Dr James Fitzsimons is the director of conservation for The Nature Conservancy Australia where he oversees conservation planning, science, implementation and policy across all the projects throughout Australia. Prior to that, Dr Fitzsimons was a senior project officer with the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council where he developed recommendations for public land use along Australia’s largest river, the Murray. His work resulted in a proposed 250% increase in the reservation of river banks, floodplains and wetlands. Dr Fitzsimons also worked at the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment where he was instrumental in selecting and purchasing endangered grasslands, grassy woodlands and wetlands that were added to the National Reserve System. He is the author of numerous papers on practical conservation planning, protected area & land use policy & legislation, and wildlife ecology. He has also co-edited four books (Innovation for 21st Century Conservation, Linking Australia’s Landscapes, Valuing Nature, and Big, Bold and Blue: Lessons from Australia’s Marine Protected Areas).
