Services
Expert science, backed by passion
We combine expert science with lateral thinking to balance successful outcomes for our clients and our inland waterways, their diverse species, and cultural significance.
Leaders in Inland Waters ecology
Everything we do at Lateral Environmental is centred around our overarching aim of improving the planning, monitoring, and management of our Inland Waters.
Trusted for our independent, scientific expertise, our clients also rely on our highly qualified and mobile team of aquatic ecologists and taxonomists for broadscale environmental services.
We’re a proudly Western Australian owned and operated company delivering independent advice that nurtures nature and development – working alongside, learning from, and empowering Traditional Owners.
Our clients always receive
- Comprehensive advice to ensure risk to Inland Waters ecology and biodiversity can be avoided, mitigated, and managed.
- Peace of mind with our combined 80+ years’ experience in the field and proven track record of successful outcomes for local government and industry and resource clients across Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
- Solutions underpinned by an awareness, consideration and empowerment of Traditional Owner cultural and spiritual connection to Inland Waters.
- Robust, cost-effective, efficient, and practical solutions as bespoke as each project environment.
- Assurance of compliance with EIA and ministerial conditions.
What We do
As a boutique environmental consultancy, we enjoy working one-on-one with our clients as trusted advisors at every stage of the project lifecycle. We deliver high-end, authentic, science-based solutions centred around:
Inland Waters
- We’re specialists in Inland Waters across vast landscapes from temporary Inland Waters to Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs).
- We work in freshwater, tidal estuarine, and salt-lake ecosystems in Northern Australia and within the Asia Pacific region.
Taxonomy
- We deliver species-level taxonomic services from our custom-built wet and dry laboratory, working closely with leading entomologists across Australia to ensure project momentum and a range of benefits for our clients.
- Our laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art software and Leica stereo microscopes with a comprehensive library of voucher specimens, and identification guides to support quick taxonomic turnarounds by our leading entomologists.
Useful Links
Multidisciplinary partnerships
- We partner with leading subterranean, flora and fauna specialists (botanists, taxonomists, zoologists) and eDNA laboratories when a multi-disciplinary approach delivers value to our clients.
- We’re proud of our close relationships with our community of:
- our partner consultancies
- NATA Lab service providers
- eDNA lab service providers
- specialist contractors
- universities
- academics
- entomologists
- and regulatory departments.
Empowering our clients to conserve our precious Inland Waters
Multidisciplinary partnerships
- We partner with leading subterranean, flora and fauna specialists (botanists, taxonomists, zoologists) and eDNA laboratories when a multi-disciplinary approach delivers value to our clients.
- We’re proud of our close relationships with our community of:
- our partner consultancies
- NATA Lab service providers
- eDNA lab service providers
- specialist contractors
- universities
- academics
- entomologists
- and regulatory departments.
Empowering our clients to conserve our precious Inland Waters
Our capabilities
- Sediment chemistry and water quality investigations
- Stream health condition assessments (AUSRIVAS, SWIRC)
- Aquatic biota and ecosystem health assessments
- Estuarine benthic infauna community studies
- Smith-Root accredited electrofishing assessments
- Environmental DNA targeted species surveys
- Heavy metal tissue and ecotoxicity studies
- Aquatic pest removal and management
We’re specialised in the taxonomy of:
- Freshwater aquatic macroinvertebrates
- Aquatic macrophytes and benthic algae
- Phytoplankton and zooplankton
- Fish
- Crayfish
- Turtles
- Water birds
- Estuarine benthic infauna communities
- Stygofauna (hyporheic and/or groundwater)
- Desktop gap analysis and literature reviews
- Source-pathway-receptor risk assessments
- Deriving local water quality guideline values
- GIS mapping and spatial analysis
- Trigger and threshold criteria reporting
- Univariate and multivariate data analysis
- Detailed technical reporting deliverables
- Technical peer reviews.
LABORATORY CAPABILITY
We are specialised in the taxonomy of:
- Sediment chemistry & Water quality investigations.
- Stream health condition assessment (AUSRIVAS, SWIRC)
- Aquatic biota and ecosystem health assessments.
- Estuarine benthic infauna community studies.
- Smith-Root accredited Electrofishing assessments.
- Environmental DNA targeted species surveys.
- Heavy metal tissue & ecotoxicity studies.
- Aquatic Pest Removal & Management.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY
- Desktop gap analysis and literature reviews.
- Source-Pathway-Receptor risk assessments.
- Deriving local water quality guideline values.
- GIS mapping & spatial analysis.
- Trigger and threshold criteria reporting.
- Univariate and multivariate data analysis.
- Detailed technical reporting deliverables.
- Technical peer reviews.
We are trusted partners at the design and scoping project phase to ensure risk to water resources and aquatic ecology can be effectively avoided, mitigated and managed, saving our clients both time and money, whilst providing science-based solutions and certainty around project environmental approvals and for compliance with EIA and Ministerial Conditions
Testimonials
We’d love to chat
If you need expert science and lateral thinking solutions for your next aquatic ecology or water management project, we’re ready to dive in.
Acknowledgement of Country
Lateral Environmental acknowledge and pay our respects to all Traditional Owners that have come before us for tens of thousands of years, those we share our current days with, and the future generations that will continue to lead the conservation, monitoring and sustainable management of our Land, Inland Waters and Sea.
We thank all Traditional Owners for sharing the cultural, spiritual, and environmental values of their Inland Waters. We are committed to working alongside, learning from, and empowering all Traditional Owners of Inland Waters across Australia.
Lateral Environmental have consent from respective Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC) / Traditional Owners to share photographs on this website.
