Company Staff

Dr Andrew Storey - Director

Andrew has more than 30 years’ experience in aquatic ecology, having worked in the UK, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Indonesia and Australia, specialising in the ecology and management of fish, invertebrate and waterbird communities of tropical and temperate freshwater systems. Andrew established WRM in 1995, and since then he has directed numerous biological surveys, impacts assessments and monitoring programs, particularly of mining operations (gold, copper, nickel, coal, diamonds, uranium, rare earths), published monitoring protocols for Australia’s Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar), been involved in setting QA/QC objectives for national monitoring programs (AusRivAS), and assisted in Health and Ecological Risk Assessments on large overseas mining operations. Over the last 6 years, Andrew has been heavily involved in establishing Ecological Water Requirements (EWRs) for various river systems in the south west of Western Australia which has involved detailed documentation of ecological values prior to setting flow-ecology linkages. He has also coordinated monitoring of the response of groundwater-dependent ecosystems to changing water levels (aquatic fauna of Yanchep & Leeuwin cave systems and mound springs of the east Gnangara Mound) as a precursor to developing EWRs.

More recently he has been involved in developing a Report Card for Ecosystem Health in Port Curtis, Gladstone, Qld. This follows on from his role as project manager in the Design and Implementation of Baseline Monitoring (DIBM) under Stage 3 of the South-east Queensland Regional Water Quality Management Strategy, which also developed a report card system for inland waters of SE Qld. Other recent research includes monitoring of environmental water provisions in the Lower Ord River, assessing impacts and detailing baseline conditions for the Ord Stage II expansion, and overall project management of aquatic fauna surveys for the Wungong Catchment Forest Thinning Project.

He is a member of various committees, including WA Threatened Ecological Communities Scientific Committee, Recovery Teams for Yanchep and Leeuwin caves, and various Technical Advisory Groups (i.e. Swan River Trust, Ord River Scientific Panel, CSIRO Pilbara Water Resource Assessment, Dept. of Water Southwest Sustainable Yields, WA Bittern Advisory Group, Vasse-Wonnerup Ramsar wetland). Andrew is also a key peer reviewer for several large overseas mining operations (i.e. Ok Tedi gold and copper Mine, Porgera gold mine, Hidden Valley gold mine). He has authored over 75 project reports, and published over 50 scientific papers.

For more details, visit the publications page.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Mobile: 0456 232 164
Email: andrew.storey@wetlandresearch.com.au

Susan Davies (nee Creagh) - Principal Ecologist

Sue has more than 25 years’ experience in coordinating and undertaking research projects, and in the monitoring and assessment of aquatic invertebrate and fish populations, in particular, the analysis of structure and change in invertebrate populations as indicators of ‘ecosystem health’. Sue has worked as a biologist for both academic and government organisations locally, interstate (NSW) and overseas (Caltech, California, USA). She has worked as an aquatic biologist with WRM for over a decade. Sue has considerable knowledge of threatening processes to aquatic ecosystems including alteration to natural hydrology, salinisation and sedimentation.

Sue has extensive experience in aquatic ecology, EWR assessments, and has prepared Ecological Character Descriptions (ECDs) as required under Commonwealth commitments to the Ramsar treaty on wetlands of international importance. Sue has expertise in project management and conducting field research in remote areas of the state (Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields & Southern districts), and in the analysis and interpretation of biological data. Sue has also been closely involved with the development, implementation and refinement of system-specific operational water quality guidelines for a number of Pilbara and Kimberley mine sites, in accordance with ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) protocols (link to ERISS ADM paper). As part of this process, Sue worked closely with government and private research organisations, strengthening WRM’s commitment to collaborate with scientific bodies across Australia. Sue has authored more than 90 project reports and nine peer-reviewed scientific journal articles.

For more details, visit the publications page.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Mobile: 0437 804 100
Email: susan.davies@wetlandresearch.com.au

Bonita Clark - Senior Ecologist

Bonita holds a BSc (1st Class Hons.) in Conservation Biology and Environmental Management from The University of Western Australia, and has been involved in the research and management of inland aquatic ecosystems for over a decade. Under the guidance of Andrew Storey and WRM principal ecologists since 2010, Bonita has gained extensive experience in water/sediment quality monitoring, baseline aquatic biota surveys and environmental impact assessments across a broad range of wetland types, from arid-zone salt lakes to high-altitude tropical forest streams. She is proficient in a range of statistical analyses (uni- & multi-variate) and interpretation of biological data, and has led numerous projects in remote and difficult locations for industry and government clients throughout Western Australia.

