John Herbohn

Professor John Herbohn is a senior academic at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Queensland, Australia, serving as the Foundation Director of the Tropical Forests and People Research Centre and the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Australia’s largest forestry research hub. His expertise spans smallholder/community forestry, reforestation, and tropical forest ecology.

• Education: PhD, MCom, GradDipAcc, BSc(Hons) from James Cook University
• Professional Affiliations: Certified Practising Accountant, Institute of Foresters of Australia
• Corporate Experience: 12-year non-executive director for NZ forest management companies with $2.5B assets

His research focuses on reforestation and forest restoration in tropical regions, particularly through mixed-species plantations. He investigates socioeconomic drivers of successful reforestation programs, forest recovery after logging, and carbon dynamics in tropical forests. His work integrates ecological, economic, and policy dimensions.

Recent publications highlight trends in tropical reforestation, emphasizing species complementarity, watershed rehabilitation, and landowner preferences. He also explores hydrological impacts, nutrient cycling, and climate change policy in forest management. Grants include ACIAR projects (2012–2017) and CIFOR funding (2014) for tropical reforestation studies.

Professor Herbohn leads field projects in the Philippines, PNG, North Queensland, and Fraser Island, addressing forest dynamics, carbon credits, and multidimensional reporting systems. He has mentored HDR and Honours students in these areas.