CV

Ven. Ngawang Tenzin (Dr. Alexander Anderson)

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Biosketch

My academic research and employment has focussed on a scientific understanding of interdependence (see Google Scholar profile), giving me the opportunity to develop an understanding of forest ecology, especially impacts of climate change on biodiversity, as well as skills in data analysis, interpretation and communication, and in education as a lecturer and field demonstrator.

Through my research I also endeavoured to link biodiversity conservation and sustainable development via participatory research, including integrating traditional and western scientific knowledge. Later I also focussed on attributes relating to resilience of tropical forest communities to global change and landscape modification.

My research experiences in Australia, including with Indigenous groups, and also in Colombia, Brazil, Nepal and Thailand, allowed me to develop skills in logistics, planning and coordination of field work in remote wilderness areas, as well as cross-cultural communication and education. Travel also gave me the opportunity to develop language fluency in French, Spanish (Castellano) and Portuguese (Brazilian).

I also sought to engage with the broader community, for example through presenting my research at remote schools in Australia, including in Indigenous communities. I have also explored community engagement through collaboration with artists, particularly around bird song, including Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra percussionist Bree van Reyk and composer Rae Howell.

During my studies I found relief from stress through yoga and martial arts, and opportunity to train in the instruction of embodied practices. These practices also led me to meditation. My experiences on the inner, contemplative path have brought me towards cultivation of direct and intuitive experiences of ecology as “deep ecology”, “sacred ecology”, or “interbeing”, as a complement to a more cognitive approach. I also became active in the social and climate justice movements, participating in direct actions in defence of the environment.

Transitioning from academia to the Dharma, I found a passion for walking as a contemplative practice, exploring trails in the Nepal Himalaya, Camino de Santiago, the Australian Alps and Mt Kailash in Tibet, in extended solo and group pilgrimages.

Receiving full ordination as a monk in the Sakya Tibetan Tradition in May 2017, as a monastic I have studied and practiced the Zen, Vajrayana and Theravada approaches to meditation in their traditional settings, particularly in Plum Village centres in France, Pa Auk Tawya in Myanmar, and at the IBA in Kathmandu, Nepal. This has helped me to develop an understanding of their differences and similarities, and tailor Dharma instruction for practitioners from a broad range of backgrounds. Living for a total of 5 years in various spiritual communities, I have had the privilege and responsibility of supporting practitioners in a chaplaincy role, practicing deep listening, and sharing practices of healing and transformation.

In 2021 I also received ordination in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, a global sangha with both lay and monastic members, based on the bodhisattva vows and dedicated to the practice of mindfulness on the path of love and understanding.

Working closely with John Seed and Pat Fleming, coauthors with Joanna Macy and Arne Naess of the seminal Deep Ecology text “Thinking Like a Mountain”, since 2022 I have also been active in developing the network of Deep Ecology and Work That Reconnects facilitators in Australia and New Zealand (www.deepecology.org.au), in particular building a resource website and online workshops aimed at those on the front line of activism for the “Great Transition”.

Skills

Śamatha and Vipaśyanā Buddhist meditation techniques based on Ānāpānasati and Satipaṭṭhāna. Buddha Dharma in the Zen, Vajrayana and Theravada traditions, deep listening, spiritual counselling. PhD in forest ecology and impacts of climate change. Deep Ecology group process facilitation. Hatha yoga and martial arts movement practice instruction. Forest ecology, field skills including remote-area logistics: planning, safety, team co-ordination in wilderness conditions, 4WD operation and recovery. Identification of plants and wildlife, data analysis, academic communication and presentation skills, tertiary lecturing and field demonstration. Languages spoken: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese.

Qualifications

• 2022: Capra Course — 12-week course with Fritjof Capra exploring the “systems view of life” and its application in social change, spirituality, economics, management, politics, design and medicine.
• 2021: Ordination in the Plum Village “Order of Interbeing” — lay and monastic order based on the Bodhisattva vows of Mahayana Buddhism.
• 2017: Full monastic ordination, Sakya Tibetan Tradition — Preceptor: Chögye Trichen Paljor Rinpoche, Jamchen Lakhang Gompa, Bouddha, Nepal.
• 2017: Hatha Yoga teaching certification — one-month intensive training in Hatha yoga (asana, pranayama and theory), Samyak Yoga Yogpeeth, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
• 2007–2012: Doctorate in Ecology — Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, James Cook University, Australia: “Climate drivers and Community Structure in Rainforest Birds of North Queensland”. Supervisors: Dr Luke Shoo, Prof Richard Pearson, Prof Steven Williams.
• 2002–2012: Martial Arts Instructor, Capoeira — Sydney, Australia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• 2002–2003: Honours in Zoology — “Population genetic structure in the Grey-headed Robin”. Principal supervisor Dr Michelle Waycott.
• 1999–2001: Bachelor of Science, Zoology and Botany — James Cook University, QLD, Australia.

