Dan Eyles is an ecologist with GHD’s Natural Resource and Heritage group in Mildura. Dan has ten years professional experience in environmental assessments and contribution to planning processes and approvals, including fauna and flora surveys, habitat, land and soil capability assessment. He has significant experience with the environmental legislation and assessment processes for Victoria, NSW and the Northern Territory, and has worked with both threatened and non-threatened birds, mammals and reptiles, predominantly across the Murray-Darling Basin and in remote areas of semi-arid, arid and tropical Australia throughout the NT, Qld, NSW and Vic.He is experienced in a variety of fauna survey and trapping techniques for ground-dwelling mammals and reptiles, bird survey, spotlighting, and active searching. Dan also possesses significant skills in the assessment of vegetation condition, fauna habitat assessment and flora survey, including Ecosystem/Landscape Function Analysis (EFA/LFA).

Assessed and prioritised the environmental impacts and improvements of broadscale clearing of native vegetation, management of woody weeds, and allocation of government funding towards improved land management practices and private conservation reserves. These were negotiated and implemented using legally binding Property Vegetation Plans and Management Agreements, which were registered on the title of the property. Assessments involved field surveys of vegetation, threatened species habitats, land and soil properties. Results were incorporated into desktop Biometric and Land and Soil Capability tools and mapped using ArcGIS to assess their ability to meet the improve or maintain requirements of the NSW Native Vegetation Conservation Act. Dan was also involved in several weeks of pitfall and Elliot-trap surveys for reptiles and small mammals in National Park and private grazing properties in the south-western NSW Mallee.

Dan coordinated the Regional Fire Operations Planning and prescribed burning program, and lead the engagement and consultation of land management agencies, flora and fauna experts and community groups in the planning of prescribed burning on public land, for ecological management, forest production and asset protection outcomes.