Meet the Indigenous authors webinar
To view the webinar recording, register via the register now link below.
Watch presentations by Co-chief authors Dr Terri Janke, Professor Emma Johnston, and Dr Ian Cresswell along with four of the Indigenous co-authors, who are shaping the twelve themes of the 2021 State of the Environment (SoE) report.
Our MC & Co-Chief Authors
Dr Terri Janke
Co-Chief Author & MC
Leading the way in preparing the national 2021 State of the Environment Report is Dr Terri Janke, a Wuthathi/Meriam woman and an international authority on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property.
In a first for national SOE reporting, Terri has a pivotal role as co-chair of the SOE author committee, integrating traditional knowledge with western science systems, in collaboration with a team of Indigenous environmental experts. As an added bonus, Terri also brings to bear a strong track record for innovating pathways between the non-Indigenous business sector and Indigenous people in business.
Artwork: Ancient Tracks and Waterholes by Rene Kulitja
Photography: Jamie James
Professor Emma Johnston
Co-Chief Author
Professor Emma Johnston AO FTSE FRSN is Dean of Science and Professor of Marine Ecology and Ecotoxicology at UNSW Sydney. She studies the impacts of human activities in marine ecosystems and how we can build ecological resilience.
Her research is conducted in diverse field environments, from Antarctica, to the Great Barrier Reef, and temperate Australian estuaries. She is an elected fellow of the Australian Technological Society (ATSE) and in 2018 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (OA). Professor Johnston is a national advocate for the Science and Technology sector and is a Director on the Board of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Antarctic Science Foundation. She consults with industry through the development and implementation of new biomonitoring and ecological engineering techniques and frequently contributes expert opinion to state, federal & international government agencies.
Dr Ian Cresswell
Co-Chief Author
Dr Ian Cresswell was a Research Director of the Biodiversity, Ecosystem Knowledge and Services Program at CSIRO.
Dr Cresswell has extensive experience working in environment and sustainable development both nationally and internationally in areas including reserve planning, fisheries, wildlife regulation, protected areas and biodiversity discovery.
About the SoE Report
The SoE Report is required every 5 years under the EPBC Act. The Report is a key strategic product underpinning the evidence base used to inform the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment’s work and is used to establish collaboration opportunities with states and territories to improve environmental outcomes.
The purpose of the State of the Environment Report is to:
provide a strategic view to shape policy and action
engage with users to influence behavior
assist with assessing our interventions as stewards for the Australian environment using the principles of collaborative partnerships to combine science, traditional and local knowledge.
Indigenous authors presenting at the webinar
Ms Mibu Fischer
Coast and Marine themes
Ms Mibu Fischer is a descendent of the Noonuccal, Ngugi and Goenpul clans of Quandamooka. Ms Fischer is an early career marine ethno-ecologist within the multi-use ecosystems tropical coastal group, in CSIROs Oceans & Atmosphere.
Mibu’s specific interests are around Traditional Knowledge (science) and management practices being considered within modern day fisheries, coastal and conservation management.
Mr Barry J Hunter
Land theme
Mr Barry J Hunter is a descendant from the Djabugay speaking people of Cairns hinterland. He grew up beside the Barron River in the rainforest near Kuranda. Barry has over 30 years’ experience in Aboriginal affairs particularly in areas of land, natural and cultural resource management. Barry’s employment includes appointments in government conservation agencies, mining and exploration industry, community and not-for-profit NGOs, and recently as a consultant working around Aboriginal Land management, Carbon Industry and community economic development.
Dr Cass Hunter
Coast and Marine themes
Dr Cass Hunter is a Kuku Yalanji and Torres Strait Islander woman and an Indigenous Social Ecological Researcher at the CSIRO. Dr Hunter’s research interests are interdisciplinary and broadly focused on the development of participatory tools to support sustainable livelihoods and ecosystems.
Cass is motivated by the opportunities to increase Indigenous-led research that is relevant to communities, has benefits, and builds capacity in new areas.
Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge
Inland Water theme
Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge is a proud Murri from the Kamilaroi Nation, growing up on Dharug Land in Western Sydney and now living on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra. Brad has over 20 years' experience in Aboriginal engagement, water and environmental science, having worked in applied research, policy development, legislative reviews and project management.
Other Indigenous
co-authors contributing to SoE 2021
Mr Oliver Costello
Extreme Events theme
Mr Costello is a Bundjalung man from the Northern Rivers of NSW and has been actively engaged in Cultural Land Management projects with many Aboriginal communities across Australia. He believes strongly in the role of Aboriginal culture as a keystone to maintaining livelihoods, supporting identity, connection to country and enabling healthy and regenerative communities to care for country.
Assoc Prof Michael-Shawn Fletcher
Heritage themes
Assoc Prof Fletcher is a descendant of the Wiradjuri and a geographer interested in the long-term interactions between humans, climate, disturbance, vegetation and landscapes in the Southern Hemisphere with a particular emphasis on how Indigenous burning has shaped the Australian landscape.
Ms Tanya Koeneman
Urban Environment theme
Ms Koeneman is a La Perouse Koori community member and Jerrinjah and Wonnarua descendant and has worked primarily in the area of cultural heritage and strategic land use planning during the last 20 years of her career. She currently manages a program that develops planning tools, strategies and pathways that facilitate the rezoning, subdivision and infrastructure upgrades to Aboriginal communities across NSW and enables them to leverage greater economic, community and cultural use of Aboriginal land.
Mr Damian Morgan-Bulled
Climate Change theme
Mr Morgan-Bulled is a proud Yorta Yorta man and has worked within the Cultural Heritage and Natural Resource Management field for more than 20 years. Damian has represented the Yorta Yorta Nation on a number of key negotiating teams and committees, currently including both the Steering Committee and Community Consultative Group for the Echuca-Moama Second Bridge Crossing for VicRoads.
Dr Stephen van Leeuwen
Biodiversity theme
Dr van Leeuwen is a Noongar man from Wardandi country between Busselton and Margaret River in south-west Western Australia. He has substantial knowledge of the biodiversity and heritage values of Western Australia and has considerable experience in communicating, liaising and negotiating with a range of stakeholders within government, the corporate sector and Indigenous groups in Western Australia.