Dr Judy Dunlop is a Research Fellow at Curtin University, specialising in threatened species conservation and ecosystem restoration across Western Australia. Judy has over 20 years of experience in threatened species research and ecosystem restoration across Western Australia. Her expertise lies in arid zone conservation, with a career spanning broadscale ecological reconstruction, fauna surveys, and threat abatement strategies. Judy has led high-profile recovery programs and collaborative research initiatives involving Traditional Owner groups, government agencies, universities, and industry. With a strong foundation in field-based ecology and a commitment to on-Country conservation, she continues to champion effective and inclusive approaches to biodiversity management.

Tim Dempster works to solve problems related to pests, parasites and invaders on land and at sea. He is the Director of the Deakin Marine Scientific Research and Innovation Centre.

Ashlyn Austin is a final year PhD candidate at the University of South Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science and Bachelor of Biomedical Research (honours), with experience formulating controlled release drug delivery systems. Ashlyn's current research focuses on developing novel non-lethal baits for the protection of livestock and native species against invasive predators, such as the Red Fox. To support this research, she was a recipient of the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment in 2024.

Dr Reece Pedler is Project Co-ordinator for the Wild Deserts ecosystem restoration partnership in Sturt National Park, NSW. Reece is an arid zone ecologist and field practitioner with a strong interest in threatened species conservation and ecosystem restoration. His research has focussed on arid zone waterbirds and terrestrial threatened fauna. Reece has lived and worked in the Australian arid zone for 20 years, where he enjoys the boom-bust climatic cycles, outback community and remote lifestyle.

Talitha Moyle is a Reintroduction Ecologist with the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) in South Australia, where she leads critical species reintroductions, including the Western Quoll and Red-tailed Phascogales, into key Bounceback managed conservation areas such as the Ikara-Flinders Ranges, Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges and the Gawler Ranges. My work involves planning across the regions, developing management strategies, research plans, coordinating field teams, managing complex logistics, ensuring staff safety, and building strong partnerships with stakeholders like FAME, landholders, Aboriginal groups and leading academic institutions. She has a background in landscape scale wildlife ecology, reintroductions and adaptive predator management, previously working across multiple states, for NGOs, mining and other sector industries.

Based in Albany, Western Australia, I have worked for Bush Heritage for five years in the role of Project Manager for the Fitz-Stirling Fauna Recovery Project from its inception in 2020 until current. The role required establishing and delivering monitoring and operations programs for introduced predators and native species on and off-reserve, landholder engagement and permitting approvals. Previously I was employed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions as a senior technician working on the recovery of the critically endangered western ground parrot on the south coast of WA. The adaptive management framework for the program delivered introduced predator management, captive management at Perth Zoo and wild-to-wild translocations.

Dr Dumie Dissanayake is an evolutionary biologist who investigates how natural selection shapes species’ ability to adapt and persist amid rapid environmental change. He integrates ecology with advanced molecular genetic and genomic approaches to understand the mechanisms driving vertebrate evolution, particularly in response to climate change. Dumie’s current work is deeply rooted in the conservation of threatened species in NSW, where he plays a key role in projects to protect Australia’s endangered fauna and flora. By combining field ecology with molecular research, he provides valuable insights into the evolutionary dynamics of vulnerable populations. Dumie aims to bridge the gap between academic research and practical conservation, ensuring that scientific discoveries inform real-world management and policy. Through his research and collaborations, he delivers solutions that support the resilience and survival of Australia’s threatened biodiversity.

Danielle is a PhD student at the University of Sydney studying behavioral ecology and conservation science.

James is a PhD candidate in the ARC Centre for Forest Value and the Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group at the University of Tasmania. His research centres on the management of browsing mammals: both investigating novel management methods and identifying the current tools which work best in different scenarios. Using a combination of field experiments, modelling of historic browsing data and meta-analyses he aims to develop tools that will guide future mammal browsing management approaches as stakeholder pressure changes the production forestry landscape.