ANCORS Fellow

Richard Kenchington
Visiting Professorial Fellow

Currently Chair of the Board of the International Coral Reef Action Network and Visiting Professor, Centre for Maritime Policy, University of Wollongong , Richard Kenchington was a foundation member of the staff of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) in 1977. He was Director of planning until 1990 during the declaration and initial planning of the Marine Park . He retired in 1999 as Executive Director of the Authority. He is a specialist and consultant in coral reef and tropical coastal ecosystems, marine resource sustainability and marine protected area management.

He has particular interests in policy, planning, management and monitoring at scales appropriate to the ecological, social and economic factors which apply to marine ecosystems. In 2003 he was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Pew Fellow Program in Marine Conservation. In 2002 was selected to provide an expert briefing on marine policy issues at the United Nations Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and to give testimony on coastal management as part of the United States Congress Capitol Hill Oceans Week. In 2001 he was awarded the degree of Honorary Doctor of Science in recognition of his work on coral reef and marine resource management studies. From 1990 to 1993 he was Secretary of a federal Government Inquiry into the uses and management of Australia 's Coastal Zone.

He has been closely involved in the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) since its establishment in 1994 and was Global Co-ordinator from 1997 – 1998. In this capacity he worked closely with government officials and regional and international marine organisations for all tropical seas. In1998 he convened the first International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium (ITMEMS1) and in 2003 was co-Chair of the Program Committee for ITMEMS2. In 2001 he was elected to represent ICRI on the Board of the International Coral Reef Action Network and then as Chair of the Board. As GBRMPA Senior Director External Services, he was responsible for the provision of consultant policy, program design, training and advisory services internationally but with a particular emphasis on coastal and marine issues in Asia and the Pacific. On retirement from GBRMPA he established a small consulting company RAC Marine Pty Ltd through which he continues to provide such services.

He has a long history of involvement with IUCN as a member of the Commissions on Ecology, Education and Protected Areas, he was co-proposer of the 1988 resolution on the establishment of the global representative system of Marine Protected Areas. He also served as President of the Australian Committee for IUCN in 1998 and 1999.

Trained as a Marine Ecologist in UK (B.Sc. London, M.Sc. Wales) he worked as Senior Tutor, then Research Fellow (Crown of Thorns Starfish) at James Cook University of North Queensland between 1968 and 1977. He was Pew Research Fellow in Marine Policy at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Massachusetts , USA 1987/88.

He has as published over 90 papers on marine biology and marine environment and natural resource management. Author of 'Managing Marine Environments' (1990) co-editor/author of several books including: The Great Barrier Reef – Finding the Right Balance (2002), Proceedings of the First International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium (1999), Rapid Assessment of Marine Biological Diversity - Marine BioRap Guidelines (1998), UNEP RCU/EAS Integrated Coastal Zone Management Training Manual (1996), IUCN Guidelines for Establishing Marine Protected Areas (1992) and UNESCO Coral Reef Management Handbook (1984),