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Karen Alexander (environmentalist)

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Karen Ruth Alexander
Born
Alma materMonash University
OccupationEnvironmentalist
Years active1988−present
Known forCo-founder of Tasmanian Wilderness Society

Karen Ruth Alexander OAM (born 1948) is an Australian environmentalist who was one of the founding members of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society.

Biography

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Karen Alexander was born in Melbourne. She studied mathematics at Monash University before studying geology in Tasmania, eventually receiving a Bachelor of Applied Science in Canberra. She was a co-founder of the Melbourne branch of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, dedicated to campaigning against the proposed Franklin Dam. Bob Brown described her as the "driving force in Melbourne behind turning the Franklin River campaign into a national issue".[1] When the Wilderness Society established itself nationally, Alexander was a co-director.

During 1988, she worked with the United Nations Environment Program, after which she became environment manager for the Australian Conservation Foundation. She later completed her master's degree at the University of Western Australia. Involved in the Australian Greens, she was also president of Bush Heritage Australia from 2000 to 2004. In 2005, she took up her current position in the Victorian National Parks Association.[2] Alexander was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on 8 June 2015 for "service to conservation and the environment, and to the community."[3]

References

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  1. ^ Wilson, Susan. "Karen Alexander" (PDF). Wild (July–August 2010). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2014.
  2. ^ Lambert, Judy (2014). "Alexander, Karen Ruth". The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia. Australian Women's Archive Project. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  3. ^ "It's an Honour - Honours - Search Australian Honours". www.itsanhonour.gov.au. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2016.