Abigail (Abby) Watkins is an ecologist with ten years of field, research and project management experience in Australia and Canada. Abby applies a creative and inclusive approach to the sticky and difficult aspects of complex problems so common in today’s complex environmental setting. She combines her broad ecological knowledge and practical experience with organisation and people skills to bring projects to fruition. She strives to build the foundation of projects on First Nations involvement, knowledge and perspective to deepen the impact of project outcomes and contribute to Reconciliation.
Surveying birds by ear in the wilds of Canada and holding pygmy possums in her hand in Australia has deepened her affinity with and understanding of our connection to nature. Abigail has developed, progressed and managed large environmental projects for NRM agencies working with Threatened Species Recovery Teams to meet recovery objectives through a research-based, adaptive management approach. She has conducted, supported and contributed to ecological survey and research, building research into projects to fill knowledge gaps and ensure better outcomes for all.
Abby also has extensive experience in outdoor and expedition leadership through her work as a trained and certified mountain guide, working for more than twenty years in the mountains of Canada, the USA and New Zealand. She brings this level of detail and expertise to fieldwork trips and remote expeditions and can use her technical background and skill to provide planning and safe access for fieldwork in difficult to access and naturally complex and potentially hazardous places.
