Richard Kenchington is a Professorial Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) University of Wollongong. A marine ecologist, he studied crown of thorns starfish and large scale surveys of the Great Barrier Reef. In 1977, was first member of the planning and research staff of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority retiring in 1999 as Executive Director. He works widely as a consultant and advisor on coastal, coral reef, and marine biodiversity and natural resource management. Current research includes synthesis of a CSIRO Coastal Cluster trans-disciplinary social science project concerning barriers to the application of science in coastal zone management for climate change.