behaviours and movements of wildlife species can be used to address management questions. My PhD is focused on Cape Barren Goose population on Millowl (Phillip Island) with the aim to understand the ecology to inform future management of this overabundant native population.

I'm the third-year PhD student, working on the relationship btween microbat acoustic social interaction and landscape structure.