Shandell Cummings is a Merningar yorga from the south coast of WA. She has spent a considerable amount of time working and teaching First Nations perspectives within a variety of cultural education opportunities, including tutoring Indigenous units at the UWA Albany campus, where she is currently a Research Associate through the NESP Resilient Landscapes HUB. Shandells PhD will record and map cultural knowledge on fishing practices across the south coast of WA.

Jamey is a Conservation Science officer with the Australian National Botanic Gardens Branch of Parks Australia, facilitating scientific research across Parks Australia's estate. Previously he has worked as a fire ecologist and ecosystem modeller in the Top End, attained a PhD studying the role of fire in maintaining Tasmania's giant trees, and spent extensive time as a field technician working across three continents.

Kai is a proud Yorta Yorta and Barapa Barapa man and has been a trainee ecologist at Ecology & Restoration Australia (ERA) for the past two years. Kai is passionate about teaching and inspiring the next generation, and works on the ERA Habitat Warriors’ program, which is a fun, nature-based and collaborative program that teaches children about our native plants and wildlife. Kai wanted to be a teacher growing up but later in his teen years dedicated his life to the environmental field and in his current position, he is able to merge both passions, and also leads cultural heritage classes (Traditional ecological knowledge) with his brother Taj. Kai has been involved in a variety of on-ground projects, collaborations and surveys, and last year gave his very first conference presentation at ESA 2025!

I am an ecologist and conservation planner based in Naarm (Melbourne). In 2023 I commenced my PhD at the University of Melbourne looking at the effect of ecological function in urban environments. Since 2019 I have also worked at DEECA, currently as a regulator and planner for conservation reserves in Melbourne’s newest suburbs. My work and ethos centres around promoting mutually beneficial relationships between the urban and natural environments. I have a keen interest in bringing together two ways of knowing and partnering with Traditional Owners to develop indicators and strategies to manage our environment more intuitively and holistically.

Lorna Ngugi has worked at the Queensland Herbarium for many years, undertaking significant fieldwork alongside a Mbabaram community member across Queensland Aboriginal communities and visiting Aboriginal Country in the Northern Territory. These experiences highlighted the global importance of cultural identity and heritage preservation, reconnecting her with her Indigenous roots and inspiring her current research. She carries many plant stories that have defined her cultural identity, similar to other Aboriginal Australian women and children. This has motivated her to pursue a PhD on "Australian native plants production from indigenous communities in Queensland" in accordance with Traditional Owners' wishes, particularly focusing on reviving a lost favoured bushfood and enabling Traditional Owners to reconnect with their traditional ecological knowledge about these native plants through this research. Her work bridges scientific research with cultural preservation, ensuring that Indigenous knowledge systems and relationships with Country remain central to contemporary botanical research and practice.

Jay, Rita and Michael have been working together at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to understand the impacts of climate change on plants. We have been combining knowledges to better explain the underlying mechanisms of plant death vs survival. We are excited to share our research as well as learn from others.

Ursula Rodrigues is a PhD student at University of Western Australia, Albany Campus. An affinity with southwest Australian landscapes, and an interest in how humans interact with them, led Ursula to cross-cultural ecology. Her PhD focusses on the outcomes of contemporary Noongar fire stewardship and collaboration between Nydiyung (white) land managers and Noongar peoples in fire management.

Lisa Tunks Lisa is a Wiradyuri/Bundjalung woman, whose passion is protection of Country, Heritage and community. Lisa is the First Nations Project Senior Project Officer for Wildlife Health Australia. Lisa has a background in working with Aboriginal cultural heritage protection, the environment through natural resource management projects. conservation and Landcare. Lisa is also volunteer with Aboriginal organisations, including being a director on the board of the Wiradyuri Traditional Owners Central West Aboriginal Corporation. Joanne Walker Joanne is Wildlife Health Australia’s Capacity Building Program Manager and is a graduate of Flinders University with a Doctorate and master’s degree in public health, and over twenty years of experience in the (human) health sector. Joanne’s work with Wildlife Health Australia focuses on working with people in feral animal disease surveillance and management and raising awareness of how feral animals are a One Health issue; building connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations and wildlife rehabilitators.