For three decades, University of Queensland Professor Hugh Possingham has combined his two passions – mathematics and nature – into a career dedicated to making an impact with conservation efforts around the world.

Hugh recently completed a two-year term as Queensland’s Chief Scientist. He served as Chief Scientist of the Nature Conservancy, is the former director of four national research centres, and is a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

His conservation efforts include his lab’s development of Marxan which was used to underpin the rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef. Marxan is now the most widely used conservation planning software in the world.

In this episode, we explore the importance of mathematics in the field of conservation, and the challenges of communicating the maths and science to decision-makers.

Our host is Rose Crocker, an applied mathematician with the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

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MARXAN: https://marxansolutions.org/

Recent stories in The Conversation written by Professor Possingham:

• Can a ‘nature repair market’ really save Australia’s environment? It’s not perfect, but it’s worth a shot
• The new major players in conservation? NGOs thrive while national parks struggle

QLD Government News Release: Chief Scientist Leaves a Lasting Impression

Foreign Associate of U.S. National Academy of Sciences: http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/20039002.html

Australian Academy of Science Fellowship: https://www.science.org.au/profile/hugh-possingham