Authors and acknowledgements

Dr Dan Metcalfe is the Director for CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere. Dan brings a strong record in science leadership that spans the broad domain of environmental research, deep network across the innovation system, as well as successful stakeholder management at all levels. Recently Dan led the coordination of CSIRO’s science response to the 2019/20 summer bushfires, and subsequent initiatives to improve government, community and industry resilience to climate-related natural hazards. He has also led CSIRO efforts to address the environmental and social consequences of the coincidence of drought, water allocations and extreme weather in the Murray-Darling Basin as well as contributing to the ongoing management of the Great Barrier Reef as member of the Reef 2050 Advisory Committee. He was awarded a PhD from the University of Cambridge for work in the tropics of South-east Asia and has also worked across southern and eastern Africa and Australasia. He spent over two decades working in landscape ecology and sustainable resource management across the rainforests and savannahs of northern and eastern Australia and has contributed to the development of monitoring and assessment protocols, provided advice and conducted assessments and reviews for state and territory governments and the national governments of Australia and New Zealand. He was a member of Minister Ley’s Wildlife and Threatened Species Bushfire Recovery Expert Panel and was author of the Land theme in the 2016 State of the Environment Report.

Mr Oliver Costello is a Bundjalung man from the Northern Rivers of NSW and has been actively engaged in Cultural Land Management projects. He believes strongly in the role of Aboriginal culture as a keystone to maintaining livelihoods, supporting identity, connection to Country and enabling healthy and regenerative communities to care for Country. He co-founded the Firesticks Initiative and is a founding Director of both the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation and Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education and Community Management from the University of Technology, Sydney. He has a broad range of experience in Natural Cultural Resource management, cultural fire practices, Aboriginal Joint Management partnerships, Culturally significant species and threatened species management. Oliver works to support a range of research, policy, advocacy and on ground projects. He is passionate about Aboriginal leadership, empowerment, partnerships and recognition of cultural knowledge and practice.