Bonita has authored/co-authored over 40 technical reports, having a proven record in high-quality preparation and timely submission. She also has a knack for invertebrate taxonomy, with particular interest in the taxa collected from WRM’s Papua New Guinea surveys, which are relatively unknown to science. Bonita recently authored a report on month-to-month variation in macroinvertebrate assemblages and species’ cohort progression in tropical mid-altitude PNG streams, finding strong evidence for community and species-level responses to seasonal changes in stream-flow conditions.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Mobile: 0400 209 102
Email: bonita.clark@wetlandresearch.com.au
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Mel Tucker - Senior Ecologist

Mel has over 10 years’ experience in the ecology and management of freshwater systems. After earning honours in environmental biology at the University of Adelaide, with a thesis focussing on the development of chironomid (non-biting midge) larvae in waste water treatment plants, Mel has worked for a variety of aquatic ecology-focussed organisations in South Australia and Victoria, with a key emphasis on the Murray-Darling basin.

Mel has extensive experience in fish biomonitoring (including boat-based electrofishing), water quality monitoring, invertebrate sampling and identification, threatened species management, vegetation surveys and project management. She is also skilled in community awareness campaigning and stakeholder engagement, having presented at numerous workshops involving stakeholders and representatives from a variety of industries across the Murray-Darling basin. She has also been a member of several threatened fish focus groups and committees, including the Coorong and Lower Lakes Scientific Advisory Group (fish ecologist representative), and the threatened fish advisory board for the purple spotted gudgeon Mogurnda adspersa and Murray hardyhead Craterocephalus fluviatilis.

Mel also has strong leadership and team management skills, having coordinated and supervised field crews in on-ground wetland and foreshore rehabilitation projects across Perth’s Swan Coastal Plain.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Email: Mel.Tucker@wetlandresearch.com.au
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Fintan Angel - Senior Ecologist

Fintan completed a degree in Environmental Biology (Curtin University) in 2013, and has worked with WRM since June 2015. During this time, Fintan has gained a great deal of freshwater ecology field experience, having worked in a range of environments throughout the southwest, Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia, and the floodplains of Papua New Guinea. Fintan currently manages projects for a number of WRM’s key clients, and has led or participated in aquatic ecosystem surveys to remote locations across Western Australia. Fin has strong technical skills in the species-level taxonomy of a range of aquatic fauna, including macroinvertebrates, fish and crayfish, and the analysis of ecological data using univariate and multivariate analysis techniques.

Fintan is always keen to “go the extra mile” for science and conservation, regularly volunteering his time for exciting projects such as surveys of inter-tidal mudflats of 80 Mile Beach in the Kimberley (AnnRoeBIM 2016 survey), searching for introduced crayfish across the Pilbara (DBCA redclaw survey), and interning with the Oceans Research Institute in South Africa to assist with their Great White Shark population research, identification and conservation program.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Email: fintan.angel@wetlandresearch.com.au
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Nicole Carey - Senior Ecologist

Nicole is a specialist in freshwater macroinvertebrate ecology, currently in the final stages of her Doctoral research at Murdoch University, which addresses the impacts of a drying climate on macroinvertebrate communities of Jarrah forest streams in Western Australia. Nicole is passionate about the science of freshwater ecology, having worked with a range of Western Australian aquatic ecosystem types, in the Southwest, Pilbara and Kimberley, including first authorship publications from these collaborative works. Nicole is an expert macroinvertebrate taxonomist, proficient in all groups of macroinvertebrate taxa including Chironomidae (midges). Whilst the invertebrates may be her first passion, Nicole’s interests span the whole ecosystem and interlinkages. Under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Storey and WRM Principal and Senior Ecologists, Nicole will continue to refine her skills in remote area fieldwork, fish surveys, and writing high quality technical reports.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325

nicole.carey@wetlandresearch.com.au

Nakisa Shahrestani - Ecologist

Nakisa has recently completed a Masters by Research in Environmental Management at Edith Cowan University (ECU), and joined WRM in January 2019. Her masters research project concerned the ecological characterisation of a seasonal claypan wetland in the Wandoo National Park on the Darling Escarpment, and included classification and categorisation of the wetland, spatial and temporal dynamics of ecosystem metabolism, food web studies and a rehydration experiment. Nakisa also has experience in monitoring riparian wetland vegetation across the Gnangara Mound, and conducting surface water sampling and processing for the Yellagonga Regional Park in Perth whilst working as a research assistant at ECU.

