Dr Geraldine McGuire
Biography
Geraldine has worked on transformative projects throughout Australia, Asia and the Pacific developing solutions which balance economic, environmental, and social aspects to achieve enduring outcomes. With over 30 years of work experience, Geraldine is competent in managing complex project approvals processes, leading impact assessments and undertaking stakeholder engagement, community development, environmental management, auditing, gender analysis and workshop facilitation involving large teams of industry professionals, government representatives, community residents and Indigenous peoples. Geraldine is committed to the empowerment of Indigenous groups and poverty alleviation in rural communities through effective development and sound environmental management.
Geraldine has a Bachelor Degree and PhD in Agricultural Science, and a Graduate Diploma of Education. She has worked in senior operational roles in the mining industry for multinational companies and provided consultancy services to numerous large and medium sized mining operations. She has been engaged by the World Bank to undertake studies in mining sustainably and gender balance in PNG and Laos; and has provided advice to the Minerals Council of Australia on gender issues within the Industry.
Research
Geraldine has focused her research efforts over the past thirty years on practical aspects of regenerative agriculture which restores the soil health and biodiveristy of degraded landscapes. Her research commenced on mine sites in Northern Australia then expanded to Indonesia where she was responsible for restoring a large gold mine to a protected forest which is now a wildlife sactuary for the rare Borneo rhinoceros. Upon returning to home to the Atherton Tablelands in Far Northern Australia, Geraldine focused her efforts on her own farm which was initially a miner's homestead lease and then a dairy farm which was completely cleared and then abandoned in the 1970's. Utilising the framework species method of regeneration, Geraldine and her husband have restored the property with native rainforest species which provide habitat for a now healthy and ever-growing local population of the endangered Southern Cassowary.
Following twenty years of species selection and research, Geraldine has developed a system of mixed native species generative farming utilising species with economic potential. These species have eaten and used as medicines by Australia's First Nation peoples for thousands of years and this knowledge was generously shared with early European settlers.This system of growing native rainforest species has been adopted by a network of growers across Queensland and additional species and habitats are currently being researched in collaboration with the Australian Native Food and Botanicals (ANFAB) Peak Industry Group. The capacity to include these systems of regenerative agriculture in degraded mining landscapes in tropical regions is now Geraldine's key research area.
Industry
Geraldine has worked with metaliferous, sand, bauxite and coal mines in the operational sustainability, rehabilitation and closure areas. Previously the Environment and Mine Closure Manager for RioTinto based in Indonesia her role required overseeing the environmental aspects of the operations, supervision of 120 local staff and contractors; and preparing the site, community and government for a positive legacy post-closure. Geraldine successfully founded and manages her own consultancy business with offices in Malanda, Cairns and Brisbane as well as partners in Laos and Indonesia. She also founded and provides strategic direction to a regenerative farming and social enterprise, Rainforest Bounty.
Collaborations
Geraldine completed a 1st class honours in Agricultural Science at The University of Queensland (UQ) with an emphasis on plant genetics, she then completed her PhD at The University of Western Australia. Geraldine has collaborated with UQ to deliver courses in mine rehabilitation and closure in Indonesia and has been funded by the World Bank to deliver workshops in PNG on gender in mining and courses in mining rehabilitation in Laos.
Publications
G.M. McGuire (1984) - 1st Class Honours Thesis - An Investigation into in-vitro screening of salinity tolerance in embryo derived from tissue cultures of wheat - Department of Agriculture, Unversity of Qld
G.M. McGuire (1988) - PhD Thesis - Physiological Genetics of Simazine Tolerance in Oilseed Brassicas - School of Agriculture, University of Western Australia
G.M. McGuire & N. Thurling (1992) Nuclear genetic control of variation in simazine tolerance in oilseed brassicas I. Brassica napus. Euphytica 59:221-229, 1922.
G.M. McGuire & N. Thurling (1992) Nuclear genetic control of variation in simazine tolerance in oilseed brassicas II. Selection of simazine tolerance in a Brassica campetris population. Euphytica 59:153-160, 1922.