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Senior Consultant Botanist/Ecologist

Phone: (03) 9431 5444
Mobile: 0414 475 654
Email: Send Enquiry

David obtained a Bachelor of Biological Science (Botany, Zoology, Conservation Biology and Ecology) with Honours in Zoology from La Trobe University in 2009.

David has been working at Abzeco since 2009 as a part time consultant Ecologist/Zoologist. David is also a passionate environmental educator who delivers educational programs to the general public, school groups, and tertiary students.

David has over 17 years’ experience in flora and fauna survey, bushland management and environmental education, including through continuing involvement with La Trobe University’s Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary, Holmesglen Institute, the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and Frogs Victoria. While with Abzeco, he has worked on a range of restoration projects and written several reports including Biodiversity Assessments, habitat management plans, and on flora and fauna surveys.

David is particularly interested in the ecology and conservation of reptiles and frogs, having surveyed for several threatened species including the Growling Grass Frog, Southern Toadlet, Brown Toadlet, Southern Barred Frog, Sloane’s Froglet, Eared Worm-lizard, Striped Legless Lizard, Eastern Hooded Scaly-foot, Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon, Tussock Skink, Glossy Grass Skink and Swamp Skink. His experience surveying for other threatened species includes the Matted Flax-lily, Spiny Rice-flower and a variety of other listed flora, Spot-tailed Quoll, Brush-tailed Phascogale, Greater Glider, Southern Brown Bandicoot, Broad-toothed Rat, New Holland Mouse, listed woodland birds and forest owls, Dwarf Galaxias, Golden Sun Moth and Eltham Copper Butterfly.

Much of David’s fieldwork has been based in the Mallee and East Gippsland, and he has experience with a range of fauna monitoring techniques including radio tracking, remote acoustic recording, camera trapping, pitfall and funnel trapping, Elliott and cage trapping, artificial shelter surveys, spotlighting, eDNA sampling, and the mark-recapture of reptiles, frogs and small mammals.

Recent Projects:

  • Fauna surveys and ecological assessments in Victoria’s alpine region.
  • Habitat assessments and targeted fauna surveys for rail and renewable energy projects between Melbourne and Wodonga.
  • Biodiversity monitoring in Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) defined High Conservation Value Forests in the Strzelecki Ranges, Central Gippsland and North East Victoria.
  • Reptile surveys in bushland adjoining private plantations in South Australia’s Limestone Coast region.
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