Lead partners and collaborators
Quoll(ity) team
We're proud to be collaborating with some of Victoria's leading threatened species specialists and environmental organisations to on the Spot-tailed Recovery Program.
Wildlife Unlimited
The delivery of the project will be coordinated by two experienced field ecologists from Wildlife Unlimited, Willow Bourke and Rachael Barlett.
Wildlife Unlimited comprises a team of expert scientists with 27 years of dedicated experience in East Gippsland undertaking flora, fauna and environmental assessments, surveys, research and education activities.
They have undertaken extensive Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby surveys, monitoring and translocations in the Snowy River area. They have a long and extensive experience working with DEECA, Parks Victoria and Odonata as well as the East Gippsland community.
The team’s fieldwork experience, wildlife expertise, and local knowledge and relationships see them well-placed to advise and deliver on long-term, complex monitoring and translocation projects from planning through to on-ground delivery.
Willow and Rachael have previously led surveys and monitoring for many threatened species including the Spot-tailed Quoll in East Gippsland, providing a strong underpinning for their role as Project Managers.
Biodiversity Legacy
Biodiversity Legacy (BDL) is an independent environmental not-for-profit focused on habitat protection, community engagement, biolink formation and conservation stewardship.
BDL’s partners include a diverse network of specialist environmental organisations and ecologists connected through the Ecolands Collective. The provides a strong support structure and knowledge base using best practice to promote and protect biodiversity.
BDL’s extensive connections with environmentally focused philanthropic networks also position it as well-placed to establish partnerships and collaborative funding approaches.
Robyn Edwards, an ecologist previously with Trust for Nature and the Conservation Area Manager for East Gippsland for the last 28 years, and Maddy Rzesniowiecki as Threatened Species Coordinator, will provide a high level of support for the project with communications, management and coordination.
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action + Southern Ark
DEECA is providing co-investment of $250,000 (Nature Fund) to stage 1 of the project. Marc Perri (Biodiversity Manager, East Gippsland) will provide additional in-kind support as a representative on the project Steering Committee and the Technical Advisory Group.
Part of DEECA, the Southern Ark project covers State Forests, National Parks and private land across the entire eastern wedge of Victoria, from the Snowy River Valley to Cape Howe.
Southern Ark has undertaken landscape fox control in East Gippsland with successful outcomes and have committed to provide an ongoing fox control program in the project area as a basis from which the project will strategically expand.