Meet our consultants

 

Dr Josie Kelman

Director / Senior Environmental Consultant

I have a passion for working on action which leads to positive landscape change. Landscapes include freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and the people who inhabit them. I have worked in environmental management for 20 years, working in both scientific and community engagement roles. The main focus of my research interests are in designing and evaluating conservation project effectiveness i.e. how to get bang for limited buck! My ecological expertise is as a botanist and vegetation management specialist, working in both Queensland and Tasmania as a botanist and program manager. I am also actively involved in the community Landcare movement as a Director of the National Landcare Network and of Landcare Tasmania. I have worked extensively with the farming community, with a particular interest in pastoral systems. This work is close to my heart as my parents and much of my extended family are/were farmers.

I enjoy the fabulous contrasts life offers, from being in remote areas listening to the silence, to cruising on my motorcycle, to being in meetings discussing intellectually challenging ideas and having interesting debates – sometimes all in one day. I am also a fan of frocking up and going to the theatre!

 

Andy Welling

Director / Senior Environmental Consultant

I have worked in the environmental field for over 15 years, much of the time as an independent consultant. I have extensive experience with environmental assessments, including flora and fauna values, vegetation communities and weed and disease issues, development of management plans, bushfire hazard assessments and community consultation. I also have considerable knowledge of environmental legislation and policy, and have a thorough understanding of development planning and approvals processes. Through my approach of providing comprehensive, detailed assessments and developing practical solutions to environment impacts I am able to maximise environmental outcomes. I have a strong network of contacts across the state with connections in industry, local and state government, developers, professionals, community groups and private landholders.

I love riding my mountain bike (often at night), hanging out with my family and walking my dog. When i get time off I also love to visit remote islands.

 

Eve Lazarus

Senior Environmental Consultant

I have been working as a professional in the field of natural resource management and biodiversity conservation for 15 years and am particularly passionate about working with land managers to deliver on-ground projects that increase landscape resilience. My favourite part of work is synthesising science into practice and working with the community to achieve practical outcomes. I believe strongly in a grass-roots, peer learning approach, working with people to identify problems and develop solutions. Building meaningful relationships with the community takes time and I feel very connected to the Derwent Valley and Central Highlands as a result of my work in this region. The projects that I am currently managing cover agricultural best practice, coordinated weed management, fire and flood recovery, revegetation and conservation projects, for example working to conserve Miena cider gum stands in the Central Highlands.

My happy places include spending summer holidays at our bush block on Flinders Island with family and friends, riding my motorbike and mountain bike, and talking big ideas with good people.

 

Dr Magali Wright

Senior Environmental Consultant

I have been working in natural resource management in Tasmania since 2010, after 10 years working in university teaching and research in Victoria. I have lectured in plant science and plant health for horticulture courses at the University of Melbourne. My natural resource management experience includes project management of both conservation and sustainable agriculture projects, threatened flora research, river restoration, biosecurity and biodiversity planning, vegetation condition assessment, community engagement, volunteer coordination and facilitation. I have worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne using mycorrhizal fungi to propagate threatened orchids for conservation purposes and currently supervise a similar volunteer program at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. I have has specialist skills in threatened flora conservation, plant-fungal interactions and biosecurity.

I am passionate about communicating technical information in an accessible and practical way to help inform land management and conservation decision making. I enjoy growing native plants and seeing the change that can be achieved with successful community conservation projects. I have a particular interest in threatened eucalypts and orchids.

 

Sarah Bunce

Senior Environmental Consultant

I have been a consulting environmental scientist in Tasmania since 2000 and have worked as an environmental scientist in Canada, Seychelles and New Caledonia. I have extensive experience in environmental impact assessment and site management for all scales of development including gas pipelines, recycled water use on farms and tourism operations, to name a few. I have a BSc in geography with honours in geomorphology, and I’m a Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEnvP) and accredited Bushfire Hazard Assessor. I have expertise in environmental project management, environmental impact  statements (EIS) and development and environmental management plans (DPEMP), decommissioning and rehabilitation plans (DRP) and water quality monitoring  programs.

I hail from western Canada and I have brought my love of the outdoors and the bush to work as an environmental consultant in Tasmania for the last 20 years. Environmental impact assessments, management plans and procedures have taken me across the state working for industry and homeowners.

 

Peter Ball

Agricultural Extension Officer

I’ve been learning about the complex interactions of pastures, livestock and people for 30 years. There’s a lot to make sense of, and nothing like a grazing system to stimulate critical thinking and challenge the pursuit of value. My expertise is founded in the feedbase, in understanding how pastures respond to the environments we seek to grow them in and how they interact with grazing and grazers. When we look, we can see the huge impact grazing decisions have on production and sustainability.

I’ve learned from conducting pasture trials, grazing research, pasture surveys and demonstration sites, and by delivering grazing courses, field days, forums and discussion groups. Working with inspiring producers, experts and scientists across Tasmania has been helpful too. Pastures and livestock benefit from management. People do that. I enjoy working with people to share learning and achieve more.

While I know you can never have enough pictures of grass, I’m also captivated by the complexity of the natural world in general, and by our human history and the civilisations that have come before us. Natural systems are incredible, but people do incredible things too.

 

Laurie Kerr

Environmental Consultant

I have been working in the environmental field since 2010, focusing primarily on threatened species conservation, environmental monitoring, and natural resource management. Prior to working at Enviro-dynamics I worked on tree carbon auditing and large-scale habitat restoration projects.

My expertise and experience at Enviro-dynamics includes being a registered consultant for Climate Active to assist organisations to become carbon neutral, in-depth knowledge of the emerging carbon farming market, natural values assessments, vegetation surveys and the development of multi criteria databases to assess sustainability and simplify complex field data collection. Before that I worked extensively in horticulture and environmental education in the UK and Australia.