Contemplative History (selected)

• 2020–2021: 1.5-year residency, Plum Village Monastery — facilitation of meditation groups, daily practices, chanting, meditation, and mindfulness in daily life. Blue Mountains, Australia.
• 2020: The Yoga of Sensory Awareness — a 4.5-day intensive with Donna Farhi. Melbourne, Australia.
• 2017: Three-month intensive Śamatha Retreat, Pa Auk Tawya Monastery — study and practice of the traditional Theravada approach to mindfulness of breathing based on Ānāpānasati. Moulmein, Myanmar.
• 2017–2027 (ongoing): Complete Path Program — 7-year training course (now extended) taught by His Holiness Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, the 42nd Sakya Trizin, focused mainly on the Vajrayana path as taught in the Sakya tradition. Kathmandu, Nepal.
• 2015–2016: Institut des Hautes Études Bouddhiques, Plum Village — one-year program of monastic preparatory training in the community of Ven. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, based on the novice and bodhisattva precepts. Thénac, France.
• 2014–2015: Institut des Hautes Études Bouddhiques, Plum Village — one-year program of training in “mindfulness in daily life” in the community of Ven. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, based on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta). Thénac, France.

Retreat Facilitation (selected)

See News → Events for a fuller, dated listing of recent and upcoming retreats and talks.

• 2025–2026: Metta and śamatha retreats, International Buddhist Academy, Kathmandu — co-facilitated with Christian Bernert.
• 2025–2026: Forest mindfulness retreats, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong — one-day (2025) and two-day (2026) “Walking in Peace” events.
• 2023 onward: One-day “Calm, Cool, and Re-collected” retreat series, Concord, NSW — with the Metta Centre, Sydney.
• 2025: One-day Deep Ecology workshop, Thora, NSW — with John Seed and Karin Raven Steininger.
• 2023: Yuraygir Dharma Yatra — nine-day trek with yoga, meditation, mindfulness and deep ecology process along the Yuraygir coast, NSW. Co-facilitated with Robyn Gibson.
• 2023: Mindfulness of the Breath — a ten-day retreat for monastics, introducing Theravada approaches to Ānāpānasati and Satipaṭṭhāna as a base for the Mahayana approach. Sakya Tantric College, Dehradun, Uttar Pradesh, India.
• 2023: Men Aware Nature Retreat — four days of day walks, yoga, meditation, deep ecology and nature connection, New England National Park.
• 2023: Buddhist Yoga: Calm Abiding and Insight Meditation in the Non-Dual Traditions — with Bhante Dhammadipa, SIBA Retreat Centre, Victoria.
• 2023: Loving Kindness, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity — with Bhante Dhammadipa, Yarrawarra Cultural Centre, NSW.
• 2022: Deep Ecology Online Course — co-facilitated with John Seed, Eshana Bragg and others: a six-week course covering the spiral process of the Work That Reconnects with an international group of participants.

Ongoing

• Weekly meditation and discussion group, 9am, Never Never Mind Cafe, Dorrigo, NSW. Get in touch for details.
• Online sangha: Deep Eco Dharma — a monthly discussion group for ZASP course alumni and anyone interested in the intersection of Buddha Dharma and Deep Ecology.

Academic Employment History

• 2014: Adjunct research fellow, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norway — “Impacts of land-use and climate change on avian ecosystem function in the montane tropics”.
• 2013: Post-doctoral research fellow, Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, James Cook University, Australia — “Status and trends of vertebrate biodiversity in the Australian Wet Tropics”.
• 2011: Consultancy, “Walking on Ayapathu Country Together”, Cape York, Queensland — collaborative flora, fauna and cultural expeditions with Ayapathu traditional owners into Aboriginal land on Cape York Peninsula.
• 2006: Field technical staff, CSIRO fauna survey, Australian Wildlife Conservancy properties.

Remote Area Field Experience (selected)

• 2011–2013: KULLA Land Trust, Cape York Peninsula — planning, organisation and field co-ordination of a series of collaborative expeditions with traditional owners, working with teams from diverse cultural, socio-economic and educational backgrounds in a remote and challenging tropical environment.
• 2012–2013: PPBIO Nepal, Griffith University and National Trust for Nature Conservation, Nepal — organisation and co-ordination of field ecological training for masters and undergraduate students from Australia and Nepal.
• 2007–2013: Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change (JCU) and Earthwatch Foundation — co-ordination and deployment of volunteer groups from diverse backgrounds in biodiversity surveys across the Australian Wet Tropics.

