Jonathon (Jono) Stevenson has had a long fascination with the ocean, starting with simple rockpool rambles and shell collecting as a child. Over time this fascination became a passion, along with birds and really anything to do with natural history. Jacques Cousteau was one of his early favourite underwater explorers and inspired him to get hold of a basic mask and snorkel and take the plunge into the sea. He obtained his SCUBA diving ticket while still in high school, which opened up new worlds to explore and at university it was a natural progression to focus on Marine Ecology, eventually completing a Masters degree in that field at Adelaide University. In 1996, Jono joined Parks Victoria as a ranger and in 2002 landed a Marine Ranger role. He was now at the forefront of maine park management in Victoria, including research, education, community engagement and enforcement. For the past two years he has been Parks Victoria's Dive Officer, responsible for managing diving operations across Parks Victoria's marine parks, but has recently returned to his Marine Ranger position. Diving and learning about the marine world is both his job and hobby, and in 2019 he had the thrill of experiencing the Sardine Run in South Africa, diving with sharks, dolphins and whales as they followed the massive sardine schools up the African east coast. With a background in marine ecology and education he is well suited to his role and continues to enjoy sharing his knowledge and experiences with others and helping people connect to Victoria's splendid marine environment.
This talk will be delivered live online with time for questions and conversation at the end. Please register for the session and you will be emailed a link before the event.
