Conserve For Life
A microconsultancy for trusted advice in the management and conservation of parks, protected areas and other green/blue spaces
Can Conserve For Life microconsultancy help you?
Do you need a short efficient burst of independent expertise and insights?
Could you benefit from an external sounding board or second opinion on your strategies, plans and program reviews to help you move forward?
Are you looking for advice on a specific issue but are not able or ready for a full deep analysis, with its obligations, longer timeframes and higher costs ?
Are you looking for quick, sharp, task-focused advice on your conservation or people-nature interaction ‘problem’ or opportunity?
Mission
Conserve For life is a microconsultancy that aims to provide personal, informed, trusted and pragmatic advice to clients in order optimise the environmental, cultural, social, and economic benefits of well managed green and blue spaces.
We need nature to flourish. Parks, protected areas and other forms of green and blue spaces, whether in urban or non-urban areas, are essential nature-based solutions for the health and wellbeing of all forms of life including our own.
Healthy functioning ecosystems deliver diverse benefits but when they break down our economic, health and social systems are directly impacted. The conservation and sustainable use of nature needs aware, informed, connected and active people to reduce the wide range of threats to its health and to actively repair the damage we have caused in the past.
Services
I provide advice across areas including
People - nature interaction and nature connection including wellbeing benefits of nature exposure and participation, volunteering programs, nature based learning and inclusion
Evaluation of management effectiveness and quantifying the benefits and services provided by nature
Policy, strategy and planning for the conservation of nature and cultural values especially through parks, protected areas and other greenspaces
Translation of policy and strategy into actions and programs including cross-sector collaboration and partnerships
Leadership and culture
I'm a strategic thinker, innovator and industry leader seeking to achieve conservation and social outcomes. As a collaborator and partnership builder across disciplines, teams and stakeholders, I always look to create mutual benefits.
About me
With 30+ years experience working at operational, senior and executive level NRM government roles I’ve covered diverse functions - from policy development to strategy and planning, program development, delivery and evaluation and partnership development.
I’ve led a wide variety of teams in park operations, environmental programs, environmental and social research and evaluation, community programs (including outdoor health, volunteering, education and inclusion) and cultural heritage. In addition I’ve actively collaborated with diverse non-government organsations from the environment, outdoor recreation, education, health, disability and community sectors.
What is a microconsultancy?
Microconsultancy projects are deliberately focused on providing, targeted advice, suggestions and problem solving for clients in a quick and efficient way. Through short sharp (often online) interactions, they can fill a gap by giving clients an external independent perspective without the timelines, expectations and obligations of larger consultancy services.
Microconsultancy services can provide quick and efficient feedback and advice, or review or shape your ideas but they certainly don’t replace the need for larger consultancy services that require deeper analysis and detailed written recommendations for complex or multi-faceted problems.
How we would work together
1. You provide a short description of your ‘problem’, opportunity or question for review and advice?
2. I review the information (note if I consider your question/problem outside my area of expertise or too complex for a microconsultancy I will refer you on).
3. We will book a ‘microsession’ to meet (online or if mutually convenient, face to face) and discuss your question/problem/opportunity.
4. I will prepare a short (one page) summary of key points/outcomes/actions
The microconsultancy service is flexible and scalable. If you require another microsession that can be arranged.
Please note that my fees are charged on an hourly rate.
Further Information
Over recent years some of the projects that I have led teams and implemented programs have included:
Design and implementation management effectiveness evaluations for parks and protected areas
Valuing Victoria’s Parks https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/about-us/valuing-victorias-parks , which sought to quantify the services and benefits (monetary and non-monetary) provided by Victoria’s parks and reserves network
Translation of Parks Victoria's Healthy Parks Healthy People tagline into real life program partnerships with the outdoor recreation, disability and health sectors
Creation of innovative partnerships and programs that have enabled more communities to connect with, participate in, contribute to, and benefit from nature settings
Strategic plans and partnerships for volunteering governance, nature-based health and wellbeing and nature-based learning and citizen science
Development and implementation of strategies and programs to conserve non-Aboriginal cultural heritage
Research partnerships an collaborations that connected academics, researchers and students with land and marine managers to help fill key information gaps and solve real-life ecological and people management ‘problems’ through collaborative environmental and social research
Strategic review of strategies for a non-government conservation organisation
Stay tuned
Recent articles
Reflections on whats changed in park and protected area management over the years
