Meet The Team

Professor Bob Smith’s work as a conservation scientist has chiefly focused on identifying priority areas for conservation and designing protected area networks, with research that ranges from policy development to designing spatial conservation prioritisation software. Much of this work has involved leading long-running projects in Southern Africa and the UK, but Bob has worked on projects in 22 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. His research also encompasses a broad range of conservation topics, including the role of marketing in conservation and understanding the spatial patterns of human-wildlife conflict. Bob is the Director of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), Founder of the Izele online conservation social network, an Honorary Senior Fellow at the United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre and an Editorial Board member of the journal Oryx.

He has co-founded two NGOs, three international initiatives, served on boards for several others, mobilised resources and managed global programs. He has more than 55 papers in the peer-reviewed literature, as well as co-authoring a textbook on marine policy.

Currently, he leads the Commonwealth Blue Charter program for the Commonwealth Secretariat, London.  He conceived, organised and led the drafting of this international agreement which was adopted by Commonwealth Heads of Government in 2018. With 46 countries participating in one or more of its ten Action Groups, the Blue Charter has become the Commonwealth’s flagship ocean initiative.

He maintains his involvement in British Columbia as President of the Board for the Pacific Marine Analysis and Research Association (PacMARA), an organization he co-founded, which provides technical advice, training and workshops globally on marine and terrestrial planning, Marxan good practices, and related decision-support.

Jeff holds a PhD from University of Southampton (Ocean and Earth Sciences), UK; and an MSc in Environment and Management, from Royal Roads University, Canada.