Julia Aglionby trained as an environmental economist and lived in the Indonesian rainforest for three years assisting the Indonesians to manage a National Park and undertaking an educational outreach programme to remote villages on a Tim Severin expedition. For the last ten years she has lived in Cumbria working as a rural practice chartered surveyor balancing farming and conservation interests. She has also has maintained links with South-East Asia through consultancy and voluntary work.