Jo Lynch – Business Manager
Jo Lynch has been the Business Manager at Plant Conservation Australia since 2013. She is passionate about the protection and restoration of natural areas including bushland regeneration, weed management and increased awareness and appreciation of endangered plant species. After graduating from Southern Cross University and 18 years working in Tasmania and Sydney in the rehabilitation of natural areas and regional weed management, Jo moved to Canberra in 2007 and is responsible for seeking grants, sponsorship and donations along with promoting and raising awareness of Plant Conservation Australia and native plant conservation in Australia. Jo’s love of plants was cemented in the cool temperate rainforests of Tasmania and resulted in many overseas trips to see such botanical wonders as the redwoods of California, the rainforests of New Zealand and Patagonia, the remnant European laurel forests of the Canary Islands and the tropical rainforests of Borneo. |
Richie Southerton – Communications Manager Richie Southerton has been the Communications Manager at Plant Conservation Australia since August 2023. He has worked for the last two years with CSIRO at Black Mountain working on photography and communications material for the new weed identification app WeedScan. He has tertiary qualifications in sustainability and environmental science and is currently completing his Masters in Science Communication. He is also an excellent nature photographer which can be evidenced here https://www.richpixelphotography.com/. He is well acquainted with the outdoors, having worked as a park ranger with Parks Victoria in Gippsland and on various field expeditions with CSIRO and others.
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Paul Donatiu – Project Manager (QTPN) Paul Donatiu manages the Queensland Threatened Plant Network, a new organisation focussed on best practice conservation for listed plant species. Paul has a study background in architecture, psychology and environmental management, and has practised community development and community education. He has worked for WWF, Greening Australia, Queensland National Parks Association, Griffith University and Healthy Land and Water. Apart from species recovery, Paul’s fields of interest include ecological restoration, fire ecology, landscape ecology, and the management and preservation of cultural landscapes. Paul has also completed a Churchill Fellowship that examined how five national agencies in Europe, USA and South Africa were dealing with climate impacts on their protected areas. In his spare time, Paul can be found wandering the bush adding to his personal visual herbarium (which now totals over 2000 species), gardening, reading or wrangling his two daughters (not necessarily in that order!). |
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Caitlin Griffith – Project Manager (Victoria) Caitlin Griffith is the Project Manager for Victoria and has over 25 years’ experience working across nature conservation, community engagement and leadership. Her background spans on-ground conservation, plant surveys and ecological monitoring, alongside advocacy, citizen science and program development. Caitlin loves working at the interface of science, community and land management—designing education resources, running workshops with scientists and practitioners, and supporting advocacy for habitat protection. She is passionate about making ecological knowledge accessible and empowering communities to take action for nature. Caitlin has always had a passion for watching wildflowers emerge with a particular love for the showy pea flowers and orchids.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology and Ecology and a Graduate Certificate in Social Ecology. |
Dr. Jules Freeman – Myrtle Rust Recovery Action CoordinatorJules is the Recovery Action Coordinator for Plant Conservation Australia’s Myrtle Rust program and is leading the development of a draft resistance breeding strategy for Myrtle Rust-impacted species.
Jules is a research scientist specialising in plant genetics, with expertise spanning genomics, quantitative genetics and the genetic basis of trait variation in native and production forests. Over more than two decades, he has undertaken research across Australia and New Zealand, ranging from fundamental genetics to breeding approaches for forest and native tree species.
Since 2012, Jules has contributed to research on Myrtle Rust (Austropuccinia psidii), investigating the genetic basis of host resistance and assessing resistance breeding options for threatened and ecologically important Myrtaceae. He has collaborated with government agencies, research organisations and other partners on initiatives spanning conservation, biosecurity and forest health.
At Plant Conservation Australia, Jules works with government agencies, researchers, botanic gardens and conservation partners to support coordinated recovery efforts for Myrtle Rust-affected species. |
Richie Southerton has been the Communications Manager at Plant Conservation Australia since August 2023. He has worked for the last two years with CSIRO at Black Mountain working on photography and communications material for the new weed identification app WeedScan. He has tertiary qualifications in sustainability and environmental science and is currently completing his Masters in Science Communication. He is also an excellent nature photographer which can be evidenced here 
