Rate My Professor Liz Heagney

Dr Liz Heagney serves as Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics within the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Southern Cross University. She earned her BA, BSc (Advanced Honours), and PhD from the University of New South Wales. Boasting over two decades of experience as an economic analyst and program manager in both government and private sectors, Heagney previously headed the Advanced Analytics team at the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. In this role, she propelled the state's natural capital agenda forward and successfully secured more than $1 billion in funding for environmental initiatives. Her expertise lies in designing and executing large-scale projects that reconcile production with environmental sustainability across farming, fisheries, and forestry sectors in Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific region.

Heagney's research portfolio encompasses environmental economics, ecology, protected areas, and the valuation of ecosystem services, evidenced by her Google Scholar profile with 704 citations. Notable publications include "Pelagic fish assemblages assessed using mid-water baited video: standardising fish counts using bait plume size" (Heagney et al., 2007, Marine Ecology Progress Series, cited 176 times), "Soil particulate organic matter effects on nitrogen availability after afforestation with Eucalyptus globulus" (Mendham et al., 2004, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 128 citations), "The economic value of tourism and recreation across a large protected area network" (Heagney et al., 2019, Land Use Policy, 69 citations), "Optimising recreation services from protected areas–Understanding the role of natural values, built infrastructure and contextual factors" (Heagney et al., 2018, Ecosystem Services, 63 citations), "Socio-economic benefits from protected areas in southeastern Australia" (Heagney et al., 2015, Conservation Biology, 63 citations), and "Valuing recreational services: A review of methods with application to New South Wales National Parks" (Pelletier et al., 2021, Ecosystem Services, 29 citations). She has earned accolades for research, communication, and performance from the NSW Government, University of New South Wales, Royal Zoological Society, Australian Society for Fisheries Biology, and Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society. Additionally, Heagney contributes to public discourse through articles such as "Farmers are boosting their profits and production – with nature’s help" published in The Conversation in 2026.