Deborah Tabart
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Deborah Tabart OAM, aka 'the Koala Woman', is Australian Koala Foundation’s fearless leader. Recognised around the world as the Koala’s most passionate advocate, she works with government, individuals and the community to deliver on AKF’s vision for a future where humans live in harmony with Koalas and their habitat. Deborah has transformed the Australian Koala Foundation into an internationally recognised scientific organisation and leading voice for Koala conservation.
Career and Achievements
In 1988, Deborah Tabart was asked by the Australian Koala Foundation Board of Directors to “raise funds to save the koala”. She quickly realised that the world of koala conservation was much more complicated than that. She faced a steep learning curve in the worlds of science, politics, development and conservation.
Under her guidance, the Australian Koala Foundation has grown from a fledgling group of koala advocates into an award-winning, international scientific organisation that has funded millions of dollars worth of research and conservation.
In January 2008, Tabart was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in acknowledgement of her contributions to the protection and management koalas and their habitat, and her service to Australia and humanity.
In 2011, Deborah Tabart OAM was awarded the Excellence in Communication Leadership (EXCEL) award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The EXCEL award is the association's highest award given to a non-member and recognises individuals who exhibit strong leadership in fostering excellence in organisational communication. Importantly, Tabart was the first woman to receive the acolade and accepted it at the IABC 2011 World Conference in San Diego, California.
Tabart has led the Australian Koala Foundation in its key achievements of the Koala Habitat Atlas (KHA) and Koala Beach, and is currently lobbying for the introduction of a Koala Protection Act to protect koala habitat. The Koala was listed as a Vulnerable species under Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in 2012, but koala habitat has never been permanently protected.
External links
- https://web.archive.org/web/20080721043617/https://www.savethekoala.com/images/media/OAM26108large.jpg
- https://web.archive.org/web/20080722121706/https://www.savethekoala.com/pdfworddocs/media/Deborah%20Tabart%20Bio%2006.pdf
- https://web.archive.org/web/20080720162413/https://www.savethekoala.com/profiledtabart.html
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