Professional Memberships and Roles

• Yatra Bushwalking Club — committee member.
• Deep Ecology Australia & Aotearoa — founder, web designer and facilitator.
• Yoga Australia — accredited member.

Publications (selected)

• Patrick G Cannon, James J Gilroy, Joseph A Tobias, Alex Anderson, Torbjørn Haugaasen, David P Edwards (2019) Land-sparing agriculture sustains higher levels of avian functional diversity than land sharing. Global Change Biology.
• Brett R Scheffers, Luke Shoo, Ben Phillips, Stewart L Macdonald, Alex Anderson, Jeremy VanDerWal, Collin Storlie, Arnaud Gourret, Stephen E Williams (2017) Verticality (arboreality) and horizontal (dispersal) movement increase the resilience of vertebrates to climatic instability. Global Ecology and Biogeography.
• Anderson, A.S., Marquez, T.A., Shoo, L.P., Williams, S.E. (2014) Detectability in audio-visual surveys of tropical rainforest birds: the influence of species, weather and habitat characteristics. PLOS One.
• Anderson, A.S., Storlie, C.J., Shoo, L.P., Pearson, R.G., Williams, S.E. (2013) Current analogues of future climate indicate the likely response of a sensitive montane tropical avifauna to a warming world. PLoS ONE 8(7), e69393.
• Anderson, A.S., Reside, A.E., VanDerWal, J.J., Shoo, L.P., Pearson, R.G., Williams, S.E. (2012) Immigrants and refugees: the importance of dispersal in mediating biotic attrition under climate change. Global Change Biology 18, 2126–2134.

Talks and Presentations (selected)

• 2025: Opening talk, and a talk on “Ekayāna and the Lotus Sutra”, Metta Convention: Many Rivers, One Ocean, Sydney.
• 2025: “Zen and the Ecology of the Unconscious: Mindfulness, Compassion and Insight in a Time of Planetary Polycrisis”, Kadoorie Earth Programme, Hong Kong (online).
• 2023: “Buddhism & Deep Ecology”, HKU Centre of Buddhist Studies 20th Anniversary Series, Hong Kong.
• 2022: “Satyagraha and the Indian Tradition of Deep Ecology”, Nalanda University, Bihar, India.
• 2023: “Finding the Pure Land in the Present Moment”, Pure Land Assembly, Hong Kong.
• 2014: “Understanding and managing the impacts of climate change and land-use change on avian ecosystem function”, University of Poitiers, France.
• 2014: “Impacts of climate change on avian diversity and ecosystem function, examples from the paleo- and neotropics”, Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
• 2014: “Rapid Population Shifts in Australia’s Tropical Montane Avifauna: Monitoring Responses to Climate Change”, Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation, Cairns, Australia.
• 2013: “Exploring current analogues of future climate to evaluate the likely response of sensitive montane tropical birds to a warming world”, Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation, Costa Rica.
• 2011: “Rainforest birds on Cape York Aboriginal Land: a framework for indigenous and scientific cooperation to monitor climate change impacts in a biodiversity hotspot”, Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility, Townsville, Australia.
• 2009: “Latitudinal shifts in optimum elevation of rainforest birds in Northeastern Queensland and their relevance to predicting the impacts of climate change”, Australasian Ornithological Conference, Armidale, Australia.

Academic Teaching Experience (selected)

• 2012: Field teaching staff, “Conservation in Practice”, Chitwan National Park, Nepal — Griffith University and National Trust for Nature Conservation, Nepal.
• 2011: Teaching staff, “Climate Change Intensive”, James Cook University School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Queensland.
• 2005–2011: Field teaching staff, “Rainforest Ecology”, James Cook University Zoology Department, Queensland.
• 2005–2011: Field teaching staff, “Australia’s Vertebrate Fauna”, James Cook University School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Queensland.
• 2010: Guest lecturer, “Diversity of Australian Birds”, James Cook University Zoology Department, Queensland.
• 2009: Tutor, “Conservation Biology”, James Cook University School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Queensland.
• 2007: Field teaching staff, “Field Studies in Equatorial Tropics: Borneo”, James Cook University School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Queensland.
• 2005–2006: Field teaching staff, “Field Biology and Adaptation”, James Cook University School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Queensland.

Referees

Available on request — please get in touch.