Bob Pressey was a conservation planner in marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments. He spent seven years as a private environmental consultant, working mainly on survey and conservation evaluation of freshwater wetlands. He spent nineteen years as a research scientist with the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, focused on semi-arid and forest ecosystems. During work with the Parks Service, Professor Pressey contributed to establishing the field of systematic conservation planning. Since 2007, he was a Professor and Chief Investigator at James Cook University's ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, with marine (as well as terrestrial and freshwater) research projects across Australia, through the Asia-Pacific region, and further afield. Professor Pressey died on July 5, 2023.
Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science