Nathan has a deep interest in coastal landscape ecology and urbanisation, which has developed growing up on the Gold Coast in southeast Queensland, Australia. He completed a BSc in Marine Biology/Aquaculture in 1997 at Southern Cross University (Lismore) and post graduate studies in environmental management at Griffith University in 2001. Nathan has worked in local government (Gold Coast City Council) for 13 years. His PhD research investigated the habitat (2009), role and value of artificial urban waterways (residential canal estates), which are an obvious and major feature of the worlds’ estuaries.  Nathan’s research interests include ecosystem responses (freshwater, marine and estuarine) to urbanisation and landscape change, ecosystem health assessment, fish ecology, water quality, and modelling optimal mitigation responses to protect and enhance waterways and catchments.

Kerry Beggs holds a BAppSc(Hons) and PhD(Science). She has 20 years' experience in the environment sector, with her key areas of expertise being in terrestrial and freshwater ecology, biometry, environmental management and science education. Kerry has held research and teaching positions at several universities including the University of Canberra and Charles Darwin University, and worked as a science educator for CSIRO. In recent years, she has worked for consulting companies, and as the regional environment manager for Defence contractor, overseeing environmental compliance for base services and land management programs across various Defence sites in North Queensland. Kerry now runs her own environmental consultancy, EnviroBiometry.