I love exploring the wild and wonderful places of Tasmania, either on foot or on my mountain bike.

 

Melanie Kelly

Environmental Consultant

I have 20 years of experience working in natural resource management in Tasmania.

During this time I have been involved with developing land management programs at a local and regional level. I have worked for councils in Tasmania coordinating weed management, climate mitigation and Landcare programs.

I value collaboration, and have experience in community engagement and building relationships with a broad range of stakeholders. Additionally, I am a trained dog handler and work with my detector dog, Fonz, to locate weeds including Serrated Tussock and Orange Hawkweed.

 

Melanie Fazackerley

NRM Consultant

I have been working as a professional in the areas of natural resource management, community engagement and project management for over 20 years. I have a wide range of experience working in Tasmania and Queensland in local and state government and as a consultant. With a head for organising and the heart to move things forward, I love learning and am intrigued by our natural world and the people in it! Working with people, to better understand issues and develop innovative and sustainable solutions, is fundamental to my approach to work and life.

When I’m not talking NRM, I can sometimes be found lurking behind a mixing desk, operating sound at the Moonah Arts Centre or a music festival somewhere.

 

Fiona Walsh

Environmental Consultant

I am obsessed with plants, fungi and… plants. I have formalised this obsession through tertiary studies in botany and honours investigating seed germination with the genus Epacris. I use my botany skills to conduct natural values assessments, mapping threatened species, weeds and vegetation communities. I have experience in data management, GIS mapping and report writing.  

When I’m not at work you’ll find me photographing plants, volunteering at Tasmania’s Seed Conservation Centre or adding to my herbarium. I also enjoy spending time with my family, riding bikes, gardening, looking at plants and knitting.  

Did I mention that I like plants?

 

Alice Higgins

Environmental Consultant (Development Services)

I worked as a forester in the forest industry for 21 years in planning and sales. I spent a lot of time working in and getting to know the Tasmanian bush. During this time, I also worked to assess and manage special values and became a Forest Practices Officer.  

I then moved to a bushfire hazard management planning role as a Bushfire Hazard Practitioner. I have a passion for working in the environmental field and love being part of a team which has significant influence on improving the management of natural values. 

I enjoy the outdoors, especially bushwalking, kayaking, bike riding, going to the beach and gardening. I love spending time with my family and friends and my dogs. 

 

Jessie Westbury

Junior Environmental Consultant

I have over 13 years of experience working in remote parts of Tasmania as an outdoor instructor, combining science and outdoor education to deepen human connections with the natural world.

Working on scientific field work expeditions inspired me to return to university and complete a Bachelor of Science in botany and environmental management. I am interested in habitat restoration and landscape resilience, currently assisting Enviro-dynamics with projects focussed on biodiversity conservation and restoration planning with farmers and private landholders. I’ve also been assisting with conservation detection dog, Fonz, and his hunt for those nasty invasive grasses. 

Because I struggle to sit still, you’ll often find me birding, botanising or snacking on something that resembles bird seed. I love venturing into the wilds either via foot, mountain bike or climbing rope, to enjoy a hot cup of tea and a picnic lunch.

 

Dr Nick Fitzgerald

Ecologist

I have over 15 years’ experience as a field botanist and vegetation specialist working across the state, covering a wide range of ecosystems and environmental issues. I have keen interest and experience in the remote world heritage areas of the state, including sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, which culminated in a PhD from the University of Tasmania. I have worked on projects spanning field surveys, ecological research, environmental monitoring, vegetation mapping, weed management, science communication, NRM, conservation planning and ecological restoration. I also have specialised knowledge and skills in GIS and spatial analysis.

When not looking at plants, I can be found bushwalking, mountain biking, packrafting or otherwise exploring all corners of Tasmania (perhaps looking at plants along the way!) I also have a penchant for landscape and nature photography.

Nick works for Enviro-dynamics on a casual basis.

 

Dr Matt Webb

Ecologist

I have worked in conservation management for 20 years and have a particular interest in developing novel and robust monitoring programs for populations for highly mobile, rare or elusive species for which information is usually lacking.

I have developed and continues to implement a unique population-level monitoring program for the critically endangered swift parrot, which has revealed dramatic spatial shifts in their breeding distribution, highlighting severe habitat limitation, ongoing habitat loss, and variable exposure to nest predation.

I have also spent over a decade conducting fieldwork on the orange-bellied parrot. His work focuses on identifying processes threatening our native species, quantifying population trends and identifying clear and measurable actions to the recovery of our endangered species.

 

Katrin Thommes

Office Manager

I have a varied background of skills and interests, including degrees in science and time spent in academic research, before moving into administration and bookkeeping. I have over six years of experience in administration, office and project management, supporting not-for-profit organisations and businesses in the environmental and sustainability sector.

I love to be out and active – exploring and enjoying Tasmania’s rock climbing, bushwalking and beaches.

 

Fonzie Kelly aka ‘The Fonz’

Fonz is a four-year-old German Shepherd weed detector dog from Garsorva Working Line German Shepherd Dogs. 

From 8 weeks of age Fonz commenced his weed detection training starting with the incredibly invasive, yet very challenging grass, serrated tussock. Fonz and his handler, Melanie Kelly, were trained and mentored by the internationally renowned conservation dog trainer Steve Austin. 

Fonz has been helping landowners, weed officers and natural resource management professionals to find serrated tussock in paddocks, bushland and even urban backyards along the Tasmanian east coast. In 2019 Fonz was trained to detect another cryptic and problematic weed, orange hawkweed. Fonz is helping our team detect this weed in Tasmania’s alpine environments. We are so excited to have Fonz join our team!