Rate My Professor Hedley Grantham

Associate Professor Hedley Grantham holds a joint position as Chief Scientist at Bush Heritage Australia and as an academic within the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Faculty of Science. He is also Director (Research) at Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station and affiliated with the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Grantham obtained his PhD from the University of Queensland on conservation planning in dynamic systems. Subsequently, he completed a joint postdoctoral fellowship with the University of Queensland and The Nature Conservancy, supporting the systematic planning and zoning of a Marine Protected Area network in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Over the past 15 years, he has led conservation planning programs and projects for international non-governmental organizations, including Conservation International and the Wildlife Conservation Society, spanning marine and terrestrial areas across more than 30 countries.

Grantham's research focuses on biodiversity conservation planning, integrating ecological, social, and economic factors to develop effective strategies. His work encompasses prioritizing areas for conservation, designing protected area networks, addressing climate change impacts, stakeholder engagement, economic valuations, and monitoring systems for adaptive management. He also explores ecosystem recovery, including restoration and species reintroductions with robust monitoring. Key publications include 'Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity' (Nature Communications, 2020, with J.E.M. Watson and others); 'Forest conservation: Importance of Indigenous lands' (Current Biology, 2022); 'Spatial priorities for conserving the most intact biodiverse forests within Central Africa' (Environmental Research Letters, 2020); 'Accommodating dynamic oceanographic processes and pelagic biodiversity in marine conservation planning' (PLoS ONE, 2011, with E.T. Game and others); 'Looking Back to Plan for the Future: A Short History of Systematic Conservation Planning and Its Increasing Importance in Abating Earth's Biodiversity Crisis' (Austral Ecology, 2025, with V.M. Adams and J.E.M. Watson); and 'Assessment of ecosystem status in Mozambique and implications for environmental planning' (Conservation Science and Practice, 2026, with K.R. Jones and others). Through these contributions, Grantham has advanced systematic conservation planning, influencing strategies to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services globally.