Siwan Lovett

Siwan is a familiar face in Australian river management, beginning in 1996 as a researcher examining the impediments to managing water for the environment, to then managing a portfolio of riparian restoration projects with the former Land and Water Australia. In 2008, she founded the Australian River Restoration Centre, which she manages together with a growing team of multi-disciplinary experts. Over the past twenty-five years she has consistently raised awareness about the need for river management to acknowledge many different sources of knowledge, not just our biophysical sciences. She is a skilled communicator, facilitator, mentor and coach, and specialises in helping people find their purpose and value. At her core, Siwan is an optimist who believes in people and their ability to come together in partnership to care for the rivers that sustain life. She lives in Canberra with her husband Tom, son Finnian and two corgis, Pippa and Frodo – whenever she can she sets off in her camper trailer to spend time by rivers, waterholes and the Murrumbidgee River, where she co-owns a conservation property called ‘Cockatoo Ridge’.

The road to resilience can be a complex journey with the interdependence of environmental, social and economic outcomes. Only through unlocking the transformative power of partnerships can we, together, achieve resilient rivers, resilient communities and resilient economies.