About Steve

Steve is the Founder and Managing Director of Biodiversity Australia, a national environmental consultancy. With more than 25 years’ experience in wildlife and aviation management as well as fauna research, Steve has a wealth of operational and practical knowledge and expertise in environmental management. Steve’s advanced experience in the industry has led him to be an executive committee member on the AAWHG board.

Steve is passionate about inspiring positive change and dedicated to high industry standards across Australia. He is active within the sector, providing thought-leadership, operational advice and on-the-ground management.

Steve also initiated the conception of a formal “Spotter Catcher Industry Group ” to help develop and standardise a Spotter Catcher Code of Practice. The implementation of this Code of Practice will result in an increase in standards within the industry in Australia.

Steve’s Indigenous heritage has influenced the way in which Biodiversity Australia operates, resulting in Steve’s personal and business pursuits in driving Indigenous-owned business growth and success, the overall growth of the sector, and encouraging education and employment for Indigenous youth. This strong desire to drive Indigenous growth has resulted in Steve becoming a member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Business Innovation Reference Group (BIRG).

Steve’s background
Growing up in bush communities throughout Western Queensland, the importance and beauty of nature was ingrained within Steven from a young age. As he progressed into the workforce, Steve was lucky enough to work with captive animals from our native wildlife through to long term work with Polar Bears.

Steve was sitting on the outskirts of the industry and could see a real need for change in the way the environment and our wildlife was being managed so he began to develop new techniques and solutions to manage human and wildlife conflict to provide a more humane outcome for the animals. From there, he was able to continue to grow  into Biodiversity Australia a business which gives the environment a helping hand.

Steve’s Why? Because I have a real desire to change the way we look after the future.

About Karl

Karl has 6 years’ experience in terrestrial and aquatic ecology throughout NSW and QLD. This has allowed him to develop a broad skill set which he now utilises in his role as a Principal  Ecologist and Senior Business Manager with Biodiversity Australia.

Throughout his career, Karl has strived to gain a holistic knowledge of Australian Ecology, in doing so, he has developed advanced survey and assessment skills. He is able to survey and identify the full complement of Australian native and exotic fauna and flora.

Karl has a broad understanding of both State and Federal Legislation, having prepared an extensive amount of Ecological Assessments, Monitoring Reports, Seven Part Tests, EPBC Act Matters of National Environmental Significance, SEPP 44, 14 and 26 assessment as well as the preparations of Review of Environmental Factors, Vegetation Management Plans and Control Plans for Exotic Flora.

To compliment his comprehensive reporting experience, Karl is also an accomplished spatial analyst with experience in the use of ArcGIS and MapInfo as well as a vast range of data collection software (GBM Mobile, GIS Pro, Weed Map Pro) and hardware (Trimble, iPad, GPS, Toughbook). .

Supplementing his technical ability, Karl is also an accomplished Project Manager and business developer.

About Chantal

With over 14 years experience as an administrator, Chantal managers the administration department across the company. Chantal is also responsible for developing and maintaining the ISO system framework for the business as well as monitoring and auditing all of Biodiversity Australia’s policies and procedures. Her other responsibilities include managing the marketing, permits and working alongside the director to achieve the company’s objectives for Indigenous Engagement.

Chantal commenced with the Biodiversity Australia in 2014 and has worked in many areas of the company. Her passion for the business and desire to see it grow drives her to continue to look for ways to improve the company’s efficiency, quality and overall success.

Chantal’s Why? Because I get to work in a environment that challenges me and strengthen my skills while contributing to making something great.

About Daniel

Daniel is a Principal Ecologist and the Unit Project Coordinator for Ecology. Daniel has over 15 years’ experience as an ecologist working in the environmental consultancy industry. Daniel has been a member of multi-national consultancy teams for over 10 years working on environmental projects across Australia and the south pacific.

Daniel has been involved in numerous ecological surveys, environmental investigations, assessment and compliance monitoring projects throughout Australia and the South Pacific.

As a senior member of large scale multi-disciplinary projects on Oil and Gas, Land Development, Mining and industrial development projects, Daniel has developed and managed large field teams with high standards of quality, technical, environmental and safety outcomes in challenging environments.

Daniel’s technical experience covers a broad range of disciplines, including ecological assessments, ecology surveys, ecology restoration, environmental field investigations, water quality management, and monitoring and compliance auditing.

Daniel has extensive experience working under numerous Local, State and Federal legislations across Australia.

Additionally Daniel undertakes part time tutoring at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Environmental Statistics and Analysis and Environmental Research and Design and Earth’s Surface Process, Materials and Soils.

About Tony

Tony has worked with all manner of complex and large scale projects including working with Origin as a Land Access Advisor.

This role entailed working with the community and individual landholders to arrange land access, plan future works, manage stakeholder enquiries and expectations, ensure works were completed as expected and to complete a comprehensive interaction record of all engagements.

He has worked with Western Downs Regional Council in a Facilities Management and Maintenance Co-ordination role across the Western Downs Shire. This entailed all manner of construction works within the community on community owned assets.

Working in a senior lending and management role with a major bank, Tony has worked all over Queensland country and metropolitan regions from Townsville in the north to Brisbane metro in the south. This role involved forming close relationships with customers and understanding their businesses which operated in the larger semi corporate threshold. Compliance, integrity and attention for detail are some of his key skills.

Tony’s current role involves management of the QGC contract for Biodiversity Australia managing vegetation control as well as expanding the business brand into new large scale projects involved in power generation in the Surat Basin.

About Anita

Anita is an Ecologist with Biodiversity Australia. Anita was hired in 2017 as the first Indigenous Graduate to join Biodiversity Australia’s Indigenous Graduate procurement scheme. During this time, Anita has developed a wide variety of ecological skills including fauna and flora identification, targeted mammal trapping, professional report writing, GIS mapping using ArcGIS and QGIS platforms, ecological assessments, and EVNT surveys. She has also been involved in terrestrial habitat assessments, and identification of TECs in regional Queensland. She is currently undertaking a PhD in the management of squirrel gliders in urban habitats. She is experienced in fauna handling, and arboreal trapping techniques