ACIUCN Workshop:
Global Biodiversity Framework -
Help Australia Meet Targets by 2030
2 day workshop, 31st May – 1 June 2023
Peninsula Room, National Museum of Australia, Canberra
Ngunnawal & Ngambri Country
Agenda Available Here
The Australian Committee for IUCN (ACIUCN) invites you to attend a Global Biodiversity Framework - Help Australia Meet Targets by 2030 workshop.
The purpose of this workshop is contribute to:
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Australia’s meeting of the Global Biodiversity Framework targets by 2030; and
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to the revision of Australia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for COP 16.
In December 2022, at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) COP15, after several years of retracted negotiations, 188 countries adopted a new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The Agreement now provides a framework that guides global and domestic action on nature through to 2030. A Monitoring Framework for the GBF was also adopted.
The Australian Government played a leading role in improving the final agreement and with just 7 years to go, Australia will need to move fast to meet these new Targets. ACIUCN is inviting representatives from sectors across Australia including First Nations, Government, science, conservation, finance and business sectors, who all have an important role to play in Australia successfully meeting the 2030 targets and ultimately achieving a world that is living in harmony with nature by 2050.
Join us in Canberra on the 31 May and 1 June to contribute to Australia meeting the 2030 targets.
Recommendations from the Workshop will be summarised in a final report.
The workshop follows on from previous ACIUCN CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) workshops and reports such as; 2019 ‘Starting the conversation on Australia’s priorities for the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework’, 2021 Australia's priorities for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and our 2022 Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Webinar
Here is a link to access Australia’s previous NBSAPs and CBD target reports
For further information contact ACIUCN Director - Kate Davey; director@aciucn.org.au
Event Organising Committee: Fleur Downard (DCCEEW), Peter Cochrane (IUCN/ACIUCN), Basha Stasak (Australian Conservation Foundation), Andrew Picone (Pew Charitable Trusts), Sam Good (DCCEEW), Louisa Longman (DCCEEW), Kate Davey (ACIUCN),
Lisa Malcolm (ACIUCN).
Panellists and Presentations
The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water
Opening Speech
The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water, was in attendance to deliver the opening speech.
Peter Cochrane
Peter is a Councillor and Vice President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He is based in Sydney and chairs the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, the Australian Tropical Herbarium and the National Benefit Assessment Committee of the Marine National Facility. He is a director of the SIMS Foundation and TierraMar Ltd. He chairs the ACIUCN board.
Peter is a member of the External Reference Group on Nature for the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science University of NSW.
Emeritus Professor Marc Hockings - See presentation here
Marc Hockings is Emeritus Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Queensland. Prior to joining the University in 1992, Marc worked in the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) for 16 years. He is a long-term member of the WCPA and served on the Steering Committee of the Commission for 20 years. He is also a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the Commission on Ecosystem Management. Marc is Managing Editor of the IUCN journal PARKS: The international journal of protected areas and conservation. In 2008, he received the Kenton R. Miller Award for Innovation in Protected Area Sustainability for his work on management effectiveness and in 2021 he received the WCPA Chair’s Award for his work as Editor of PARKS. Marc leads the Commission’s work on the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas (The IUCN Green List standard is an internationally accepted standard of good management of protected and conserved areas).
Professor Anne Poelina
Professor Anne Poelina [PhD, PhD, MEd, MPH&TM, MA] Co-Chair Indigenous Studies and Senior Research Fellow Nulungu Institute Research University of Notre Dame, Chair Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council and Adjunct Professor, College of Indigenous Education Futures, Arts & Society, Charles Darwin University, Darwin. Poelina is the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) inaugural First Nations appointment to its independent Advisory Committee on Social, Economic and Environmental Sciences (2022). Member of Institute for Water Futures, Australian National University, Canberra. Awarded Kailisa Budevi Earth and Environment Award, International Women’s Day (2022). Ambassador for the Western Australian State Natural Rangelands Management (NRM) (2023). Awarded Laureate from the Women’s World Summit Foundation (Geneva, 2017). See: www.martuwarra.org - www.annepoelina.com
Tia Stevens - See presentation here
Tia is a Branch Head in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water with over 20 years’ experience in natural resource management and biodiversity policy and program delivery within the Commonwealth Government. Tia is currently a member on the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s scientific Bureau and Australia’s Head of Delegation for CBD. Tia previously led Commonwealth’s efforts to develop the Strategy for Nature in partnership with States, Territories and local government and will be building on these efforts in updating the Strategy following agreement to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in December 2022.
