Our Story

 
Founders - Lizzie Corke and Shayne Neal

The Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology is the life’s work of Shayne and Lizzie.

Growing up in the Australian bush lead them to study Zoology and Natural Resource Management and during this time they learned how fragile the world’s ecosystems are.  They understood not only the importance of caring for ecosystems but also the imperative for inspiring and engaging others in conservation.     

 

Together they established The Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology and the Great Ocean Ecolodge which was opened in 2004 and later that year won the Victorian Tourism Award for Best New Business. The following year, Lizzie was named the Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the Year, the first female and youngest-ever recipient of the award, and in 2007 The Australian Geographic Society bestowed the Conservation Award.

 

Lizzie has also been a member of the National Environmental Education Council and the Otways Landscape Community Council.

 

Ecological Research Manager - Dr Kellie Leigh 

 

Kellie joined the Cape Otway Centre in 2010 with proven experience in developing international conservation and research projects; her previous position was as founder and director of the non-profit Zambian Carnivore Programme www.zambiacarnivores.org (formerly African Wild Dog Conservation), a program that utilises the endangered African wild dog as a flagship species for protected area management. During her time in Zambia Kellie completed her PhD through the University of Sydney where she holds an Honorary Associate position and her key fields of expertise include conservation biology, population genetics, animal behaviour and spatial ecology.

Kellie has been the recipient of numerous research grants and has a great track record of working in partnership with government agencies, universities, conservation organisations and volunteer groups to ensure that research is translated into on-the-ground conservation actions and also incorporates community engagement and local ownership. Her community and volunteer work resulted in her nomination as an Earth Ambassador (www.earthambassadors.org). If that wasn’t enough, Kellie is also an accomplished wildlife artist and has raised money for conservation by staging several exhibitions of her paintings www.bushpalette.com

Partners and Linkages

Our Conservation Research program is rapidly expanding and we currently have several research and conservation projects under development (more on these soon!). We will be working alongside the following organisations and institutions:

Parks Victoria

 

Department of Sustainability and Environment

 

The University of Melbourne

 

The University of Sydney

 

Melbourne Zoo

 

Deakin University

 

Southern Otway Landcare Network

 

Colac Otway Shire Council

 

Engaging the community - welcoming aspiring conservationists from all over   the world

 

Annual Conservation Ecology Fellowship

Applications for the current Fellowship are now closed but we welcome your interest for the next round. More >>

Conservation Research

Be a part of important conservation research projects and work with dedicated Ecological Researchers to protect threatened and endangered species. More >>

If you are a researcher looking for interesting field projects please contact us – potential Honours, Masters and PhD projects are under development.