Kirstiana Ward is an environmental and human rights lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in environmental law and conservation. She is currently the Managing Lawyer for the Environmental Defenders Office’s national Early Legal Intervention team, leading work that provides timely legal advice to protect land, biodiversity and cultural heritage across Australia. For seven years she was the Managing Lawyer of EDO North Queensland, where she represented communities, Traditional Owners, and landholders in matters involving land use, environmental approvals, and conservation outcomes.
Her work centres on integrating conservation, threatened species, and human rights into regulatory frameworks. She has played a key role in law reform processes and policy submissions, with particular expertise in areas where environmental regulation intersects with cultural and community rights.
Kirstiana is a lead stakeholder to NRMs and government for world heritage areas including the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef.Kirstiana has also works extensively in crocodile conservation, contributing to parliamentary inquiries, coexistence strategies, and community-led initiatives that recognises education, science and First laws. She has a strong connection to private landholder-led conservation, advising s on voluntary conservation and biodiversity protection mechanisms.
