Meet the team
The National Malleefowl Recovery Group is driven by a small dedicated team of scientists, coordinators, and field practitioners who have spent decades working to understand and protect one of Australia's most remarkable birds. Behind them is a nationwide network of hundreds of volunteers who make the monitoring program possible. Together, they form one of the most sustained conservation efforts for any single species in Australia.
Dr Joe Benshemesh
Board Chair & Lead Scientist
Joshua Cooper
Executive Director
Graeme Tonkin
National Training & Database Manager
Dr Liz Kington
WA Project Manager
Dr Joe Benshemesh
Board Chair & Lead Scientist
Joe Benshemesh has a longstanding interest in the ecology of Malleefowl. He completed a PhD on the species’ ecology in the early 1990s and has been involved in Malleefowl research and conservation for over 30 years. He is a founding and current member of the National Malleefowl Recovery Team and the author of various iterations of the National Recovery Plan for Malleefowl, as well as numerous scientific reports and publications. His main interests include the establishment of the national monitoring system run primarily by citizen scientists, and the development of the adaptive management framework for conserving the species. Beyond facilitating the monitoring and AM programs, Joe is also involved in refining LiDAR for detecting mounds, camera-trap monitoring of predators and competitors, and working with Indigenous traditional owners to monitor Malleefowl on their land.
Joshua Cooper
Executive Director
Josh is a citizen science and environmental project manager with over 10 years’ experience in conservation and environmental projects. With experience as an Environmental Manager with Santos GLNG in the mining industry, Environmental Scientist at private consultancies, and as a Project Manager at conservation NGOs, Josh ensures the delivery of NMRG’s projects on time and to a very high standard.
Dr Liz Kington
WA Project Manager
Liz is an experienced environmental scientist and manager, proficient in research, planning, on-ground delivery, adaptation, and strategy. She works strategically, creatively and with integrity, using leadership and teamwork while engaging community and stakeholders to deliver successful environmental programs and outcomes. Liz has over 20 years of environmental and conservation experience within Western Australia.
Graeme Tonkin
National Training & Database Manager
Graeme has been involved in Malleefowl conservation since the establishment of the Cowell Malleefowl monitoring site in the early 1990’s and has been monitoring sites annually ever since. One of Graeme’s interests is camera trapping — he set up his first camera trap on Yorke Peninsula in 2008 and then, in 2017, a live camera at the Adelaide Zoo in their Mallee exhibit where two Malleefowl were housed. Graeme is a current member of the National Malleefowl Recovery Team.