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Steven joined nghenvironmental in August 2006 with expertise in environmental consulting and biodiversity assessment. In the four years prior, he played a key role at Charles Sturt University, undertaking flora and fauna assessments for the Johnstone Centre (Environmental Consulting) and as a research officer within the biodiversity research and education team. As senior ecologist, Steven provides technical advice and peer-review to the nghenvironmental ecology team.
Steven is a highly experienced ecologist having undertaken more than 400 terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity surveys across eastern and central Australia since 1990. This expertise extends to a wide variety of projects, from single house lots to multi-catchment and landscape scale biodiversity surveys. Steven is currently managing the biodiversity component of several major infrastructure projects such as the Silverton Windfarm proposal in western NSW and 350kms of transmission line duplication. He is also an integral part of the biodiversity team for the Queensland Hunter Gas Pipeline, a 650km project connecting Newcastle to gas infrastructure in Queensland. Steven also has expertise in developing biodiversity strategies with the aim of seeking to improve habitat and movement corridors for threatened species in urban and residential areas.
Steven is also a highly experienced herpetologist and provides specialty advice, research and assessment on frog and reptile fauna and their habitats across NSW to a variety of projects and clients. Steven recently completed a 12 month study of the Rosenberg's Goanna in the Shoalhaven local government area. With support from Shoalhaven City Council and Southern Rivers CMA, the project improved the ecological knowledge of this threatened species in the region and increased community awareness through education. At present, Steven is reviewing several poorly studied threatened reptile species to seek improvements in knowledge of their ecological requirements
Steven is also actively involved with environmental community awareness and education. Past projects include gaining successful funding for woodland rehabilitation and habitat restoration at a local public school and facilitating a number of community field days on the dangers and myths of reptiles. Recently, in collaboration with a local community network on the NSW South Coast, Steven established an artificial microhabitat demonstration site to highlight the role this can play in ecosystem restoration.
He is an Adjunct Associate of the ecology and biodiversity group within the Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS), a leading research group at Charles Sturt University, Australia's largest regional university. Steven, and in collaboration with other researchers, has published, submitted or is currently preparing a number of scientific journal manuscripts, which provide a significant contribution to the ecological knowledge of reptiles and frogs. A poorly studied fauna group, these papers aim to provide natural resource managers with updated inventories and species distribution and ecology which will be an invaluable tool in developing strategies for their future management. To view these manuscripts, follow this link.
Some of Stevens other professional memberships include the Ecological Consultants Association of NSW, the Australian Society of Herpetologists and the Ecological Society of Australia.
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