Professor Brendan Mackey
Prof Brendan Mackey is Director of the Climate Action Beacon at Griffith University, Queensland. Brendan served two terms on the IUCN Council and is currently a member of the steering committee for the IUCN's new Climate Crisis Commission. He was a Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC 6th Assessment Report on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation. He has published extensively in the fields of biodiversity, ecosystem based mitigation and adaptation, forest ecology, environmental policy and connectivity conservation. Brendan is the adaptation lead for the NESP Resilient Landscape Hub and a member of Great Eastern Ranges Initiative board.
Jane Hutchinson - See presentation here
Jane joined Pollination Foundation to pursue her passion for finding new ways to flow finance into local communities who steward nature. Accordingly, Jane has deep expertise in emerging environmental markets including the policy, financial and economic drivers accelerating investment in nature.
Jane is a leader in nature conservation with over 25+ years as an Executive and Non-Executive Director of multiple and varied organisations including The Nature Conservancy Australia Program, Australian Land Conservation Alliance, Accounting for Nature, Protected Areas Learning and Research Collaboration and the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. Prior to that Jane had over a decade of public and private sector experience in environmental law and policy.
Jane received a Barbara Thomas Fellowship in 2014, Harvard Club of Australia Fellowship in 2017 and was awarded Tasmanian Australian of the Year 2016 for her contribution to nature conservation.
Professor Hugh Possingham
Hugh introduced decision science thinking to the field of conservation. He and his lab formulated and solved some of the biggest problems in nature conservation: e.g. where to place protected areas, how to allocate funds between threatened species, when is monitoring worthwhile, etc. He led the development of the spatial planning software, Marxan, which has since been used to develop protected area systems in over 100 countries. He has co-authored over 800 peer-reviewed scientific papers receiving over 80,000 citations, is a vice-chancellor’s senior research fellow at The University of Queensland, fellow of the US National Academy of Sciences, co-chairs the Biodiversity Council, is Chief Scientist of Accounting for Nature and was most recently Chief Scientist of Queensland and Chief Scientist of The Nature Conservancy (globally). He sits on an additional 22 committees and boards.
Professor Emily Nicholson - See presentation here
Professor Emily Nicholson is a conservation scientist, whose work has impacts on conservation policy and practice at global and local levels. Her research interests include conservation decision-making, biodiversity monitoring and risk assessment, and ecosystem science. She co-leads the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems thematic group in the Commission on Ecosystem Management. Prof Nicholson is currently examining the implications of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation on human well-being, as part of her ARC Future Fellowship, including links with ecosystem accounting. She has >90 publications in international journals, including Nature and Science, cited over 5500 times, and has been awarded $9M in external competitive grants, including an ARC Future Fellowship, an ARC Discovery grant, and four ARC Linkage grants.
Dr Chels Marshall
Dr Chels Marshall is a cultural systems ecologist belonging to Gumbaynggirr Jagun from the Baga Baga/Ngambaa (Northern NSW). Dr Marshall is a Senior Research Fellow in the Deakin University Indigenous Knowledges Systems (IKS) Lab of the NIKIRI Institute, implementing cultural ecological knowledge and First Nations science frameworks to Creating virtual and physical environments for sharing knowledge through art, science and Indigenous metaphysics.
She has extensive experience in environmental science and marine science and management a PhD, traditional knowledge systems and climate change in the Pacific, in International Governance (Australian National University). She holds a Masters in Marine Science and Management at the National Marine Science Centre /University of New England on Spatial Analysis of Indigenous Marine Associations in Gumbaynggirr Nation. Chels also has Degrees in Wildlife Management and Cultural Resource Management.
Chels has worked as a Protected Area manager within the NSW and Australian Government for 28 years in private land conservation, coastal marine, karst, wildlife management, policy and protection development, operations and co-operative and integrated cultural landscape management.
Over 28 years Chels has also been actively involved locally and nationally in increasing the capacity of Aboriginal people to participate in land & Sea Country management, planning, research and monitoring.
