Tree Kangaroos

Dr. Lisa Dabek has conducted groundbreaking research on tree kangaroo reproductive biology and behavior starting in the 1980s. She has been actively involved with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Program (AZA TK-SSP) since its inception in 1991. She founded and directs the award-winning and globally recognized Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program in Papua, New Guinea. She has been a contributor to the AZA Tree Kangaroo Husbandry Manual as well as numerous tree kangaroo workshops, summits, and meetings. She is based at the Woodland Park Zoo as their Senior Conservation Scientist. Professor Peter Valentine is a long-time member of James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, where he was for many years Head of the Department of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography (later the School of Earth and Environmental Science). He is an acknowledged expert on world heritage areas. He has served on the Australian Heritage Council, worked with the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area since its inception, most recently as Chair of the Wet Tropics Management Authority, and has been involved with the Natural Resource Management body for the Wet Tropics (Terrain), including serving as director for eight years. He is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas, where he served on the international steering committee, and he was editor of the Best Practice Guidelines series for six years. He is currently President of the Tree Kangaroo and Mammal Group (TKMG), an Australian regional tree kangaroo conservation organization, and is Conservation Officer and Tablelands Convener for Birdlife Australia’s Northern Queensland branch. He has been involved with IUCN Protected Areas and community-based conservation for his entire career. He has spent time at various universities around the world including the University of Hawaii, Hawaii, USA, as a professional associate at the East-West Center looking at the role of ecotourism in conservation and at the University of Montana, Montana, USA, where he worked on wilderness management. Jacque Blessington was the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Program Coordinator from 2004-2015 and is currently the program advisor. She was co-editor and contributor of the most recent AZA Tree Kangaroo Husbandry Manual. She also coordinated and contributed to eight tree kangaroo workshops, summits, and meetings, including international events in Germany, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. Dr. Karin R. Schwartz is a long-standing conservation professional with extensive experience in data management as applied to conservation programs within zoological institutions as well as for regional cooperative animal management programs and in situ conservation efforts. Her dissertation research focused on linking in situ and ex situ data management processes for endangered species recovery programs through the Species360 Zoological Information Management System. She initiated and led the development of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) records-training programs for use of Species360 software and was Co-Administrator of the Institutional Records-Keeping Course for 19 years. She has international training experience through the presentation of records training sessions for the regional zoo associations in Argentina, India, and South Korea, and for individual zoos in Ecuador, Hawaii, New York, and South Korea. Dr. Schwartz has extensive experience in international conservation efforts through involvement in IUCN/Species Survival Commission’s Conservation Planning, Conservation Translocation, Tapir, Otter, and Wildlife Health Specialist Groups. She serves as the Ex Situ/In Situ Liaison on the Management Committee of the IUCN Otter Specialist Group. She was a chapter author and editor for two books in the Biodiversity of the World series: Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation and Tree Kangaroos: Science and Conservation. These experiences led to the role of Series Editor for the Biodiversity of the World book series to oversee the development of new books on relevant endangered species.