Graciela Isabel Metternicht

Professor Graciela Isabel Metternicht is a Professor of Environmental Geography in the Environmental Management Programme of the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She has extensive international experience including previous roles as Regional Coordinator of Early Warning and Assessment for the United Nations Environment Programme in Latin America and the Caribbean, and academic positions at the University of South Australia and Curtin University of Technology.

Her research expertise spans:

• Environmental management and policy implementation
• Geospatial technologies for land degradation assessment
• Sustainable development goals monitoring
• Rangelands and drylands management
• Spatial planning for environmental sustainability

Professor Metternicht has secured significant research funding from the Australian Research Council, industry partners, international agencies, and the CRC for Spatial Information. Her work focuses on practical applications of remote sensing and GIS for vegetation degradation monitoring, soil salinization assessment, and sustainable rural planning, resulting in protocols for improved landscape condition mapping.

Professional recognition includes:

• Fellow of the Surveying and Spatial Science Institute of Australia
• Honorary Fellow of the International Cartographic Association
• Leadership roles with UN Global Environmental Facility and IUCN Drylands Ecosystems Specialist Group
• Chair of the Australian Academy of Sciences National Committee for Geographical Sciences

She actively supervises numerous research projects addressing critical environmental challenges including sustainable development pathways, marine spatial planning, land use change impacts in the Mekong Basin, electric vehicle adoption, and solid waste management in remote coastal areas.