90+ Specialists. One Mission: Positive outcomes.

Complex projects need expert-level thinking, not junior-level execution. When you engage Nature Advisory, your project gets senior specialist oversight from day one.

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We provide regulatory expertise and pragmatic problem solving - from early site assessment through to operational compliance. Our team of 90 specialists keep projects on track and on budget.

180+

Wind Farm Projects

10,000+

Urban Development Projects

25+

Years Regulatory Expertise

90+

Specialists
Strong Partnerships

Leadership Team

Bernard O'Callaghan

Bernard O'Callaghan, Managing Director


Bernard is Managing Director of Nature Advisory and brings over 30 years of ecological expertise, with particular specialisation in wind farm planning, bird and bat collision risk assessment, and adaptive management strategies.

Since joining Nature Advisory in 2015 as a Senior Ecologist and Project Manager, he has led bird and bat management planning for over 25 wind farms across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.

Bernard holds a Master of Environmental Management from the University of New England and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.

His international experience is extensive, having worked across the Asia-Pacific region with World Bank, Asia Development Bank, United Nations Development Program, and the IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature (12 years), on projects on a range of innovative projects delivering on development and ecological outcomes.

Brett Lane, Director


Brett Lane is the founder of Nature Advisory and remains on its Board as a Director. Brett has had a career spanning almost 50 years in ecological research and management, including positions with both the private sector and non-government environmental groups. He brings to the company considerable experience in business leadership and management, having built successful consulting teams for a number of companies.

His approach has always been to understand client requirements, regulatory imperatives and provide creative and nature positive solutions. His years of ecological impact assessment provide the Nature Advisory team with a helpful sounding board for complex and potentially controversial projects, helping the team to develop relevant and robust scientific approaches to understanding and mitigating the impacts of development on the environment.

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Dr Inga Kulik

Dr Inga Kulik, Director, Renewable Energy


Inga brings over 28 years of expertise in ecological consulting and renewable energy development.

Since joining Nature Advisory in 2009, she has secured state and federal approvals for major wind farm projects across Victoria and Tasmania, including Dundonnell and Golden Plains Wind Farms.

Her specialisations include native vegetation, avian and bat ecology, brolga assessments, collision risk modelling, and EPBC Act and EES approvals. Inga has been engaged as Expert Witness at Planning Pannels for wind farms in victoria.

Inga holds a PhD in Geomatics from the University of Melbourne, plus Master's degrees in Spatial Information Science, Ecology and Nature Conservation from Universities in the United States and Germany.

Alan Brennan, Director & Principal Consultant


Alan is Director and Principal Consultant at Nature Advisory, where he has been instrumental since 2007.

He brings substantial expertise in ecological site assessment, impact determination, and navigating complex regulatory approval processes across land development, infrastructure (road, rail, and energy), and natural resource management projects.

Alan specialises in biodiversity interactions with planning schemes, legislation, and policy, and is regularly engaged as an Expert Witness at Planning Panels, VCAT hearings, and court cases.

A self-described migrant success story, Alan moved to Australia from Ireland at age three and has spent his career protecting Victoria's ecological values.

Alan Brennan

The Team

Onshore and Offshore Wind and Renewable Energy

Dr Inga Kulik

Dr Inga Kulik

Wind Farm Team Lead
Dr Michael Cunningham

Dr Michael Cunningham

NSW Team Lead
Jackson Clerke

Jackson Clerke

Operational Monitoring Team Lead
Dr Kate Callister

Dr Kate Callister

Project Manager/Senior Ecologist
Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis

Project Manager/Senior Ecologist
Mike Hitchcock

Mike Hitchcock

Project Manager/Senior Ecologist
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Dr John Gibbens

Project Manager/Senior Ecologist
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Dan Delany

Project Coordinator (QLD)

Urban Planning, Land Development and Infrastructure

Alan Brennan

Alan Brennan

Principal Consultant
Chris Armstrong

Chris Armstrong

Team Lead, Property Development & Conservation
Dr Amanda Dare

Dr Amanda Dare

Senior Project Manager/Zoology Line Manager

Botanists

Dr Kate Callister

Dr Kate Callister

Botany Team Lead
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Elinor Ebsworth

Senior Botanist
Arend Kwak

Arend Kwak

Senior Botanist
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Juliet Talarico

Senior Botanist

Zoologists

Dr Leah Kemp

Dr Leah Kemp

Zoology Team Leader
Amanda Dare

Dr Amanda Dare

Senior Project Manager/General Zoologist Line Manager (Vic/Tas)
Jackson Clerke

Jackson Clerke

Operations Team Lead
David Young

Dr David Young

Senior Zoologist

Bird Specialists

Guille Mayor

Guille Mayor

Senior Zoologist & Bird Field Team Line Manager (Vic/Tas)
Robin Leppitt

Dr Robin Leppitt

Senior Zoologist

Bat Specialists

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Dr Danielle Eastick

Bat Specialist/Senior Zoologist

Scent Detection Squad
Springer Spaniel

Kitty

Springer Spaniel
Gir

Gir

Red Kelpie X Wolfhound
Banjo

Banjo

Springer Spaniel
Cashew

Cashew

Springer Spaniel
Hawk Kelpie X Border Collie

Hawk (Trainee)

Kelpie x Border Collie

Specialist teams that know their craft

Our 90+ specialists are organised into dedicated teams, each with deep expertise in their discipline. Rather than generalists doing a bit of everything, we've invested in specialists who lead their field.
Zoology & Bird/Bat Specialists

Zoology & Bird/Bat Specialists

Our bird and bat team is unparalleled in Australia. We have dedicated seabird specialists (including Dr Tim Reid, co-author of the Seabird Atlas of South-eastern Australian Waters), raptor specialists with 20+ years' experience assessing golden eagles and wedge-tailed eagles, and bat ecologists who've completed acoustic monitoring on over 180 wind farms.

Some specialise in specific threatened species (orange-bellied parrots, growling grass frogs).

Our in-house bat call identification experts provide turnaround in weeks, not months. On operational monitoring, we maintain our own dog team for carcass searches - a capability most consultancies can't sustain.

Flora & Vegetation Specialists

Flora & Vegetation Specialists

Our botanists and vegetation ecologists assess native grasslands, woodland communities, and threatened flora.Others focus on habitat hectare assessment, vegetation mapping, and restoration ecology. We understand not only which species are present, but also the quality of the habitat and what it means for regulatory approvals and offsets. Our field botanists are Vegetation Quality Assessment (VQA) competency accredited by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change (DEECA) to conduct habitat hectare assessments in Victoria.

Infrastructure

Regulatory & Strategy Specialists

We have ecologists with 20+ years' experience navigating EPBC Act approvals, Environmental Effects Statements, and planning panel proceedings. These specialists shape approval strategy from day one, determining which regulatory pathways are necessary and which can be managed through mitigation.

Renewable energy

Project Management & Client Liaison

Our project managers bring ecological literacy and regulatory knowledge alongside project management discipline. They're the consistent contact clients work with, ensuring 48-hour response commitments and clear communication throughout every phase.

We invest in our people

Nature Advisory is built on expertise. That expertise only stays current through continuous learning, professional challenge, and career development.

Why this matters

Expertise isn't static. Regulatory frameworks change. New technologies emerge. We maintain our edge by investing in continuous learning and creating an environment where specialists can deepen their craft. That investment benefits our team members and our clients - you get access to cutting-edge ecological thinking, not outdated approaches.

Discuss your project

Get in touch with our team to discuss how we can help you navigate environmental challenges and deliver practical solutions.

Talk directly to an Ecologist

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