Dr. Michael Vardon is a world-leading scholar researching and teaching natural capital and ecosystem services accounting and applying it to decision-making in the public and private sectors. His knowledge of environmental accounting spans the collection of basic data, account compilation, analysis and indicators and key policy areas like biodiversity conservation and water management. His PhD studies were undertaken at the Australian National University, and his thesis was on the ecology of flying-foxes in monsoonal Australia. In 2000, he joined the Australian Bureau of Statistics, where he worked on many environmental topics, departing as the Director of the Centre of Environment and Energy Statistics in 2014, after secondments to the National Water Commission (2006), United Nations (2007-2009) and the Bureau of Meteorology (2012-13). He was a member of the Editorial Board of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting ('SEEA') of the United Nations and the Policy and Technical Expert Committee of the World Bank’s Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (‘WAVES’) Global Partnership.

Dr. Vardon is currently serving on the Australian Government’s Technical Advisory Panel on Environmental-Economic Accounting, advising the World Bank’s Global Sustainability Program, actively participating in the London Group on Environmental Accounting, a Reviewer of the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Initiative, and one of the experts updating the SEEA Central Framework.

Ph.D., M. Envi. Man. & Dev., Grad. Dip. Res. & Envi. Man., B.Ed

The developement and application of natural capital and ecosystem services accounting.