John Paul Memorial Lecture 2026

September 16, 2026

17:30

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) - Convention Centre Meeting Rooms 212 & 213, level 2

Entry Fee: $20

An evening with Professor David Lindenmayer AO and Dr Laurence Berry

This intimate event brings together two leading voices in conservation to explore one of the most important environmental challenges of our time: how we protect and restore nature in a rapidly changing world.

As one of Australia’s most respected conservation scientists, Professor Lindenmayer has spent decades advancing our understanding of biodiversity, habitat loss and ecosystem recovery. Joining him is Dr Laurence Berry, who leads Trust for Nature’s conservation science program and works at the forefront of protecting and monitoring biodiversity on private land across Victoria.

Together, they will explore the contribution of private land conservation to biodiversity conservation at scale. Drawing on experience across farms, forests and conservation covenants, the conversation will consider the key challenges and opportunities facing the sector, and the role of landholders, communities and conservation organisations in delivering enduring conservation outcomes.

Guests will have the opportunity to hear firsthand insights from two highly respected experts, engage with emerging ideas in conservation science, and reflect on the growing importance of private land conservation in achieving nature-positive outcomes for future generations.

This promises to be a thought-provoking and inspiring evening, and places are limited.

We encourage you to secure your place early and join us for this unique conversation about the future of nature in Victoria and beyond.

Thank you to MCEC for generously hosting the 2026 John Paul Memorial Lecture. Trust for Nature is proud to partner with MCEC, prioritising sustainability and working towards a better future for all Victorians.

Get your tickets
An evening with Professor David Lindenmayer AO and Dr Laurence Berry

This intimate event brings together two leading voices in conservation to explore one of the most important environmental challenges of our time: how we protect and restore nature in a rapidly changing world.

As one of Australia’s most respected conservation scientists, Professor Lindenmayer has spent decades advancing our understanding of biodiversity, habitat loss and ecosystem recovery. Joining him is Dr Laurence Berry, who leads Trust for Nature’s conservation science program and works at the forefront of protecting and monitoring biodiversity on private land across Victoria.

Together, they will explore the contribution of private land conservation to biodiversity conservation at scale. Drawing on experience across farms, forests and conservation covenants, the conversation will consider the key challenges and opportunities facing the sector, and the role of landholders, communities and conservation organisations in delivering enduring conservation outcomes.

Guests will have the opportunity to hear firsthand insights from two highly respected experts, engage with emerging ideas in conservation science, and reflect on the growing importance of private land conservation in achieving nature-positive outcomes for future generations.

This promises to be a thought-provoking and inspiring evening, and places are limited.

We encourage you to secure your place early and join us for this unique conversation about the future of nature in Victoria and beyond.

Thank you to MCEC for generously hosting the 2026 John Paul Memorial Lecture. Trust for Nature is proud to partner with MCEC, prioritising sustainability and working towards a better future for all Victorians.


Meet your host: Dr Laurence Berry 

Laurence is a landscape ecologist and conservation leader with extensive experience working at the intersection of science, land management and conservation policy. He has worked across the public, private and academic sectors, leading collaborative research and conservation programs and contributing to national species recovery efforts.

Before joining Trust for Nature in 2025, Laurence was a Senior Fire Ecologist with DEECA, where he coordinated Victoria’s statewide fire ecology program. Prior to that, he was a Senior Ecologist with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy where he coordinated reintroduction work for a range of threatened mammals. He holds a PhD in landscape ecology from the Australian National University.

 Meet our distinguished guest speaker: Professor David Lindenmayer AO

Professor David Lindenmayer is an expert in forest and woodland ecology and conservation biology. He has maintained some of the largest, long-term research programs in Australia, with some exceeding 43 years in duration. David Lindenmayer has developed expertise in forest biodiversity, logging impacts, salvage logging, plantation design, biodiversity in plantations, and multiple disturbance interactions. He is among the world’s most productive and most highly-cited scientists having published 51 books and 1606 scientific articles including more than 1000 peer-reviewed papers in international scientific journals. 
 
David Lindenmayer was an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow from 2013-2018. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the American Academy of Sciences, and Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2014. His research has been recognised through numerous awards, including the Eureka Science Prize (three times), Whitley Award (10 times), the Serventy Medal, and the Whittaker Award. In 2024, he received the MacFarlane-Burnett Medal for Life Sciences from the Australian Academy of Sciences.    

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1500+ landholders across Victoria have made an incredible gesture to nature by ensuring the native habitat on their property is protected forever.