Farewell to a much-loved conservation science leader
Known as the brain and the heart behind our knowledge strategy and conservation science approach, we’ve been so lucky to learn from and be inspired by ‘Dr Bec’.
Bush Heritage Australia’s new Executive Manager of Science and Conservation says being able to lead national conservation programs to help Australia achieve its 30 by 30 commitment made joining Bush Heritage an irresistible opportunity.
Dr Bruce Webber is joining Bush Heritage from the CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, where he has worked in various role since 2009, most recently as Principal Research Scientist in the CSIRO’s Health and Biosecurity division.
Dr Webber also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the University of Western Australia’s School of Biological Sciences and was previously a Research Director at the Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute.
“Bush Heritage for me is about achieving impact at scale on conserving our biodiversity,” Dr Webber says.
“Science is at the core of Bush Heritage’s decision-making alongside listening to and being guided by the deep knowledge of Traditional Custodians through meaningful, right-way partnerships. That combination and the chance to work at scale within a true conservation leader was what drew me to Bush Heritage.”
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Ngayaangany (Mount Trafalgar), Prince Regent Nature Reserve, Kimberley, Western Australia. Photo by Bruce Webber
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Freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnsoni) hatchlings, Lake Argyle, Western Australia. Photo by Bruce Webber
Australia has five years left to achieve its commitment to the global goal for nature known as 30 by 30, an international effort to ensure 30% of the world’s land and seas are protected and conserved by 2030.
Dr Webber says that goal can’t be reached without significant growth in private land conservation like the work done by Bush Heritage across Australia.
“There is so much conservation value in landscapes that sit outside the national protected area,” Dr Webber says.
“The beauty of private land conservation like what Bush Heritage does is that you can achieve those goals in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, from governments to Traditional Custodians, agricultural partners and the everyday Australians who support us.”
Dr Webber found his passion for science and conservation young. In Grade Two, Dr Webber uncovered a seven-million-year-old shark tooth in a paddock near his primary school in western Victoria. In the years that followed, his childhood was spent exploring the great outdoors, including an impressive range of landscapes, and pursuing a burgeoning curiosity about the natural world.
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Black-flanked rock wallaby (Petrogale lateralis) with young, Pilgonoman Gorge, Cape Range National Park, Western Australia. Photo by Bruce Webber
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Repentance Creek, Nightcap National Park, New South Wales. Photo by Bruce Webber
“I am a big believer in learning by doing, learning by being on Country, and watching and listening and observing. I am excited about getting to know the diversity of landscapes that Bush Heritage protects and cares for. I have worked with some fantastic Bush Heritage people over the last 15 years and to be joining them in this new role is really exciting.”
“Bush Heritage’s critical work protecting healthy Country forever wouldn’t happen without our incredible team of people, with the great impact that Dr Rebecca Spindler has had on our organisation over her tenure an example of how critical this role and appointment is,” says Rachel Lowry, CEO of Bush Heritage.
“We’re thrilled to be welcoming Bruce to Bush Heritage – with his depth of expertise across science strategy, leadership and applied research delivery we’re confident that our Science and Conservation work is in very safe hands.”
Dr Webber is currently working alongside the outgoing Executive Manager of Science and Conservation Dr Rebecca Spindler, who leaves Bush Heritage this month after eight years in the role.
About Bush Heritage
Bush Heritage Australia is a leading not-for-profit conservation organisation that protects ecosystems and wildlife across the continent. We use the best science, conservation and right-way knowledge to deliver landscape-scale impact. We’re on the ground, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the agricultural sector to make sure our impact is deep, sustainable and collaborative.
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