Dr Haydn Washington

Haydn has a thirty five year history as an environmental scientist and activist. He has a degree in ecology, a Masters of Science in eco-toxicology (heavy metal pollution), a Dip. Ed., and a Ph.D. 'The Wilderness Knot' in Social Ecology (2007). Haydn was worked as an Investigations Scientist in CSIRO, a science teacher, Director of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW (1988), as an environmental consultant and as a Director of Sustainability in Local Government. He has conducted many flora surveys as a plant ecologist (e.g. Gardens of Stone NP, Wollemi NP) and worked studying the Wollemi Pine (also finding the second site). He has also worked extensively within environmental non-government organisations, being a councillor on the Australian Conservation Foundation for four terms, the secretary of the Colo Committee (which led the campaign to create Wollemi NP), and a media officer for the Wilderness Society.

Haydn is also an environmental writer, being the author of many articles, and four books on the environment - 'Ecosolutions: environmental solutions for the world and Australia' (1991), 'A sense of Wonder' (2002), 'The Wilderness Knot' (2009) and 'Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand' (coming out 2011). He is a member of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Advisory Committee.

At age 18, Haydn started work as an environmental campaigner, seeking to save the largest wilderness in the state of NSW (now Wollemi National Park). He later worked on the NSW rainforest campaign, the campaign to save the Franklin River in Tasmania, the campaign to protect the Daintree/ Wet Tropics rainforest in Queensland, and the campaign to create the Gardens of Stone National Park in NSW, which now protects some of the unique 'pagoda' rock formations. He is currently on the Executive Boards of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW and the Colong Foundation for Wilderness.