About Us

About Queensland Ecologists

Queensland Ecologists is a specialist ecological consulting firm established in 2014, delivering expert environmental assessment and management services across Queensland. From our base in South East Queensland, our team services projects from the Gold Coast to Far North Queensland and everywhere in between.

We work with developers, town planners, landowners, councils, and government agencies to navigate Queensland’s complex environmental legislation and planning requirements. Whether you need an ecological assessment for a development application, a koala habitat assessment under SDAP State Code 25, or a Nature Repair Market feasibility assessment, our team delivers clear, practical, and defensible ecological reporting.

Our Principal Ecologist

Karen Schmidt, CEnvP — Director and Principal Ecologist

Karen founded Queensland Ecologists in 2014 after building extensive experience across government, consulting, and field ecology roles. She is a Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEnvP) under the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) — a certification that recognises environmental professionals meeting the highest standards of competency, ethics, and professional conduct.

Karen’s expertise spans the full spectrum of ecological consulting in Queensland:

  • 20+ years of professional ecology experience across Queensland
  • Expert in vegetation classification and mapping across Queensland’s diverse regional ecosystems
  • Specialist in koala habitat assessments across SEQ council areas
  • Deep knowledge of Queensland planning legislation and MSES assessment under the State Planning Policy
  • Experienced in Commonwealth EPBC Act referrals for Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) — including listed threatened species, Ramsar wetlands, and Great Barrier Reef matters
  • Extensive experience with all SEQ council planning schemes and environmental overlays

What Sets Us Apart

  • CEnvP Certified — Our team holds certification under the EIANZ scheme, demonstrating verified competency and ethical standards
  • Queensland Specialists — We don’t try to be everything to everyone. We focus exclusively on Queensland ecology, giving us unmatched depth of knowledge in local legislation, planning schemes, and regional ecosystems
  • Practical Reporting — Our reports are written for decision-makers: clear, concise, and accepted by regulators. No unnecessary padding
  • Established Relationships — We maintain working relationships with state agencies, council planning departments, and referral bodies across Queensland
  • Full-Service Ecology — From early constraints analysis through to post-approval compliance monitoring, we handle the ecology end-to-end

Our Approach

We believe good ecology shouldn’t slow your project down — it should make it stronger. Our approach prioritises:

  1. Early engagement — Identifying ecological constraints before they become costly surprises
  2. Clear communication — Plain-English reporting that developers, planners, and council officers can act on
  3. Regulatory confidence — Reports and management plans that meet the requirements of SARA, council assessment teams, and the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
  4. Value for money — Efficient field programs and targeted surveys that answer the questions your project actually needs answered

Get in Touch

Ready to discuss your project? Request a quote or call us on (07) 3018 7538. We respond to all enquiries within 24 hours.