Pressey is recognised internationally for establishing the field of systematic conservation planning and continues to be one of its leading innovators. He led a world-wide shift towards translating the field’s concepts and techniques into actions on the ground, facilitated by his unique combination of scientific leadership and agency experience. His main scientific contributions are: new concepts and techniques that have increased the effectiveness of conservation planning across the world; a long series of intellectual advances that have progressively defined best-practice; conceptual and technical innovations related to the dynamics of biodiversity and human activities; and ground-breaking, intuitive software tools.