As lead science writer for The Nature Conservancy's Cool Green Science, Justine Hausheer specializes in stories where rigorous field research meets existential stakes for threatened ecosystems. Based in Australia but reporting globally, her work bridges scientific detail and human narrative.
Achievements: SEJ Award finalist, Eureka Prize nominee, and author of the forthcoming book Last Stands: The Fight for Australia's Threatened Species (NewSouth 2026).
We trace Justine Hausheer's journey from her early days at Princeton University, where she cultivated a dual passion for English literature and environmental studies, to her current role as a leading voice in conservation journalism. Her career trajectory reveals a deliberate path toward specializing in stories where scientific rigor meets existential stakes for threatened ecosystems.
"Reporting from beyond cell phone coverage has become something of a specialty – whether that's in Papua New Guinea's cloud forests or Australia's sun-baked deserts."
This 4,200-word investigation into Tasmania's critically endangered swift parrots exemplifies Hausheer's ability to weave ecological data with ethical philosophy. Through 18 months of field observations and interviews with 23 researchers, she constructs a nuanced portrait of conservation triage – the painful decisions about which species to save when resources are limited. The article's impact led to increased funding for parrot nesting box programs and sparked international dialogue about extinction ethics.
Hausheer embedded with marine biologists in the Solomon Islands for this groundbreaking account of leatherback migration patterns. Her detailed explanation of satellite tag technology (including failure rates and data interpretation challenges) set a new standard for accessible yet technically precise science journalism. The piece directly influenced regional fishing policy negotiations, demonstrating her work's real-world policy impacts.
This article showcases Hausheer's talent for making evolutionary biology compelling to casual readers. Through vivid descriptions of cuckoo nesting behaviors and interviews with indigenous knowledge holders, she transforms a niche ornithological subject into a meditation on interspecies adaptation. The piece's viral success (1.2M social shares) proves complex science storytelling can achieve mass appeal.
Hausheer consistently highlights overlooked species relationships, as seen in her analysis of mite-lizard symbiosis in Florida scrub ecosystems. Successful pitches should reveal hidden connections between species or between ecological processes and human communities.
Her leatherback turtle tracking piece demonstrates how to make technical subjects accessible. Pitch stories that show conservation tech in action – the mud, sweat, and failed prototypes behind shiny gadgets.
The swift parrot article's examination of triage ethics illustrates this priority. Propose stories that grapple with difficult questions about resource allocation or competing conservation priorities.
Hausheer's work with Martu elders in Western Australia sets a template. Pitches should integrate traditional ecological knowledge with Western science, particularly regarding fire management or species tracking.
Her account of caring for an orphaned wallaby joey shows how to personalize species recovery efforts. Propose stories that reveal the emotional labor behind conservation work.