Chels also sits on a number of ministerial councils that provide advice, analysis and direction to the Australian Government and Fisheries Senior Management regarding policy, legislation and initiatives that affect Aboriginal cultural values, providing advice and analysis on the Ecological and Cultural values of marine and terrestrial estate as it relates to technical, ecological, and cultural engagement of Aboriginal people and associated cultural values and issues
James Trezise - See presentation here
James is currently the conservation director at the Invasive Species Council and leads the organisations conservation campaign and programs. He is an experienced conservationist, policy analyst and campaigner who has worked across the public and not-for-profit sectors. His work has predominantly focused on developing and championing solutions to some of the major challenges facing Australia’s environment – and the technical and social conditions needed to implement these solutions. James previously worked at the Australian Conservation Foundation and played an integral role in the campaign to strengthen Australia’s national biodiversity laws and was closely involved in Australian and global advocacy efforts to develop the global biodiversity framework. James currently sits on the board of the ACT Conservation Council and on the Research and Conservation Committee for Birdlife Australia
Anissa Lawrence - See presentation here
Anissa Lawrence is the Managing Director and founder of TierraMar, and works globally with a focus on Australia, the Pacific, and the Coral Triangle to achieve conservation impact at scale. Her focus is on using nature-based solutions and other transformational approaches to secure a future where people and nature thrive together. TierraMar is all about building resilient communities and reversing nature loss by unlocking transformational change. Anissa has a diverse background in environmental science, coastal and marine natural resource management (NRM) and fisheries conservation, environmental communication, financial accounting, strategy, and risk management. She has held senior positions in several Australian conservation organisations and leading international consulting and professional services firms. Anissa has worked across nearly every industry sector and with all types of organisations from blue chip companies to government departments both nationally and internationally in this capacity. She has held several board positions, including Chair and Deputy Chair for a number of NGOs and government organisations. She brings over 25 years’ experience in developing and communicating strategic solutions and managing people, projects, and businesses towards sustainability.
Professor James Watson - See presentation here
James Watson is a Professor at The University of Queensland and Director of Science and Research Initiative at the Wildlife Conservation Society. He serves on the leadership committee for the Science for Nature and People (SNAP) Initiative, the International Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Data and Knowledge Task Force, and is the former global president of the Society for Conservation Biology
Alexandra Banks
Alexandra is a Partner in the Climate Change and Sustainability Services team in Sydney, Australia and leads the EY Oceania Sustainability team. She focuses on sustainability and ESG strategy and transformation, particularly in relation to sustainable supply chains and responsible sourcing. Alex has worked at the interface of business and sustainability throughout her career. She brings deep subject matter expertise in biodiversity impacts in supply chains, with 12 years’ experience in environmental supply chain assessments, evaluating and mitigating legal, social, and environmental risks for supply chains around the world. Prior to joining EY, Alex worked for an environmental non-profit focussing on the use of innovative technology to embed sustainability in supply chains for forest impact commodities and prior to that for the Australian government in environmental policy development. Alex is leading a number of nature related project for EY, including pilot testing the TNFD and represented EY as part of the delegation to COP 15 in 2023.
Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge - See presentation here
Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge is a proud Murri from the Kamilaroi Nation living on Ngunnawal Land and is a researcher in Indigenous water science (with qualifications in hydrogeology and environmental science) and is in the final stages of his PhD candidature at the University of Canberra. Until 2021 he was the Indigenous Liaison Officer for the Threatened Species Recovery Hub under the National Environmental Science Program. Associate Professor Moggridge is a Board member with the NSW EPA and Biodiversity Council and a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a governor of WWF Australia and President of the Australian Freshwater Science Society. He is a Fellow of the Peter Cullen Trust and Alumni of the International Water Centre. Associate Professor Moggridge has won several awards, has presented widely, published in his area and is on many committees – from local to international adding to his 25years in water and environmental science, cultural science, regulation, water planning and management, including policy development, legislative reviews, applied research and project management. He hopes to encourage future generations to pursue interests in STEM, promote his ancestors' knowledge of water and mentor emerging Indigenous scientists.
Dr Jody Gunn - See presentation here
Jody is committed to the conservation of land, water and culture at national and international scales. She is a conservation scientist with executive level management experience spanning over two decades. Jody’s career has included academia, non-government and government organisations, with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne, Australia and a PhD from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK.
