Person
Kingsford, Richard (1959? - )
AO
- Born
- 1959?
- Occupation
- Conservation biologist, Freshwater ecologist and University Administrator
Summary
Richard Kingsford has had a long and distinguished career working on waterbirds, the ecology of desert rivers and wetlands, and the impacts of water resource developments on sustainability of rivers and wetlands. In particular he has worked on the wetlands and rivers of the Murray-Darling and Lake Eyre Basins and the Macquarie Marshes. His research has had a significant influence on the management of rivers in Australia, and on policy development through membership of state and federal advisory committees. He is also involved in rewilding projects, such as in the Sturt National Park, New South Wales, and the Platypus Conservation Initiative. An important part of his work is to develop adaptive management approaches and engage with communities. Kingsford is Professor of Environmental Science and Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales.
Details
"Richard Kingsford is widely regarded as one of Australia's most prominent and respected experts on waterbird, wetland and river ecology, with the majority of his 30+ year career having been focused on restoring and protecting the wetland ecosystems of NSW. Over the past decade, he has extended his influence to terrestrial ecology, leading the Wild Deserts Partnership Project in far western NSW, reintroducing locally extinct mammal species and controlling feral predators. His long-term contribution to environmental science in NSW has been nothing short of transformational." [from https://www.royalsoc.org.au/awards/discipline-awards/life-sciences-award/ 2026-02-03]
Chronology
- 1980
- Education - DipEd, University of Sydney
- 1980
- Education - BSc, University of Sydney
- 1986
- Education - PhD, University of Sydney
- 1986 - 1996
- Career position - Research Scientist, New South Wales National Parks Service and Department of Environment Conservation
- 1994
- Award - Frederick White Prize, Australian Academy of Science
- 1996 - 2004
- Career position - Principal Research Scientist, New South Wales National Parks Service and Department of Environment Conservation
- 1998
- Award - National Banksia Award for National excellence in Catchment Management and Inland Waterways
- 2000
- Award - Premier's Gold Award for NSW Public Service
- 2001
- Award - Pol Eureka Prize for Environmental Research, Australian Museum
- 2004
- Award - National Banksia Award in Bush, Land and Waterways
- 2004
- Award - National Banksia Award Environmental Leadership in the Community
- 2005 -
- Career position - Professor of Environmental Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales
- 2005 - 2017
- Career position - Executive Board Member, Oceania, Society for Conservation Biology
- 2006 - 2011
- Career position - Member, New South Wales Government Riverbank Sub-Committee, Environmental Trust
- 2007
- Award - Luc Hohhmann International Medal for Contribution to Wetland Science
- 2007 - 2020
- Career position - Member, Scientific Advisory Panel, Lake Eyre Basin
- 2008 -
- Career position - Member, Nature's World Commission on Protected Species, International Union for the Conservation of Nature
- 2008 -
- Career position - Member, Environmental Water Scientific Advisory Panel (Murray-Darling Basin), Commonwealth Government
- 2008
- Award - Eureka Prize for promoting public understanding of science, Australian Museum
- 2009 - 2013
- Career position - Director, Australian Wetlands, Rivers and Landscapes Centre, University of New South Wales
- 2010 -
- Career position - Member, Scientific Advisory Committee on the Adaptive Management of River Red Gum forests, New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage and Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment
- 2012
- Award - D. L. Serventy Medal, Birdlife Australia
- 2013 -
- Career position - Director, Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales
- 2014 -
- Award - Fellow, Australian Zoological Society
- 2014 - 2016
- Career position - President, Oceania, Society for Conservation Biology
- 2018 -
- Award - Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales
- 2018 -
- Career position - Member, New South Wales Biodiversity Advisory Council
- 2018 -
- Award - Fellow, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
- 2019 -
- Career position - Chair, Global Network Governance Committee, Society for Conservation Biology
- 2019
- Award - Distinguished Service Award, Society for Conservation Biology
- 2021
- Award - Ecological Society of Australia Gold Medal
- 2025
- Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to conservation biology, to environmental sustainability research, and to freshwater biodiversity and ecosystems governance
Related entries
Published resources
Edited Books
- Kingsford, Richard ed., Ecology of Desert Rivers (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 354 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Baker, Jack and Porter, John, 'D. L. Serventy Medal 2012: citation - Richard Tennant Kingsford', Emu, 112 (2012), 3, https://doi.org/10.1071/MUv112n3_DLS. Details
- Hutchings, Pat, 'Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales - Prof Richard Kingsford', Australian zoologist, 40 (2) (2019), 358. https://doi,org/10.7882/AAZ.2019.027. Details
Resources
- 'Kingsford, Richard (1959? - )', Gold Medal of the Ecological Society of Australia, Ecological Society of Australia, Windsor, Qld, 2025, https://www.ecolsoc.org.au/news/2021-gold-medal-winner-professor-richard-kingsford/. Details
- Life Sciences Award, Royal Society of New South Wales, Sydney, 2025, https://www.royalsoc.org.au/awards/discipline-awards/life-sciences-award/. Details
Resource Sections
- 'Professor Richard Tennant Kingsford', in It's an Honour, Australian Awards and Honours Secretariat, Australian Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Canberra, 2025, https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/search?searchText=richard%20kingsford. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 3 February 2026