They provide natural resources for industry, recreation opportunities, heritage and resource-use values to aboriginal communities and ecosystem services including air and water purification, nutrient cycling and wildlife habitat.

Challenges include the need to plan for complex ecosystem processes over long time horizons, to understand the role and scope of natural disturbances like fire, to manage cumulative effects and to balance competing demands. The development of land, fish or wildlife management plans often spark intense community interest, elevating the need to effectively engage stakeholders and integrate science, traditional knowledge and values in the planning process.

We’ve guided clients who need to balance economic, recreational and social interests, protect ecosystems and, in developing countries, provide basic human needs for food and fuel. Our work may involve managing biodiversity, developing recovery plans for specific species, managing multi-objective planning projects that involve endangered species and, more broadly, interpreting legislation and government policy for managing resources and species at risk.