TierraMar, established in 2008, is a registered charity that applies nature-based solutions and other innovative approaches to secure a future where people and nature thrive together. We focus on Australia, the Pacific, and the Coral Triangle.
We help people and communities unlock that transformational change to build their resilience and halt and reverse nature loss by:
- unlocking new and innovative thinking, approaches and collaborations to meet societal challenges and create the policy enabling environment required to scale.
- fostering tomorrow’s change makers to shape a nature positive net zero world.
- enabling community led transformational action on the ground at the scale and speed needed.
We believe that a paradigm shift in global thinking and action is required if this ambition is to be achieved. Our ambition is to help achieve this paradigm shift in the places we work.
TierraMar Board
Our Story
Since 2008 TierraMar has been providing strategic, effective, innovative and balanced solutions for the conservation, protection and sustainable management of our world’s precious biodiversity and natural resources across Asia Pacific. In doing so, we have sought to ensure that sustainable businesses prosper, and communities thrive through the wise utilisation of natural capital – balancing profit and purpose.
In 2021, we transitioned from a conservation focused consulting company to a registered charity, focused on delivering a number of programs as well as continuing to provide fee for service consulting that contributes towards our 2030 goals.
As a consulting organisation, we specialised in providing a Global-Regional-Local approach to deliver local outcomes to achieve global and regional program goals and vice versa. We worked across all sectors of society: Global and regional non-government and government agencies, national governments and non-government organisations (with a focus on Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and South-east Asia), private sector, and local communities and community groups.
Our clients included multilateral agencies, national and state governments, natural resource management and conservation organisations, international conservation and development NGOs, scientific research agencies and universities, Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) agencies, international consulting firms and several international development banks.
Anissa Lawrence, Managing Director & Founder
Anissa is qualified in environmental science and accounting with experience in coastal and marine natural resource management (NRM), conservation, communication, business and risk management. Anissa previously held leadership positions in a number of Australian conservation organisations focused on improving sustainability of fisheries and coastal and marine ecosystems. She has held senior positions in a number of leading international consulting and professional services firms where she provided expertise in environmental, business, operational and technological risk management, systems and process design and control, and strategic planning and management.
Diane Tarte, Chair
Diane Tarte is an ecosystem and oceans policy expert who was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to marine and coastal conservation in 2003. Diane is focused on ecosystem-based management of coasts, marine ecosystems, waterways and fisheries. For 45 years she has helped protect the Great Barrier Reef and tropical coastal wetlands. She is director of Marine Ecosystem Policy Advisors, the independent chair of the Dry Tropics Partnership for Healthy Waters, and the Great Barrier Reef Regional Report Cards Technical Working Group, the Australian Committee for IUCN representative on the Reef 2050 Plan Advisory Committee, and a member of the CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Advisory Committee.
Ray is a founding member of TierraMar and an experienced conservationist who has worked with governments, conservation groups and communities throughout the Asia-Pacific region for 30 years. From 1988 – 2009, he was Director of Conservation for WWF Australia, leading conservation activities, research, policy development, advocacy, and community outreach. This included chairing the International Marine Advisory Group; and establishing the South Pacific, Antarctic and Southern Ocean programs. From 2012 – 2018, Ray was also Southwest Pacific Region Director with Island Conservation, which prevents extinction through removal of invasive species. Ray’s expertise is in the development, funding and management of conservation programs.
Peter Cochrane, Director
Peter is a Councillor and Vice President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He chairs the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, and Australia’s Tropical Herbarium, and is a director of the SIMS Foundation. Peter is a Commissioner with the NSW Independent Planning Commission and an Assistant Commissioner with the NSW Natural Resources Commission. He is a member of the Marine National Facility National Benefit Assessment Committee. He retired from full-time employment in 2013 after fourteen years as Director of National Parks with the Australian Government. He has over thirty years of senior government and private sector experience in the environment and resources sectors, with a career spanning plant ecology research, policy advice, the oil and gas industry, and nature conservation policy and programs. He has a BSc and Master of Public Policy from ANU, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science UNSW.
Sue Fyfe, Director
Sue is an environmental scientist with 20 years experience as an executive in the public sector, leading environmental policy, science, natural history collections, information and data initiatives. She has led programs in blue carbon, environmental science, environmental economic accounting and national state of the environment reporting as head of the Environmental Science and Nature Based Solutions branch in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. She was director of Biodiversity Science at the Australian National Botanic Gardens for 4 years including as deputy director of the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research and Australian National Herbarium. Sue has a PhD in marine sciences focusing on seagrass health, and a BSc honours in vegetation ecology and spatial sciences. She has hands on experience in teaching, research, environmental consulting, horticulture, bush rehabilitation and in local council.
Imogen Corlette, Director
Imogen is a graduate of Sydney and Melbourne Universities. She’s a communications strategist who works with people to craft stories that inspire action. She has worked with a wide range of people and industries including the arts, academia, politics and science. She led the NSW Government’s Drought Communications Taskforce for two years helping rural communities in particular. Following this she led communications for the bushfires, flood and COVID border closures. She’s passionate about sustainability in all its forms.
Leigh Thompson, Director
Leigh is a qualified Accountant (CPA) and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has qualifications in Project Management, Carbon Accounting, Sustainable Energy and Sustainable Resource Management, with a particular focus on emissions reduction and carbon sequestration through nature based land solutions. Leigh holds a Bachelor of Commerce (UON), Grad Diploma Environment & Climate Emergency (Curtin) and Grad Diploma in Sustainable Energy (UOQ). She is passionate about solving problems and creating solutions to achieve true carbon neutrality.
