South Coast Natural Resource Management welcomes experienced new top boss Luke Bayley to the team

South Coast Natural Resource Management has welcomed newly appointed chief executive Luke Bayley who plans to hone in on environmental philanthropy and prioritise farmers and traditional landowners.

Mr Bayley joins the team after spending the past decade working for Bush Heritage Australia where he finished as the head of region for WA and South Australia managing Charles Darwin Reserve, a 68,600ha pastoral station 60km east of the small town of Perenjori in the Mid West.

He plans to diversify the region’s NRM investment stream, tapping into philanthropic donors and corporations across the globe who want to invest in projects that tackle climate change, foster sustainable agriculture, strengthen community connections with country and enhance the condition of land and waters.

“We’re at a really interesting point where the kind of work that South Coast NRM and their partners do is actually starting to get valued by our wider society, including private investment companies,” Mr Bayley said.

“I want to work with our board and team, and our partners outside of this organisation, to start tapping into that.

“Our sector needs to step up and diversify their income because we can’t rely on government funding to take these organisations into the next decade.”

However, before setting his sights on that, Mr Bayley wanted to focus on meeting with local catchment groups, farmers, traditional owners, and other regional stakeholders from Esperance to Walpole.

“The opportunity for me to lead a great organisation, and an amazing, passionate group of people, into the next phase of its life is really exciting,” he said.

Mr Bayley will draw on experience from working in the field at BHA managing feral goats, foxes and cats, cutting fire breaks and spraying weeds.

The avid sailor and mountain biker said it was a deliberate decision to transition back into a more hands-on-role.

“All my jobs have been very closely aligned to working with community and local people — whether it’s an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory or pastoralists in the upper Gascoyne,” he said.

“I continue to reflect on those experiences and how important it is for organisations like ours to be relevant to the regional community.

“That interface between land management, science and people has always driven me.”

South Coast NRM Board chair Andrew Bathgate said the board looked forward to working with Mr Bayley to build on work delivered by staff and partners.