Lauren Arabena
Cultural Strategic Lead
Lauren Arabena is a descendant of the Meriam people from Murray Island in the Torres Strait. Currently living and raising her family on Bunurong Country on the Mornington Peninsula, Lauren has joined the Biodiversity Council as Cultural Strategic Lead to support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives on the Biodiversity Council. She brings over ten years of experience in administrative and support roles.
Alongside her Administration and support skills, Lauren is interested in wildlife conservation. This interest has taken her to places like South Africa, Madagascar, Borneo (Malaysia), Peru, and Vanuatu, where she has volunteered for various conservation and community development programs. More locally, she worked as a zookeeper and Avian Coordinator, caring for Australian native bird species, furthering her interest and dedication to conservation. Lauren has also assisted with fieldwork monitoring programs for the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot and Helmeted Honeyeater.
Lauren is currently completing her Master of Science at the University of Melbourne and is investigating the impact of predator species on nesting Helmeted Honeyeaters at the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. Before this, Lauren completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science at Deakin University and a Diploma of Conservation and Land Management at RMIT University.
She is grateful to be working alongside experts and leaders while supporting the work of the Biodiversity Council