During her studies and previous work experience, Nakisa has developed strong skills in freshwater ecology sample collection, wetland flora and fauna identifications (including macroinvertebrates), laboratory processing of water and vegetation samples, as well as wetland monitoring techniques. In addition, she has skills in the analysis of environmental data using statistical software and scientific report writing.

The identification of native flora of the Southwest has become a personal interests for Nakisa, and she calls herself a wildflower enthusiast. Nakisa is passionate about the Western Australian environment and particularly the conservation of our freshwater wetlands.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Email: nakisa.shahrestani@wetlandresearch.com.au
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Alex Hickling - Ecologist

Alex completed his Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Marine and Environmental Science at Curtin University in 2014. His honours research involved a baseline study of the small rock oyster (Saccostrea mordax), situated in NW Australia. This baseline study involved a variety of components including ecotoxicology testing and ocean acidification exposure, as well as investigating the genetics, metabolic rates and topographical location of these oysters. Upon completion of his thesis, Alex travelled to Tasmania to work in a commercial oyster hatchery, and then continued his aquaculture work at a pearl oyster farm in the remote Kimberley, working as an intern and deckhand.

Most recently Alex was involved with an Antarctic benthic invertebrate sampling trip with the WA Museum. This expedition involved a three month circumnavigation of the Antarctic continent, included 22 different projects from 20+ countries, and was responsible for the collection of over 2000 samples. This work was then continued in the molecular systematics lab, where he was able to develop his laboratory skills and report writing.

Alex also has a keen interest in diving and marine invertebrates, and is looking forward to bringing his field experience to WRM.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Email: alex.hickling@wetlandresearch.com.au
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Dallas Campbell - Ecologist

Dallas recently joined WRM, after obtaining a Bachelor of Environmental Science with 1^st Class Honours from Murdoch University (2019). Her research centred on nutrient cycling in Pilbara stream systems, focusing on how additional nitrate load impacts water quality, plant nutrient concentrations and ecosystem metabolism. During her studies and since joining WRM, Dallas has developed skills in freshwater ecology sample collection, flora and fauna identifications, creating novel sampling equipment and laboratory processing of plant and invertebrate samples. In addition, she has strong skills in data analysis using various statistical software (for both univariate and multivariate techniques) and scientific report writing.

Dallas has a keen interest in science communication, especially with youth and children. In her time at University, she convened the Murdoch Environmental Restoration Group, contributing to conservation of campus bushland and community engagement. She is especially passionate about conserving WA’s natural wetlands and streams.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Find Dallas on Linkedin

dallas.campbell@wetlandresearch.com.au

Alexis Mann - Ecologist

Alexis has a Bachelor of Science in Marine and Freshwater Biology (Edith Cowan University) and is a highly skilled taxonomist. She joined WRM in 2019 and is currently plying her trade in our biological laboratory, processing and identifying both freshwater macroinvertebrate and benthic marine invertebrate specimens. Since joining WRM Alexis has since been involved with a number of field trips to both the NW and SW of Australia.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Find Alexis on Linkedin
alexis.mann@wetlandresearch.com.au

Ma-an Canasa - HSE Officer

Ma-an is WRM’s dedicated HSE Officer. She is a highly experienced HSE officer, with over 14 years’ experience working in the environmental consultancy sector. She has a diverse skillset, with expertise in the development and implementation of health and safety policies and procedures, safety and environment management systems, critical hazard analysis, dangerous goods safety and assessment, data management and analysis and QAQC. She has experience working with clients across the mining, oil and gas, engineering/infrastructure and agricultural sectors. Ma-an also has a BSc (Honours) in Forensic Science.

Contact details:
ph: (61 8) 9361 4325
Email: ma-an.canasa@wetlandresearch.com.au

Joey Laugharne - Ecologist

Joey holds a bachelor of science majoring in marine biology and zoology from the University of Western Australia. Joey has a keen interest in all things aquatic and is currently focused on laboratory work surrounding the identification of benthic marine invertebrate specimens alongside freshwater macroinvertebrates.

In his short time at WRM Joey has already proved himself to be extremely handy in the field, and has been on a number of trips to catch invasive carp and redfin species around Western Australia’s south-west, and has assisted in some of our long-term monitoring projects in the north-west.