Alliance Steering Group

Peter Rowles (Chair)

Peter Rowles is a retired secondary school science teacher and passionate conservationist who has spent decades restoring degraded habitats and creating wildlife corridors in the Cassowary Coast Region. Peter has held leadership roles in community groups including the Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation (C4), Johnstone Region Landcare Group, and Johnstone Ecological Society, and continues to promote ecological connectivity across the landscape including wildlife-friendly infrastructure projects. Recognised with a Cassowary Award from the Wet Tropics Management Authority and honorary life membership of Terrain NRM, he also served on the inaugural steering group of the Restoration Alliance from 2023–2025.

Branden Barber

Branden Barber has been CEO of Rainforest Rescue since 2018, guiding the organisation’s work to protect and restore the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland. He brings more than 25 years of experience across the non-profit and private sectors, with a focus on organisational development, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement. Branden collaborates with Traditional Owners, conservation groups, funders, and community leaders to strengthen responses to climate and biodiversity challenges. He holds a degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz and has held senior roles with Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Australia, Rainforest Action Network, and Amazon Watch, as well as serving on several environmental boards.

Dennis Ah-kee

Dennis Ah-Kee is a Wanjuru Traditional Owner from the Russell River catchment and co-founder of Jaragun EcoServices, an organisation dedicated to sustainable resource management and environmental restoration in Australia's Wet Tropics. He has extensive experience in catchment management, fisheries, and Aboriginal labour market initiatives, and contributes to Reef 2050 programs by integrating Traditional Knowledge with Western science. He is also a Wanjuru-Yidinjii Elder and has represented the Australian Government at international forums on aquaculture and employment initiatives.

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Prof. Susan Laurance

Professor Susan Laurance is a tropical ecologist whose research focuses on how land use and climate change impact rainforest plants and wildlife. With fieldwork spanning the Amazon and tropical Australia, she has contributed to global understanding of forest dynamics, biodiversity, and carbon storage. Susan has played a long-term role in Brazil’s Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project and leads research at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory, including Australia’s first artificial drought experiment in a tropical forest. Author of more than 180 peer-reviewed papers, she has secured over $9 million in research funding and advises on conservation management and restoration strategies.

Keith Smith

Keith has over 40 years’ experience in landscape conservation, threatened species recovery and protected area management, working with the Queensland State Government. For the past 25 years, Keith has worked in the field of private protected areas, negotiating over 100 conservation covenants and working closely with landowners and community groups across the region. Keith has a particular focus on landscape connectivity, championing strategic acquisitions and restoration projects in priority areas including local, state and nationally significant corridors.

Barnaby Swan

Through a regenerative portfolio, Barnaby Swan accelerates natural capital, science education, and climate technology opportunities. As founder of ClimateForce, he leads off-grid research and development projects focused on biodiversity, innovation, and sustainable agriculture. He has managed complex expedition programs in eight countries, including the Arctic, Tanzania, the South Atlantic, and Patagonia, and bridges grassroots action with strategic partnerships to deliver impactful solutions to the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss

Dr Ana Palma

Dr Ana Palma is a tropical ecologist interested in using science to understand the function of tropical ecosystems, our impacts on the environment and develop conservation strategies. Her PhD in North Queensland examined forest recovery and seedling recruitment in secondary forests, exploring ways to enhance reforestation and natural regeneration. Ana has conducted research in tropical forests across Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Australia, including studies on Neotropical primates, seed dispersal, seedling dynamics and impacts of forest fragmentation, combining ecological research with practical conservation outcomes.