Growing up in the small southern Tasmanian town of Kettering, Jane Hutchinson used to look out at the towering nearby white gums around which the now-rare forty-spotted pardalote would flutter.
"I suppose growing up in that place had a very profound impact on my conservation ethic," the 41-year-old said.
Fast forward a few decades and Ms Hutchinson is head of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, an NGO which is one of the state's largest private landowners.
Formed in 2001, the TLC works in partnership with landowners to provide science-based flora and fauna conservation advice.
It also buys land on which it will place a conservation covenant, before selling.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Thanks to donations, the group also owns more than 65,000 hectares of land.
"We wanted to create a new way of achieving nature conservation," Ms Hutchinson said.
As a lawyer she was initially recruited to draft a constitution for the TLC and has remained deeply involved ever since, including helping facilitate the legal acquisition of land returned to the Aboriginal community.
The TLC is also involved with the agricultural stewardship.
"It meant that farmers could put nature on their balance sheet for the first time," Ms Hutchinson said of the program backed by government funding.
It's work from which every Australian would benefit, she added.
"We are totally surrounded by nature and part of Australia's identity is nature.
"Even if it's stepping out of the office for a breath of fresh air or swimming at the beach after work or toasting a marshmallow over an open fire, these are all experiences that we as Australians connect with."
It's a passion that has earned Ms Hutchinson the title of 2016 Tasmanian of the Year, which makes her the island state's finalist for the Australian of the Year.
"I work for an organisation I love (and) from a personal perspective I don't feel any need to be recognised," Ms Hutchinson said.
"But it's important to have an award to recognise nature conservation because it tells me people think nature matters."
TASMANIAN AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR
Jane Hutchinson - environmental conservation
SENIOR AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR
Professor Ian Allison - climate science as a glaciologist
YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR
Zac Lockhart - 20-year-old ambassador for the homeless
LOCAL HERO
Raymond Arnold - acclaimed artist who has turned the remote mining town of Queenstown into an arts hub
