Our Approach
Philosophy and Ethical Practice
Strong conservation outcomes depend on the people, relationships and governance structures that sustain them. Landscapes thrive where communities and Traditional Custodians are meaningfully engaged and their knowledge, perspectives and priorities help shape program design and delivery.
Our approach focuses on strengthening relationships, elevating community and First Nations voices, and building trust and shared understanding of local priorities – supporting organisations to design initiatives that deliver stronger, more enduring outcomes for nature and people.
Our work is grounded in ethical practice, upholding the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), safeguarding Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) and employing co-design processes that elevate community priorities and ways of working. These commitments shape how we engage, plan, design, and deliver, ensuring that both processes and outcomes are respectful, legitimate, and community‑led.
How We Work
We operate through a lead‑consultant model, providing strategic direction while partnering with a trusted network of specialist collaborators across diverse knowledge systems and disciplines. This approach allows us to assemble the right team for each project while maintaining clear accountability, quality, and cultural integrity.
Project teams bring together First Nations and non-Indigenous expertise across community engagement, co-design, governance, ecology, heritage management and impact evaluation.
Who We Are
Dr. Michelle Frankel
Dr. Michelle Frankel
Dr. Michelle Frankel
Principal, Nature and Community Solutions
Michelle is an ecologist and trusted advisor with over 25 years of experience helping organisations achieve strong outcomes for people and nature. She supports clients to design evidence-based strategies and nature-based solutions that reflect local community and First Nations priorities, deliverin
Principal, Nature and Community Solutions
Michelle is an ecologist and trusted advisor with over 25 years of experience helping organisations achieve strong outcomes for people and nature. She supports clients to design evidence-based strategies and nature-based solutions that reflect local community and First Nations priorities, delivering measurable social, cultural, and environmental outcomes.
She is recognised for shaping social impact practice in the conservation sector, leading approaches that strengthen engagement, First Nations partnerships, and culturally grounded impact evaluation.
Michelle has held senior leadership roles guiding conservation and engagement initiatives, building cross-sector partnerships, and securing significant investment to support environmental and social outcomes. Her experience spans Australia, the United States, and the Middle East, working across government, NGOs, and the private sector on ESG-aligned initiatives.
She holds a PhD in Behavioural Ecology from Boston University and has served on the Board of the Foundation & Friends of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney since 2020.
Michael Vyse
Dr. Michelle Frankel
Dr. Michelle Frankel
Independent Consultant
Michael has over two decades of experience in ecological restoration, biodiversity planning, and nature-positive innovation. He brings a proven record of delivering large-scale, evidence-based environmental programs.
From developing biodiversity frameworks and rolling out verification programs to securing and managin
Independent Consultant
Michael has over two decades of experience in ecological restoration, biodiversity planning, and nature-positive innovation. He brings a proven record of delivering large-scale, evidence-based environmental programs.
From developing biodiversity frameworks and rolling out verification programs to securing and managing multi-million-dollar restoration initiatives, he specialised in transforming complex ecological challenges into measurable, lasting outcomes.