Jody is the CEO of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance, and loves the incredible opportunity to bring people together around a common care for our unique land, water and sea. Prior to joining ALCA, Jody was an Executive Manager for Bush Heritage Australia, during which time she oversaw the expansion of Bush Heritage Australia’s Reserves and partnerships, the delivery and expansion of a private land stewardship program on agricultural land and strengthened Indigenous partnerships across Bush Heritage Australia’s portfolios across southeast Australia.
Its her two young children that get her out of bed every morning and give her the drive to keep doing what she does – for their future.
Barry Hunter - See presentation here
Mr Barry Hunter is the Executive Carbon Manager at NAILSMA. Barry is a descendant from the Djabugay speaking people of Cairns hinterland. He grew up besides the Barron River in the rainforest near Kuranda. Barry's experience includes employment in Government conservation agencies, mining and exploration industry, community and not–for-profit NGO’s, and recently as a consultant working around Aboriginal Land management, Carbon Industry and community economic development. With over 30 years experience in Aboriginal affairs particular in areas of land, natural and cultural resource management.
Barry has a Bachelor of Applied Science from Charles Sturt University and has a keen interest in the work community rangers do in looking after land, fire management and cultural heritage. Also having a real passion building community capacity and planning that deliver sustainable social, cultural and economic outcomes within our communities.
He is the Chairperson of the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation, on the board of Terrain NRM, and the Chairperson of Woongal Environmental services Company. Barry has run a successful consulting business for 10 years, working in areas including Indigenous economic, community and social development, Indigenous land management and cultural heritage, reviews of government funded programs. Most recently Barry has been the acting CEO of Djabugay Aboriginal `Corporations in Kuranda.
Dr James Fitzsimons - See presentation here
Dr James Fitzsimons is Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy Australia. He oversees conservation planning, science, implementation and policy across all the projects we work on throughout the country.
Prior to joining us, James was a senior project officer with the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council where he developed recommendations for public land use along Australia’s largest river, the Murray. His work resulted in a proposed 250% increase in the reservation of river banks, floodplains and wetlands
Bruce Hammond - See presentation here
Eastern Arrernte / First Nations South East man with ties to Country in the lower South East region (Kingston S.E.) of South Australia and Central Australia. The people of First Nations South East have strong cultural connections to the Boandik, Meintangk and Tanganekald with First Nations South East tribal boundaries from Salt Creek to the Glenelg River bordering South Australia and Victoria. Central Australian ties to Country with family connections in Alice Springs, Hermannsburg and Finke regions. I am fortunate to have a rare mix of “Salt Water” and “Desert” peoples and appreciate and respect the obligations and responsibilities of each.
I completed my Diesel apprenticeship in the mid 80’s to pursue a corporate career with the South Australian Public Service providing opportunities to experience Local Government, Aboriginal Affairs, Policy Development, the Arts, Records Management and Information Technology support. I left the Public Service to establish Advanced Technology Services, one of the first Aboriginal owned Information Technology support companies, in Australia.
I have previously worked for the Federal Department of the Environment, Indigenous Land Management Facilitator, establishing and supporting Aboriginal Ranger groups in regional and remote Australia. I have pursued business opportunities establishing Envirologix and supporting Aboriginal business and economic development, focusing on employment outcomes in remote and regional communities across Australia. Education, Employment, Business Development and Sustainable Environmental outcomes are significant areas of focus. Conservation Land Management, community development and connecting regional and remote communities across Australia supporting improved social, cultural and environmental outcomes are key themes.
I have a passion for Aboriginal community engagement and development, capacity building, mentoring, educating & inspiring people.
In recent times I returned to the bush working and living remotely on Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands. Currently I am working with Bush Heritage Australia supporting Aboriginal Partnerships both in South Australia and nationally and am a member of the Bush Heritage executive team. I am motivated and inspired to bring community, Government and NGO together to protect country for our future generations.
