About Habitat Matt Keys
"Habitat Matt" Keys is one of Australia’s leading wildlife conservationists.
He happily describes himself as "a Professional Tree Hugger".
Over the past thirty years Matt has worked with industry, community and government to protect and build new wildlife sanctuaries.
Regarded as a realist not an alarmist, he’s respected by industry leaders, journalists and public figures for his truthfulness, sincere commitment to nature and his ability to find win/win solutions for both nature and industry.
"We know there are heaps of challenges facing the environment. I don’t see much point in throwing our hands in the air. I like bringing people together, coming up with positive solutions, then getting to work on making them happen."
In his younger days Matt had a brief career as a movie actor and stuntman before dedicating his life to Nature Conservation.
"In varied roles I got beheaded, cryogenically frozen, shot dead, drowned and carried off in a body bag. In hindsight, I think the Directors were trying to send me a message about my lack of acting talent. So, I left the movie business and ran off to save the planet instead."
He soon found his life's purpose, first starting out as a volunteer with the Australian Conservation Foundation and within a few years he was appointed Australian head of international marine conservation group Surfrider Foundation. During this period Matt championed a series of significant reforms around marine conservation, many of which we still see in action today. He then founded "Habitat" in 1998 and has been part of Australian industry’s conservation conscience ever since.
"I realised that to achieve major positives for the environment, I needed to get inside the tent and work with the big end of town - get them partnering with me to do awesome things for Nature."
Over this time, he’s produced more than 1000 approved Environment Management reports and has initiated the planting of millions of trees while also protecting many sites in perpetuity.
He’s enjoyed taking industry along for the journey in achieving positive environmental results.
"This remains the key, partnering with industry to continue proving that wins for nature and shareholders can be achieved simultaneously. It isn’t always easy but it’s essential."
He is a strong believer in positive encouragement for big corporates doing the right thing.
"I’m happy to advocate for companies doing the right thing. I find this approach leads their industry competitors to lift their game too. It creates a good ripple effect".
Matt is often sought out by media to discuss major environmental issues for his honesty and ability to distill complex environmental issues into discussions that everyday people can understand.
"I’m not a holier-than-thou greenie, I’m just a normal knockabout Aussie bloke. I drink beer, eat pies, love classic cars and work fulltime for wildlife conservation.
"I get a massive buzz bringing people together to work for the greater good. I’m not interested in lecturing anyone. Instead, I like to work with industry in achieving their financial goals while concurrently working with these same companies to accomplish fantastic results for Nature."
"There’s never a dull moment in wildlife conservation. Over the years I’ve had a few near misses with lightning strikes, falling trees and accidentally stirred up plenty of cranky snakes along the way too. I’ve been through every type of weather. You name it, I’ve worked in it - fierce heat, dust storms, hail storms and I can’t even remember how many times I’ve been fried to a crisp. But that’s nature and I love it!"
"While it’s awesome knowing there’s now many new wildlife sanctuaries we’ve built together and protected for all time, I think the biggest achievement is proving companies can deliver great profits while also achieving huge wins for nature. We’ve proven so many times that it can be done."
Matt likes being upbeat and positive.
He is both an idealist and a pragmatist.
"After all these years I’ve still got a very healthy streak of idealism and I’ll happily admit to being a dreamer. I think they’re valuable qualities to hold.
"To hold the dreams and ideals of creating a healthier natural environment while also holding the pragmatism of delivering continued economic prosperity. Win/Win – that’s my beat."
