Staff
Latitude 42’s expertise is based on the skills of its Directors, Katrina Jensz, and Barry Baker, and environmental scientists Ross Cunningham, Luke Finley and Penny Olsen. The company engages the skills of various specialist sub-consultants for tasks outside its principal areas of expertise.
Katrina Jensz
(B.Sc. Australian National University 1985)
Katrina worked for 15 years with the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage (including its precursor organisations, the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Australian Nature Conservation Agency and Environment Australia) where she gained extensive experience with interpretation and administration of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). She specialised in the management of threatened species and, in particular, her work focused on development and implementation of recovery plans for threatened species and ecological communities, threat abatement plans for key threatening processes, wildlife management plans to resolve wildlife/human interactions, and providing advice on potential impacts of proposed developments on threatened species.
Katrina has extensive experience in compiling and coordinating literature reviews and issues papers addressing population status, distribution and threats to threatened species. She also has worked extensively in interpretation and administration of conservation legislation and is currently working on various environmental issues under contract to Australian and New Zealand government departments. Projects have included development of EPBC Act guidelines for wind farm development proposals; ecological risk assessments of the import of ferrets and hybrid cats; review of recovery plans for threatened Tasmanian birds, fish and plants; development of educational materials for the Grey Nurse Shark recovery program; preparation of issues papers for 10 threatened seabird species; and provision of expert advice in describing the ecological character of four Ramsar wetlands sites.
Barry Baker
Barry Baker worked for 25 years with the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage where he gained extensive experience with wildlife management issues. He is a specialist in the management of threatened species of vertebrates, particularly birds and mammals. His work over the last 10 years has focused on development and implementation of recovery plans for threatened species, threat abatement plans for key threatening processes, and wildlife management plans to resolve wildlife/human interactions, including harvest of native wildlife.
Barry has extensive experience in compiling and coordinating literature reviews and issues papers addressing population status, distribution and threats to a diverse range of threatened species including albatrosses and petrels, koalas, kangaroos, turtles, dugongs, flying foxes and seals. With Latitude 42 he has continued to work on threatened species and bycatch issues under contract to the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries, the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry, Water and Environment, and two international agreements — the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention). Recent projects have included development of survey programs for seabirds in New Zealand; design of a monitoring program for seals in the sub-Antarctic; provision of expert advice in describing the ecological character of three Ramsar wetlands sites; demographic analyses and modelling of threatened bird populations; evaluation of the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in the conservation of albatrosses; and coordinating a long-term seabird monitoring program in National Nature Reserves in the Coral Sea.
Sheryl Hamilton
Sheryl Hamilton has more than 20 years experience as an ecologist working primarily on seabird (albatrosses, petrels and penguins) research and monitoring programs. She has extensive experience working on islands and has a keen interest in island ecology. She has also worked on demographic research programs for other avian species, marine mammals, invertebrates and marsupials. Sheryl trained as a wildlife manager (post-graduate Diploma in Wildlife Management, University of Otago) before completing a Master of Science on the ecology of Sooty Shearwaters in New Zealand.
Sheryl has extensive experience in compiling and coordinating literature reviews and writing papers on the population status, distribution and threats for a range of species. She is experienced at field work, desktop surveys, database design, data analyses and population modeling.
Ross Cunningham
(B.Sc., University of New England 1966, Dip Ed, University of New England 1967, Master of Science, Australian National University 1980, Accredited Statistician, Statistical Society of Australia, 1998)
Ross Cunningham has over 35 years experience in statistical science, working in a variety of areas, but with a particular and sustained interest in ecology. He is particularly experienced in statistical consulting, the design of experiments, including experiments and sample design for monitoring in ecology and biological conservation. Other professional interests include the application of statistics in psephology and sport science. He is an accredited statistician and has been responsible for much of the academic statistical consulting at Australian National University over the last 20 years.
Luke Finley
PhD, University of Melbourne / Australian Antarctic Division. B. Sc. (Honours). 1st Class in Marine Biology, University of Melbourne.
Luke is a marine biologist who specialises in marine and freshwater crustacea. His PhD investigated the growth and aging of Antarctic krill. He has participated on 3 voyages to Antarctica which focused on surveys of Antarctic species, including krill and Adelie Penguins.
Luke’s previous employment is diverse and cosmopolitan. He has worked in London as a research scientist, an IT administrator in a publishing company, and as a project manager at London’s largest law firm. Recently, he has assisted with a benthic marine survey for an EIS in the Port of Burnie, Tasmania; has written Action Plans for dealing with Introduced Marine Pests in APEC countries; and teaches undergraduate marine biology students at the University of Melbourne. Luke’s practical ability and versatile nature enable him to contribute on many projects conducted by Latitude 42.
Penny Olsen
(Bachelor of Science (Hons-1st), Australian National University; PhD, Australian National University)
Penny Olsen is a Visiting Fellow at the School of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University. Since completing two Australian Research Council Fellowships in 1999, she has taken on a wide range of consulting tasks for various government departments, including Department of Environment and Heritage, Bureau of Resource Sciences, Australian Greenhouse Office and Murray Darling Basin Commission. Her main skills lie in editing, writing and research for books, threatened species recovery plans, and providing advice on environmental assessments and other documents.