About us

The three Principal Consultants and Directors of  Natural Resource Planning - Rod Knight (Information and Management Systems), Phil Cullen (Landscape Ecologist) and Alistair Graham (Policy and Planning), collectively, have more than 80 years experience in natural resource management, planning, research, consultation and policy, for the rural, mining and forestry industries and for local, state, federal and international government, non-government and public sectors. 

Rod Knight (CEO)

Rod Knight has managed a natural resource planning business specialising in the integration of natural resource science, management and GIS methods since 1992.  He has been professionally involved in a range of capacities concerning natural resource management since 1987.  Rod has worked extensively on field surveys in NSW and Tasmania and has played a key technical role some of the larger natural resource programs and projects in Tasmania.  These include the Tasmanian Private Forest Reserves Program, Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystems Values project, Forest Conservation Fund and Natural Resource Management South Property Management Planning.  He has also been a member of a number of government committees advising on natural resource information systems and planning.  Rod is a member of the Ecological Society of Australia, the Society for Conservation Biology, and also sits on the Conservation Science and Policy Advisory Council of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.

Phil Cullen

Phil Cullen holds a BSc (Forestry) and MSc (Geography) and has over 25 years experience throughout Australia as a professional natural resource scientist and landscape ecologist.  Phil's expertise in conservation and natural resource management includes vegetation survey and mapping, planning and monitoring, revegetation projects, geomorphology survey and mapping, soil and landsystem mapping, soil erosion, and salinity assessment and monitoring, environmental impact assessment for rural, mining and other sectors, negotiating conservation outcomes with private landowners and aboriginal traditional owners, and conservation and reserve planning.  He has worked in all States and Territories and has a thorough understanding of most Australian terrestrial environments.

Alistair Graham

Alistair Graham holds a BSc (Honours) at Oxford University with a double major in agriculture and forestry science.  He has a diverse background in conservation policy, planning and science issues.  Alistair's expertise includes native forest conservation, Antarctic protection, energy policy, fisheries governance, climate change, land use policy and agricultural chemical use.  He has extensive national and international experience in major policies such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, prevention of mining in Antarctica, climate change agreements, Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) poaching in the Southern Ocean; threatened species conservation, and development of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.  Alistair is currently contracted to WWF International to provide advice on oceans governance reform, marine conservation and fishing policy.