Noel Preece

Noel Preece is an Adjunct Associate Professor at James Cook University, specializing in conservation ecology with a focus on northern and central Australian ecosystems. His research emphasizes forest and landscape restoration, endangered species conservation (particularly the Spectacled Flying-fox), Indigenous ecological knowledge integration, and carbon sequestration. He leads the Spectacled Flying-fox Recovery Team and co-leads the Thiaki ARC Linkage rainforest reforestation project involving 38,000 trees across 16 hectares.

• Education: PhD (Charles Darwin University) in Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Natural Resource Management; MSc (University of Queensland/NTU) in desert fauna ecology; BSc (Macquarie University) in earth sciences and environmental law.

His research interests span biodiversity conservation, faunal decline mitigation in savanna regions, and collaborative projects with Indigenous communities such as the Paruku Indigenous Protected Area. He has extensive experience in environmental impact assessments for major infrastructure projects and has held leadership roles in organizations like Terrain NRM Ltd and Biome5.

Noel has authored over 20 research papers on reforestation and savanna ecology, and conducted biodiversity surveys across Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia. His career includes roles as a Ranger, Regional Manager in the NT, and Director of environmental consultancies like EcOz Environmental Services.