Dr James Fitzsimons
The Nature Conservancy
Dr James Fitzsimons is the Senior Advisor, Global Protection Strategies with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), focusing on policy and implementation of the global 30x30 protection target and other targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, management effectiveness and evolving policy on biodiversity credits. He was previously director of conservation and science for TNC’s Australia Program, where he oversaw the organization’s conservation planning, science and policy functions for that country. This included major conservation programs in the vast tropical savannas of northern Australia, the diverse central deserts, temperate estuaries of southern Australia, the wetlands and floodplains of the Murray-Darling Basin, and urban landscapes and the development and delivery of a major protected area establishment strategy.
James is also an adjunct professor at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University and the School of Law, University of Tasmania, with particular research interests in the fields of protected area policy, practical conservation planning and mechanisms to integrate conservation outcomes on public and private lands. James has previously worked in the fields of conservation policy and planning for government environment departments and agencies, and for non-government environment organisations.
Australia’s biodiversity faces mutliple challenges from the legacies from the past, to current and emerging threats. The Biodiversity Council provides a science-based voice to identify not only emerging threats but practical solutions to manage and conservation our natural heritage.
