|
 |
John Stanisic,
CEnvP of the Year |
Respected Brisbane scientist Dr. John Stanisic was awarded ‘Environmental Practitioner of the Year’ at the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand’s (EIANZ) Annual Conference Gala Dinner in Wellington, New Zealand on 27 October 2010.
Dr Stanisic is a Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEnvP) who has made a unique contribution to taxonomy, ecological research and consultancy. The CEnvP Chairperson, Nigel Murphy, said “John is a well deserved winner, and his work with invertebrates is critically important for the environment profession and our understanding of nature”. As both a research taxonomist and an environmental consultant, Dr Stanisic is in a unique position to create a bridge between commercial and research institutions, contributing to the understanding of terrestrial invertebrate species’ potential as a true measure of biodiversity. It is his hope that in the future this information will better guide decisions regarding biodiversity and management. As the Principal Biodiversity Scientist of Queensland environmental consultancy firm, Biodiversity Assessment and Management (BAAM) he specializes in invertebrates (“the other 99%”) as indicators of ecosystem health and in assessing the impacts of ecosystem disturbance and success of regeneration. Dr Stanisic was previously Curator of Molluscs from 1980 to 2006 and is currently Honorary Research Fellow at the Queensland Museum. He is lead author in the soon to be released “Australian Land Snails Volume 1 – a field guide to eastern Australian species”. This book is the first contemporary popular and scientific guide to the identification of 796 species of land snails found in forests and urban areas of eastern Australia. By popularizing a much maligned group of invertebrates, Dr Stanisic’s aim is to identify a suite of indicator species, representing the major groups for which field protocols can be easily repeated, to provide a ‘rapid’ assessment of ecosystem health. The CEnvP of the Year award citation notes that “John’s advocacy for an essential but often overlooked component of biodiversity, his integration of research and consultancy, and his proactive approach to funding of taxonomic research, all indicate that he is continuing to make an outstanding contribution to environmental practice”. The CEnvP Board and EIANZ Council also announced new Ecology Specialist and Impact Assessment Specialist Certification Programs, ready for launch with the December 2010 CEnvP application intake. Specialist Certification recognises professionals who have unique sets of competency and ethical standards in specialist areas of environmental practice. CEnvP was established in 2004 with the support of the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts to advance ethical and competent environmental practice. EIANZ, a non-profit professional association formed in 1987, plays a key role in Australia and New Zealand as a major contributor in the development of effective and responsible policies in environmental management. Previous CEnvP of the Year award winners have included Mark O’Brien of Beyond Neutral (2009) and Adam Smith of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (2008).
ENDS For further information, contact:
Dr John Stanisic 07 3286 7788
john@biodiversity.tv http://www.biodiversity.tv/ For more information about CEnvP certification or specialist programs, contact:
Peta Haasbroek 0435 760 025
phaasbroek@cenvp.org www.cenvp.org
|
