By JESSE GRAHAM
A SCIENTIST who has dedicated over 30 years to the forests around Toolangi has been recognised for his efforts, being awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honour List.
Professor David Lindenmayer received an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) award on Monday 9 June as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Prof Lindenmayer received the prestigious award for “distinguished service to conservation and the environment in the field of landscape ecology, to tertiary education and to professional organisations,” and he said that he was thrilled to receive the honour.
“Things like this don’t come out of the blue very often – it’s wonderful,” he said.
“You don’t do this kind of thing to get awards – I have a wonderful job, and I’m really grateful to the Australian community for being able to do this.”
The AO is awarded for distinguished service of a high degree, to Australia or to humanity at large.
With 31 years of working in forests, including those in the Toolangi and Central Highlands areas, Prof Lindenmayer is currently the world’s expert on the Leadbeater’s Possum.
He said that his decades of work in landscape ecology and the environment started as a child, when his parents would take him on long road-trips from Melbourne to Hervey Bay in Queensland.
In those days, there were no CDs to play, and not even a radio in the car to listen to, so he became fascinated with the changing landscapes that lay beyond the car windows.
Beginning with a passion for birds inherited from his father, Prof Lindenmayer originally studied as a marine biologist before changing fields.
To date, he has published 495 peer-reviewed scientific papers, 36 books and over 200 other publications.
He says that he doesn’t view his career as a job, but rather a way of life.
“That means there’s a lot of time working weekends, working nights and getting up early in the morning,” he said.
“It’s been great, but, in many ways, it’s a lot of hard work – even though I’m in my mid-fifties, I’ve probably got another 30 years of work to do, at least.
“But that’s okay – I couldn’t think of a better country to be doing this in, and that’s really important.”
When asked if he had a favourite moment or a stand-out memory from his 31 years of work, Lindenmayer said that his ultimate goal was still ahead.
“The greatest thing would be if we ended up with a Great Forest National Park,” he said.
“My opinion on that has not changed at all – if anything, it’s more important than ever.
“I’ve spent the last 31 years arguing about it – I don’t want to spend the next 31 years arguing about it.”
