Robert (Bob) Pressey had an unconventional scientific career, starting by turning down a PhD scholarship to travel, undertaking a degree as a Master of Environmental Studies, consulting on freshwater wetlands for about seven years, followed by 19 years with the New South Wales National Parks and wildlife service, during which he established the emerging field of systematic conservation planning, then taking a position with the Australian Research Council Centre for Coral Reef Studies. His research spanned freshwater, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems and has been heavily invested in engagement with practitioners.
A driving force for all of Pressey's research was the contribution of science to real-world decisions. That contribution included software development to facilitate negotiation in conflicts between nature conservation and extractive uses, but also covered critiques of environmental decisions by governments and non-government organisations. Pressey's later focus was on demonstrating the 'residual' nature of protected areas, meaning the tendency for reservation to gravitate to areas in least need of protection, and explaining the causes and consequences of this bias, with the goal of formulating policy responses.
Professor Robert Pressey FRS died on 5 July 2023.
Professional position
- Professor, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cooke University
Subject groups
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Computer Sciences
Numerical computing
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Earth and Environmental Sciences
Agricultural and forest science
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Patterns in Populations
Environmental biology, Evolution
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Health and Human Sciences
Human geography
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Other
Public engagement, Science policy
