Jane Hutchinson – Australian Conservationist

As a part of a group of committed volunteers, Jane Hutchinson has a vision to make Tasmania a global leader in nature conservation. In 2001, she and others started the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC), which has grown from a small organization to a million dollar program that protects more than 65,000 hectares of habitat of threatened fauna and flora.

Hutchinson has been able to take TLC and make the humble not-for-profit a strong and highly-regarded organization that has been acknowledged for the innovative and important conservation work. She has put in many hours and with her experience in law has created the financial and constitutional framework for TLC.

Jane was on the Board for five years, which included a few years as President before she moved into the role of CEO. Over the years, her persistence has help the environment, and now there are many science-driven projects that protect the habitats of many species, from the Tasmanian Devil to the Clarence Galaxias native fish. In fact, TLC now protects over two percent of the private land in Tasmania.

The feminine name Jane is the Medieval version of Jehanne, which is the female form of John the English version of Iohannes. The name Iohannes is the Latin form of the Greek name Ioannes that is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan that means “Yahweh is gracious”. In fact, Jane is the most common version of the name John since the 17th century, even surpassing the female name Joan.