Janeen has dedicated her impressive career to conserving and restoring the landscapes of the New England region through scientific expertise, visionary thinking, and devotion to landcare values. After studying botany, ecology and natural resource management at the University of New England (UNE), she made the region her home.
Janeen has routinely combined environmental science, community engagement and cultural collaboration, working with Aboriginal community members and landholders to identify and protect culturally significant sites and threatened species. She trained junior Aboriginal Rangers in ecological survey techniques and led creative workshops during Youth Week and Reconciliation Week, connecting youth with culture and Country.
A contributor to a diverse range of projects, Janeen has been involved in the Office of Environment and Heritage’s Dryland Salinity Project, UNE’s native bird habitat research, Armidale Tree Group’s early dieback tree plantings, vegetation mapping for the Murray–Darling Basin Commission, and DCCEEW’s threatened species modelling, guiding native vegetation management across the landscape. Janeen believes the impacts of climate change and habitat fragmentation demand a rapid response on a large scale, and she has actioned this by facilitating the conservation and enhancement of over 700 hectares of koala habitat across the region, greatly exceeding the Koala Partnership’s previous annual target of 25 hectares. These significant conservation outcomes were achieved alongside 12 private landholders and partners including Local Land Services, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, CSIRO, the UNE, Armidale Tree Group, and the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust. Janeen also streamlined the Landholder Management Agreement process, maximising efficiency by focusing on large area low-cost projects, allowing the inclusion of smaller projects that had previously missed out on funding; this increased community engagement and enhanced landcare’s reputation. Janeen’s dedication and ability to connect science, people and landscapes has delivered substantial and sustained environmental outcomes. Janeen truly is a landcare legend.