Dr Greg Leach

Honorary fellow, Child and Maternal Health Division

Qualifications:

PhD (Botany), La Trobe University, 1982; Bachelor of Science Honours (1st Class), La Trobe University, 1974; Bachelor of Science (Botany/Zoology), La Trobe University, 1971.

Approved level of HDR supervision at Charles Darwin University:

Associate Supervisor for PhD

Location:

Darwin – Royal Darwin Hospital

Biography:

Dr Greg Leach has a PhD in botany and has worked across northern and central Australia and Papua New Guinea in many facets of wildlife conservation, specialising in plant taxonomy and ecology of tropical flora, botanical survey, threatened species management, traditional plant use and sustainable wildlife use.

During 25 years with the Parks & Wildlife Service of the NT he managed the NT Herbarium and the Darwin Botanic Gardens. Most recently he was the CEO of Greening Australia NT and chair of the Board of the Australian Tropical Herbarium at the Cairns campus of JCU.

He has a particular interest in plant species that are threatened by activities such as habitat destruction, development or trade. Since 1997 he has worked as a plant expert representing the Oceania Region with the UN Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). A particular focus has been the determining of safe harvest limits for perennial plants.

Greg is also a University Fellow at the Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods at Charles Darwin University. In addition to his involvement in the medicinal plant project he continues with plant taxonomic research at the NT Herbarium.
 

Dr Greg Leach
Research Themes
  • Child and Maternal Health
  • Traditional Medicinal Plants
     
  1. Leach, G.J. & Osborne, P.L. (1985). Freshwater plants of Papua New Guinea. 254 pp. illus. UPNG Press, Port Moresby. 

  2. Leach, A.J., Leach, D.N. & Leach, G.J. (1988). Antibacterial activity of some medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Science in New Guinea, 14, 1-7.

  3. Leach, G.J. (1988). Bush food plants of the Blackwater and Karawari Rivers area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. Science in New Guinea, 14, 95-106.

  4. Ahsan, M., Gray, A.I., Leach, G.J. & Waterman, P.G. (1993). Quinolone and Acridone alkaloids from Boronia lanceolata. Phytochem., 33, 1507-1510.

  5. Ahsan, M., Gray, A.I., Leach, G.J. & Waterman, P.G. (1994). Novel angular pyranocoumarins from Boronia lanceolata. Phytochem., 36, 777-780.

  6. Dunlop, C.R., Leach, G.J. & Cowie, I.D. (1995) Flora of the Darwin Region. Vol. 2. pp. 261. illus. Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

  7. Li, R.W., Myers, S.P., Leach, D.N., Lin, G.D. & Leach, G.J. (2003) A cross cultural study: anti-inflammatory activity of Australian and Chinese plants.  Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 85, 25-32.

  8. Li, R.W., Leach, D.N., Myers, S.P., Leach, G.J., Lin, G.D., Brushett, D.J. & Waterman, P.G. (2004) Anti-inflammatory activity, cytotoxicity and active compounds of Tinospora smilacina Benth. Phytotherapy Research, 18, 78-83.

  9. Li, R. W., Leach D. N., Myers S. P., G. Lin D., Leach G. J. & Waterman, P.G. (2004). A New Anti-inflammatory glucoside from Ficus racemosa L. Planta Medica, 70, 421-426.

  10. Leach, G.J. (2017) A revision of Australian Eriocaulon (Eriocaulaceae). Telopea, 20, 205-259

  1. The Tiwi Issue # 43| Working with Menzies
  2. The meat-eating bladderwort traps aquatic animals at lightning speed
  3. Meet the Kakadu plum: an international superfood thousands of years in the makin
  4. Bizarrely distributed and verging on extinction, this ‘mystic’ tree went unidentified for 17 years
  5. NT News | Researching the North
  6. Project aims to develop roadmap for a sustainable bush medicine industry
  7. 2GB | National Rural News November 8, 2018
  8. SBS |Bush medicine and hopes to export it overseas
  9. Open Forum.com.au | Bush plant medicine project set to bloom
  10. ABC NT Country Hour | Bush medicine opportunities go under the microscope
  11. Xinhua.com | Aussie researchers tap native medicinal plants in major agribusiness project
  12. Katherine Times | Project to grow bush medicine business
  13. Media Release | GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR BUSH MEDICINE RESEARCH
  14. Media Release | Bush medicine partnership to sow seeds of collaboration
  15. Mirage News | Bush medicine partnership to sow seeds of collaboration