Dr Simon Ferrier - See presentation here
Simon is a Chief Research Scientist with CSIRO Environment, which he joined in 2008 following more than 20 years working for state-government agencies in NSW, and is recognised as an Honorary Fellow at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. He and his colleagues develop novel analytical approaches to large-scaled biodiversity assessment, and use these techniques to help address monitoring, scenario-analysis and planning needs at regional, national and global scales. He has also played leading roles in a range of global initiatives and processes including, for example, as Co-Chair of the IPBES Methodological Assessment of Scenarios and Models, Contributing Author on the IPBES Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, founding steering-committee member for the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network, and Biodiversity Expert Group member advising revision of the UN System of Environmental Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting framework.
Jo Hopkins - See presentation here
Jo Hopkins is passionate about the health and well-being benefits derived from nature. She has a combination of substantial professional experience together with a deep commitment to the vital role that parks, and protected areas play in ensuring a healthy natural world. As Chair of the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas, Health and Well-being Specialist Group, Co-Chair of the World Urban Parks Advocacy Committee and ACIUCN Board Member, Jo collaborates with many organisations to influence local, national and international policy advocating for parks as a nature-based solution to some of the world’s most pressing global challenges.
Ryan Wilson
Dr Ryan Wilson leads the Biodiversity Markets branch in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). Prior to this Ryan led the development of the Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Package, trialling ways to establish a biodiversity market for private landholders. Ryan has held international and domestic policy roles for a number of years in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. He represented Australia and supported our global engagement on agriculture and food security, through the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the G20, OECD and APEC. In domestic policy Ryan has contributed to food and agriculture industry policy as well as plant health policy and programs with Australian industry sectors. Ryan’s volunteering roles have included mentoring and chairing of two not-for-profit boards.
Nathaniel Pelle - See presentation here
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Nathaniel Pelle is the Business and Nature Lead at the Australian Conservation Foundation, working to transform the way businesses measure and manage their interactions with biodiversity. He is an experienced campaigner who has led Australian and international projects on agriculture, fisheries, corporate sustainability, commodity supply chains, and oil and gas exploration, and is an Honorary Associate of the Sydney Environment Institute at the University of Sydney.
Louisa Longman - See presentation here
Sam Good - See presentation here
Louisa Longman is an assistant director in the Biodiversity Policy section in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The section leads Australia’s engagement in the processes of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and is responsible for developing and coordinating implementation of Australia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Louisa was part of Australia’s delegation that attended the Open Ended Working Group in Geneva in March 2022 for the first face to face negotiations on the Global Biodiversity Framework in the lead up to the 15th Conference of the Parties to the CBD where the Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted. Before starting in the Biodiversity Policy team, Louisa worked for a number of years in Water Policy.
Sam Good is the director of the Biodiversity Policy section in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The section leads Australia’s engagement in the processes of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and is responsible for developing and coordinating implementation of Australia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Sam was a part of Australia’s delegation to the 15th Conference of the Parties to the CBD where the Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted. Before starting in DCCEEW, Sam worked for a number of years in the Office of International Law in the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department on a range of matters including international environmental law.
Samantha Vine - See presentation here
Samantha Vine is the Head of Conservation and Science at BirdLife Australia. She is a member of the leadership team which has transformed the organisation into a leading nature conservation NGO, tripling its conservation impact over the last decade. Samantha manages a diverse portfolio of conservation and research programs, policies and campaigns. Prior to working at BirdLife, Samantha developed WWF Australia's Marine Flagship Species Program, and was the regional manager for the Threatened Species Network in Eastern and Southern Australia. Samantha worked as a research scientist for the University of Sydney’s Institute of Wildlife Research as well as state and federal government prior to joining the NGO sector.
Samantha was a founding member of the Places You Love Alliance, Australia’s largest alliance of nature conservation organisations and inaugural chair of the management committeen- collectively the alliance has successfully fought off a regressive reform agenda for over a decade at the same time bringing together leading academics to develop a Blueprint for Nature and preparing the ground for a new generation of nature laws. Notable appointments also include Federal Ministerial Advisory Committee for the Environment, Advisor to Australia’s Fist Threatened Species Commissioner, Chair of the 2009 EPBC Act Review NGO working group, and member of the Australian Environment Network Steering Committee. Samantha has almost two decades of experience engaging the community in threatened species conservation and a strong history of convening recovery planning forums, stakeholder groups and international delegations. Her focus in recent years is on strategy and leadership to empower people to make transformational change for nature.