How long have you been a member of SER, why did you join, and what is your best experience with SER far?

I’ve been a member of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) for nearly ten years between my time as a consultant with Stantec and as a former researcher with the University of Western Australia. I joined SER to have better access to a broader network of professionals passionate about restoration ecology. It was great to see Stantec’s involvement in helping develop the SER International Standards for the Ecological Restoration of Mine Sites.

Natasha Banning and colleagues at a conference.

Please tell us about your career trajectory in the field of ecological restoration?

Currently, I serve as a principal scientist and group lead for rehabilitation and mine closure at Stantec in Australia. After completing a PhD in Environmental Microbiology and my first post-doctoral position overseas, I was looking to come back to Western Australia and saw an opening for a research position in jarrah forest rehabilitation following bauxite mining. I saw there was great value in this type of research, and it was something that I felt very passionate about. I ended up landing the job and have stayed in the field of restoration ecology ever since–around 20 years now.

Natasha Banning with colleagues at a conference

What do you find most rewarding about working for your organization?

I love the variety of projects and range of clients we get to work for. Since joining Stantec, I have been involved in helping drive innovation within our ecosystem restoration practice. Stantec has a dedicated Innovation Office that funds a range of projects every year to help kick-start new ideas, allowing us to spearhead the development of new innovative tools and approaches that help solve some of our client’s biggest challenges. It is great to work with a supportive community of like-minded scientist and engineers.

 

What projects are you working on right now?

Lots! A large-scale rehabilitation monitoring data review; completion criteria development for mine closure planning; using eDNA approaches for soil biodiversity assessment; remote sensing of vegetation around operational sites; and remote and on-ground monitoring of mining disturbance and rehabilitation, to name a few.

Natasha Banning at a conference

How does your work support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration?

Restoring ecosystems following intense disturbance from mining or oil and gas operations is more important than ever; and particularly in resource rich countries like Australia. Our work supports these industries to implement best-practice approaches to rehabilitation and mine closure by providing scientifically robust ecological data and interpretation for planning and decision-making. To further reinforce Stantec’s commitment to the UN Decade beyond our client’s project work, we’re proud to be one of the few architecture & engineering consultants accepted as a formal partner into the UN Decade Partnership Framework. Learn more.

What does ecological restoration mean to you?

To me, it means learning how to reconstruct ecosystems that are self-sustaining and functional and have inherent value, either to humans directly or to the natural world in general. It also means recognizing that ecosystems are complex and restoring them is a huge, but important challenge.

Why would you encourage others, particularly young people, to get involved in this field?

Now is a really exciting time to be involved in ecology, in any discipline that interests you! From remote sensing to eDNA, there are so many innovative tools that help shape our perspective and understanding of ecosystem restoration. Being involved in restoration projects means you have the reward of knowing you’re contributing towards the global effort to minimize climate change impacts.

What are you most looking forward to at SER2023?

The networking! I’m excited to connect with former and current colleagues from across the globe, and I am also looking forward to hearing about exciting new innovations in ecological monitoring and restoration techniques. If you plan to attend the conference this year and are interested in remote sensing, I’d love to meet you and welcome you to attend my presentation on Friday, 29 September — “New Approaches to Monitoring Ecosystem Restoration–from Satellites to Cells.”

What’s one thing – either industry-related or not – you learned in the last month?

That the endangered Australian numbat has been genome sequenced and found to be the closest living relative to the now extinct Tasmanian tiger, reviving speculation about the potential to bring it back from the dead.

Natasha Banning Sailing

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?

I used to do a lot of weekend sailing in a 2-person, 12-foot dinghy (called a Cherub) with my partner (pre-children, of course). We once won the Western Australian state championship!