Photo: Imène Meliane
Penelope Figgis AO
IUCN WCPA Regional Vice Chair Oceania
Photo: Penelope Figgis
Penelope was first appointed Vice Chair for Oceania in 2005. A political scientist, Penny has been a senior member of the environment movement for forty years, including over seventeen years as Vice President of the Australian Conservation Foundation. She has written and lectured on protected areas and World Heritage, innovative nature conservation and sustainable tourism. She has served the boards of the Australian Tourist Commission, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Uluru National Park, Board Member of the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Council, Landcare Australia, Jenolan Caves and NSW Environment Protection Authority.
She has been honoured for her life in conservation by various awards including being made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to conservation and the environment in 1994 and in 2006 receiving one of Australia’s highest honours, Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for service to the environment, nature conservation and sustainable tourism. In 2016 she received the Chair’s award “for a lifetime dedicated to conservation and outstanding service to the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas”. Email
Kay Booth
IUCN WCPA Focal Point New Zealand
Photo: Kay Booth
Dr Kay Booth is Deputy Director-General of Partnerships for the Department of Conservation. She leads the team focused on working with others to increase conservation in New Zealand.
Throughout her career, Kay has been actively involved in the environment and recreation sectors. Past roles include work in the public sector (Departments of Lands and Survey, Statistics, and Conservation), academic at Lincoln University in parks, recreation and tourism, consultant, and co-owner of MapWorld New Zealand.
Kay has been Chair of the New Zealand Conservation Authority and has also served on the NZ Walking Access Commission, the NZ Geographic Board and the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board. She has been an executive board member for various environment and recreation organisations.
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Photo: Jim and Jean Thomas with Future of Nature award.
Jim Thomas
IUCN WCPA Focal Point Papua New Guinea
Jim Thomas BSc (Hons) is a passionate conservationist working in Papua New Guinea (PNG) & Australia. He is the CEO of the Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) where he is protecting the Torricelli Mountain Range in North-West PNG. TCA’s flagship species is the Tenkile Tree Kangaroo which is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. This species has recovered considerably since the appointment of Jim & TCA.
Jim has received many awards over the years - most notably the ‘Distinguished Alumni Award’ from LaTrobe University & ‘Conservationist of the Year 2013’ from Australian Geographic. Jim is a member of IUCN’s Primary Forest Task Team & WCPA.
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James Hattam
IUCN WCPA Advisor and Focal Point for Young Professionals, Oceania
Photo: James Hattam
James is an active member of the World Commission on Protected Areas’ Young Professionals Network co-contributing to a number of initiatives focusing on intergenerational leadership.
He is a Conservation Ecologist with over ten years’ experience working in the conservation sector, with government and not-for-profit organisations in Victoria and Tasmania. He is currently the Philanthropy and Engagement Manager at the Tasmanian Land Conservancy; his passion is centred on people and connecting people to the natural world through shared experiences, storytelling and community involvement.
James is a Board member of the quarterly journal Island Magazine, one of Australia’s leading literary magazines, a print-only quarterly of ideas, writing and culture. James is a member of the international steering committee for Coalition Wild, a not-for-profit organization based in the United State of America that galvanizes, connects, and equips the world’s young change makers to tackle our planet’s greatest conservation and sustainability challenges.
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