Penny Johnson is an ecologist and environmental accountant with over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of environmental science and data. She leads cross-functional teams in the development of innovative statistical products, with a particular focus on environmental accounts. Penny collaborates closely with government agencies, academic institutions, and industry groups to integrate scientific data into accessible formats that inform policy and decision-making. Her leadership has been instrumental in the creation of Australia’s first National Ocean Account and National Ecosystem Account. With a background in ecological modelling and natural resource management, Penny is passionate about exploring the dynamic relationship between society and the environment and developing solutions that support both ecological sustainability and societal well-being.

Wes brings over 14 years of experience across both state and Commonwealth government, with a career centred on driving transformation in geospatial data management and environmental information systems. In his current role at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), he leads the management of the National Vegetation Information System (NVIS), working closely with key stakeholders in ecology and data science. Wes has been instrumental in modernising NVIS, evolving the system from its legacy foundations into a future-ready platform for the next generation of environmental data users. Prior to his Commonwealth role, Wes served across various positions in the Queensland Government, where he developed WebGIS platforms, automated environmental data reporting, and helped establish drone data policies.

Mark Tozer is a vegetation ecologist with a background in vegetation survey, classification and mapping, and long-term studies of ecosystem dynamics.

Donna is with the TERN Ecosystem Surveillance team as Curation Lead. Donna is responsible for enhancing the management of TERNs digital and physical plant specimen, plant tissue and soil sample collection. With the team, she ensures the collection is well curated, discoverable, and available to researchers for various scientific studies. Donna has a particular interest in botany, vegetation classification and working collaboratively to ensure the collection of standard field metrics. Donna has over 20 years’ experience in field botany and vegetation science and was responsible for co-ordinating and conducting flora and vegetation surveys across the Northern Territory. Donna’s most recent role was with the Northern Territory Herbarium where she contributed to the curation of the herbarium collection, held various roles on national working groups and developed and managed flora and vegetation corporate systems. Donna also has experience in vegetation mapping and remote sensing applications. She gained a PhD in 2012 through the University of Queensland to evaluate field and image data to map vegetation communities in tropical savanna environments.

I'm a postdoc interested in macroecology, range-shifting, and extreme ecosystems. I spent the last few years in Sweden leading a global field campaign on arctic-alpine carbon thresholds. After one too many (gluten-free) cinnamon buns, I moved back to Gadigal country to continue work on dryland biocrusts and alpine plants. I can’t wait to end the ESA hiatus and see what everyone’s been up to!!

Bethany Treglown (BSc Hons) completed her undergraduate in Animal behaviour with an interest in birds and mammals in 2021. As an undergrad she began a voluntary research survey on waterbirds at Thorndon Park, a historical reservoir redeveloped into a recreational reserve. Those surveys produced a preliminary baseline and resulted in the construction of a trial wildlife refuge platform. Towards the end of the degree her interest in birds, especially waterbirds, directed her towards investigations in aquatic fauna. In her honours (2023) she focused on fish and habitat in reservoirs (Reservoirs: Beyond water storage) and is currently undertaking PhD research in the field of freshwater Ecology. Bethany’s research investigates changes in wetland ecosystems that can influence habitat potential, biological community composition and trophic function. Understanding the complex interactions between water, habitat, fauna and food items within dynamic ecosystems such as wetlands has driven Bethany’s interest and is shaping her research career. Bethany’s PhD research has received funding from the Roy and Marjory Edwards Scholarship through Nature Foundation and The Field Naturalists Society of SA Lirabenda Endowment Fund research grant. In addition to her PhD, Bethany volunteers and devotes time toward stakeholder engagement activities such as education, surveys and consulting.

Iain Campbell is a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales, where his research focuses on large-scale ecosystem classification and cross-system integration. His thesis, The Habitats of the World Ecosystem Mapping: A Rosetta Stone for Ecologists, Botanists, and Conservationists, underpins a broader effort to unify global habitat frameworks through wildlife assemblages and vegetation. He is the lead author of the acclaimed Princeton field guide series Habitats of the World, including dedicated volumes for each continent, with Habitats of Australia forming the biogeographic foundation for this study. These guides represent an attempt to create a globally consistent, vegetation plus wildife system for understanding ecosystems across scales and regions. Beyond academia, Iain has worked as a professional bird guide for over two decades, with field experience in more than 100 countries. Both a birder and a habitat lister he has seen over 70% of world bird species and over 80% of world habitats. Through this study, he investigates how species-level biodiversity data, particularly birds, can improve the resolution and accuracy of national vegetation maps. His work bridges ornithology, remote sensing, and ecological classification into a cohesive system for global conservation planning.