Vanessa has recently joined the Flora Services Group of Outback Ecology as a Principal Botanist. With more than twelve years experience in the botanical consulting profession, Vanessa brings an extensive knowledge of flora and vegetation values across a wide range of Australian bioregions.

Vanessa studied Botany at the University of Western Australia with an honours thesis entitled “Historical and Present Day Patterns in the Decline of Flooded Gum (Eucalyptus rudis Endl.) along the Preston River Donnybrook, southwest Western Australia”.

Vanessa has experience at a number of environmental consultancies in Perth where she has coordinated many large-scale botanical surveys, including mobilising field teams to remote locations. She has a great passion for the flora and ecosystems of Australia and has dedicated her career to ensuring best practice management of our unique and wonderful environments.  Her skills include all aspects of flora and vegetation assessments, mapping, flora inventories, vegetation management, monitoring and taxonomy.

Vanessa counts herself as fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in some of the most beautiful and remote places in Australia from helicopter based surveys over the Victoria River of the Northern Territory, island hopping in the Torres Strait, travelling by Zodiac in the Bonaparte Archipelago of the northern Kimberley to camping out in the Great Victoria Desert.

Vanessa still enjoys the outdoors in her own time; kayaking and bushwalking, travelling and music (piano accordion).  She plans to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa later this year.