Graciela Metternicht is a professor of Environmental Geography in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia. She is a member of the Science Policy Interface of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the College of Experts of the Australian Research Council, and the Assessment Methodology Group of the 6th Global Environment Outlook. Prior to joining UNSW, Metternicht was regional coordinator of Early Warning and Assessment of the United Nations Environment Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean.