Penelope Figgis
Penelope Figgis is an Australian environmentalist, activist, and political scientist. Since 2005 she has been the Vice Chair for Oceania of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas. Figgis' research and areas of interest include national and international protected areas, biodiversity conservation policy, World Heritage, sustainable tourism, natural resource management, private land conservation and public open space management. Early life and education. Penelope Figgis's involvement with nature conservation advocacy began as a student in the late 1970s, when she campaigned heavily for the Wollemi National Park in NSW and the NSW Rainforests. In 1979 she graduated Bachelor  of Arts (First Class Honours) in Government and Public Administration, University of Sydney, with the thesis titled "The Politics of Wilderness Conservation: The Movement and the Issues". From 1981-1984 she was national lobbyist in Canberra for the Australian Conservation Foundation, where she played a major role in the campaign for the Franklin River. Career. As an inaugural Board Member of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority (from 1 July 2001), she took on the role of chairing the Parklands Advisory Committee, making recommendations regarding the care and management of the Millennium Parklands. During her time with the World Commission on  Protected Areas (WCPA), the Federal Environmental Minister announced a fivefold increase from 2008 for National Reserve System funding and increased funding for Indigenous land and sea management. Such funding had been a long term goal of the WCPA. On Australia Day 2006, she was recognised for her service to the environment and nature conservation by becoming an Officer of the Order of Australia. The award was granted for her contributions to environmental organisations, public authorities and policy development in biodiversity conservation, protected areas and sustainable tourism. She served on the 2008 NSW Ministerial Inquiry into Tourism and National Parks. In  2008 she was selected to participate in the Australia 2020 Summit under the "Population, sustainability, climate change and water" working group. From 2010 to 2014 she was the Executive Director of the Australian Committee of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (ACIUCN), during which time she led the revitalisation of ACIUCN. In 2017 she joined the Advisory Council of Future Earth Australia, Australian Academy of Science.