Research project leader
Rod Kennett was born and grew up in suburban Sydney, NSW. In the
mid 1980s, after completing a science degree at Macquarie
University in Sydney, he travelled north to Darwin to enjoy the
tropics, go fishing and study crocodiles. Some 20 years later he is
still in Darwin.
While in Darwin he has worked on a range of wildlife research and
management projects. He has completed an Honours degree in Zoology
at The Australian National University and then a PhD in Zoology at
the University of Queensland and the (then) fledgling Northern
Territory University (recently re-named Charles Darwin University).
In addition to this formal education, Rod worked with Aboriginal
people across the Top End building his experience and gaining an
understanding of indigenous perspectives on wildlife management and
looking after country.
In the mid 1990s as a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for
Indigenous Natural and Cultural Resource Management at the Northern
Territory University, he worked with Aboriginal people in eastern
Arnhem Land and the Gulf country on indigenous management of marine
turtles.
In 2001 he moved to Kakadu National Park as the Natural Resource
Management Project Officer before taking on the newly created
position of Natural and Cultural Programs Manager. In 2005 he moved
back to Darwin to take on the role of Coordinator of the Dugong and
Marine Turtle Management Project.
The project is a collaboration of NAILSMA partners across northern
Australia aimed at developing regional an community capacity for
the sustainable community based management of dugongs and marine
turtles
Fire Project Officer
Jean Fenton is the new Fire Project Officer for NAILSMA. She has
taken over from Wayne Davis and is based in Darwin. Jean has worked
in caring for country projects with Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities in both North Queensland and the Kimberley for
the last five years. She has been employed for a one year period to
progress greater involvement of Aboriginal people in fire
management programs across Northern Australia.
