Club Meeting 15 June ’26. Speaker & Topic: Dr Col Limpus, UQ Adjunct Associate Professor – Half a century of learning from wildlife and observing government conservation at work.

In recognition of his remarkable contribution to natural history and conservation, The Queensland Naturalists’ Club is honoured to welcome Dr Col Limpus as the presenter of the annual C.T. White Memorial Lecture for 2026.

Col states: “I started my working career majoring in a BSc degree in Nuclear and Atomic Physics and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education that had me working within the Queensland Education Department. While teaching on the Atherton Tablelands, my interest in natural history, especially snake and shell collecting, led me to transfer back to Brisbane and restart undergraduate studies, this time in Zoology and Botany. That led to me commencing a Research Master’s Degree on sea snake toxicology while I was a high school teacher.

Within this presentation I will share my experiences across half a century as I had to re-learn some biology as I journeyed from traditional knowledge to our current state of knowledge about the complex life history and detailed population dynamics of especially marine turtles. At the same time, I have witnessed the improved delivery of Government conservation effort – although that has not always been perfect. I will talk about being fortunate to have participated in migratory marine species conservation at a time when there were tremendous improvements in technology that made our current research possible; technology that was not available to those who came before.”

Speaker CV:

2024: Retired Chief Scientific Officer, Threatened Species Operations, Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation after 63 years as a Queensland Public Servant.

Academic history: University of Queensland PhD, MSc, BSc, DipEd;

Current appointments: Adjunct Associate Professor, James Cook University School of Earth and Environmental Science;

Adjunct Associate Professor, Griffith University

Civil awards and appointments:

Officer of the Order of Australia (2020): For distinguished service to environmental science, particularly to the conservation of sea turtles and as a mentor of young scientists;

Public Service Medal (1993);

EPA Employee Excellence Award (2006) – Technical/Professional Excellence;

UNEP Convention for Conservation of Migratory Species, COP appointed Scientific Councillor (1995-2020);

Eureka Award finalist (2005) – Biodiversity Research;

International Sea Turtle Society Life-Time Achievement Award (2008);

President, International Sea Turtle Society: 2009 & Board member: 2008- 2012.

Research and Monitoring: Biology, reproductive ecology, population dynamics, population genetics, migration and climate change impacts for long lived aquatic vertebrates: marine turtles, freshwater turtles, crocodiles, dugong, and sea snakes. The results from this research and monitoring provide advice to policy and management for these species by the Queensland and Australian Governments and internationally.