Expert Environmental
Consultants in Sydney

He holds a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Ecology and Environmental Science from the University of Edinburgh and is a BAM Accredited Assessor (accreditation number BAAS24031) listed on the NSW Government's public register.

Before establishing ESEA, Clayton worked for various environmental consultancies in Sydney and the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, including the post-fire recovery working group for the Gang-gang Cockatoo and the conservation-action steering committee for migratory shorebirds in 2020 and 2021.

He is WIRES Wildlife Immediate Rescue and Care trained and holds professional membership of the Ecological Consultants Association of NSW and the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand.

He is WIRES Wildlife Immediate Rescue and Care trained, Bat Rescue and Care trained, and is currently progressing towards accreditation as a BAM Accredited Assessor. Aran has a strong background in field-based ecological research and monitoring.

As a Research Assistant with the University of Sydney, he contributed to longitudinal research programs across a broad range of Australian ecosystems, including coral reef and island ecology at One Tree Island Research Station, tropical wetland and savanna ecology in Mary River National Park, and arid-zone ecology at Ethabuka Nature Reserve in the Simpson Desert. His broader professional experience includes fauna survey, wildlife handling, and ecological assessment, together with epizootic disease monitoring undertaken for the Department of Primary Industries as part of wildlife health surveillance programs.

Within ESEA, Aran manages the planning and delivery of field ecology programs, including threatened species surveys, habitat assessments, and technology-assisted survey work. He is responsible for the use of thermal imaging, drone-based survey, and other remote-sensing methods, and plays a key role in ESEA’s GIS mapping and spatial analysis.

Aran also develops survey methodologies, coordinates field data collection, and supports the preparation of ecological mapping and assessment outputs across ESEA projects.

His earlier professional work in the United Kingdom included environmental assessment, air quality analysis, and rail-sector sustainability, where he was part of the team recognised with an RSSB Executive Committee Excellence Award in 2023 for the Stations Air Quality Data Hub. He is an Associate Member of the Institution of Environmental Sciences and an Affiliate Member of the Institute of Air Quality Management.

He works across ecological field survey, mapping, and reporting and is WIRES Wildlife Immediate Rescue and Care trained. Liam has also worked as a Research Assistant with the University of Sydney, contributing to field-based wildlife research across northern and regional Australia. This included supporting research into Cane Toad movement ecology along the Mary River in the Northern Territory, as well as assisting with conservation research at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, including work associated with the Greater Bilby breeding and conservation program.

Liam also has previous bush regeneration experience across a diverse range of Sydney landscapes, including the Upper North Shore and Northern Beaches, developing practical experience in vegetation management plan implementation, bushland restoration, weed management, and native and exotic vegetation identification.

In addition to his ecological work, Liam manages much of ESEA’s business and financial development strategy, including project scoping and pricing, project financial analysis, and the preparation of tender applications.

He is the lead author of the peer-reviewed paper Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and Stemflow: Drinking More Than Just Water, published in Austral Ecology in 2025. Connor is WIRES trained in Wildlife Immediate Rescue and Care and Bat Rescue and Care, and has also completed specialist training in eucalypt identification.

Prior to joining ESEA, Connor worked as a horticulturalist with the Merivale Group, where he developed practical experience in plant identification, vegetation establishment, and landscape maintenance. He has also volunteered with Taronga Zoo, working with the nutrition team on the formulation of a supplementary feed for koalas in captivity. These roles complement his ecological training and provide a strong practical foundation in vegetation management, animal biology, and applied conservation.

Connor has also worked as a Research Assistant with the University of Sydney, undertaking field-based wildlife research across northern and regional Australia. This included research on the movement behaviour of Cane Toads along the Mary River in the Northern Territory, as well as capture–recapture surveys of Krefft’s Gliders and Sugar Gliders near Gunnedah, NSW. This work contributed to improving knowledge of the distribution and range of Krefft’s Glider in the region. Connor also assisted with research at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, including work associated with the Greater Bilby conservation and breeding program.

Within ESEA, Connor leads much of the company’s pre-clearing, fauna safeguard, and technology-assisted survey work. He combines strong ecological field capability with practical arboricultural and tree inspection skills, bringing an integrated understanding of fauna, vegetation, and tree-based habitat assessment to the ecology team.