Martin Taylor is doing his first mammal survey.
He’s an excited student in Griffith University’s brand new School of Australian Environmental Studies. As part of the environmental studies foundation program – the first in the country for a university – nothing was off limits.
Martin Taylor.
Dr Taylor set his traps in the forest. He had no idea what he would find.
What he discovered was cats and rats.
“That was the first message to me, that while the forest might be there, it’s highly degraded, this was not a natural forest,” he said.
“It was overrun with feral animals.”
It sparked a passion that has inspired the conversation biologist to go on to have an illustrious career stemming from his degree.
Dr Taylor graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in 1977. This year the Griffith School of Environment celebrates graduating its 40th cohort of students.
Back then a career out of environmental science was unheard of. But Dr