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.
Research Themes
- Child and Maternal Health
- Traditional Medicinal Plants
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Leach, G.J. & Osborne, P.L. (1985). Freshwater plants of Papua New Guinea. 254 pp. illus. UPNG Press, Port Moresby.
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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.
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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.
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Ahsan, M., Gray, A.I., Leach, G.J. & Waterman, P.G. (1993). Quinolone and Acridone alkaloids from Boronia lanceolata. Phytochem., 33, 1507-1510.
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Ahsan, M., Gray, A.I., Leach, G.J. & Waterman, P.G. (1994). Novel angular pyranocoumarins from Boronia lanceolata. Phytochem., 36, 777-780.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Leach, G.J. (2017) A revision of Australian Eriocaulon (Eriocaulaceae). Telopea, 20, 205-259
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The Tiwi Issue # 43| Working with Menzies
Looking at medicinal properties in Tiwi plants.
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The meat-eating bladderwort traps aquatic animals at lightning speed
Dr Greg Leach writes for the The Conversation's Beating around the bush.
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Meet the Kakadu plum: an international superfood thousands of years in the makin
The Conversation - Beating Around the Bush - Article by Dr Greg Leach - Meet the Kakadu Plum.
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Bizarrely distributed and verging on extinction, this ‘mystic’ tree went unidentified for 17 years
Dr Greg Leach writes about taking a specimen collected in the southern part of Kakadu National Park to the mecca of botanical knowledge in London, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
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NT News | Researching the North
NT News Business section - Opinion by Tracey Hayes - Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing North Australia.
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Project aims to develop roadmap for a sustainable bush medicine industry
Life Matters talks to Queensland University medicinal chemist Jo Blanchfield and Taylah Church, an Indigenous trainee at the Menzies School of Health Research, about the project.
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2GB | National Rural News November 8, 2018
In today’s National Rural News a new research project to draw on the knowledge of Indigenous communities at 2:52"
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SBS |Bush medicine and hopes to export it overseas
Research project investigating the possibility of developing commercial sector.
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Open Forum.com.au | Bush plant medicine project set to bloom
An Australian-first research and commercial partnership aims to explore the development of a sustainable agribusiness model for traditional Australian medicinal plants growing in northern Australia.
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ABC NT Country Hour | Bush medicine opportunities go under the microscope
Indigenous medicinal plants will be put under the microscope as part of an Australian-first research project to look at commercialisation opportunities for bush medicine.
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Xinhua.com | Aussie researchers tap native medicinal plants in major agribusiness project
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Katherine Times | Project to grow bush medicine business
An Australian-first $1.01 million research and commercial partnership aims to explore the development of a sustainable agribusiness model for traditional Australian medicinal plants growing in Northern Australia.
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Media Release | GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR BUSH MEDICINE RESEARCH
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $360,000 to research traditional Australian medicinal plants.
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Media Release | Bush medicine partnership to sow seeds of collaboration
An Australian-first $1.01 million research and commercial partnership aims to explore the development of a sustainable agribusiness model for traditional Australian medicinal plants growing in Northern Australia
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Mirage News | Bush medicine partnership to sow seeds of collaboration