It was a big job, but someone had to do it.

This 130,000-word, 320-page monograph published by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research had 12 chapters and 39 contributing authors from Australia and China. It outlines the findings that came out of nearly 20 years of research conducted across the vast grasslands of China – 400 million acres that extend from eastern China to eastern Europe and form one of the world’s largest land-based ecosystems . The aim of the research was to find ways to alleviate poverty, rehabilitate degraded grasslands and improve the household income of 16 million herders and their families, who rely on the grasslands.

As the technical editor, my role was to ensure that all the text was as easy to read as possible and consistent in terms of style and voice, that the figures and diagrams were clear and accurate, and that all the referencing was correct. It’s an academic publication that may not have a wide audience, but the people who do want (and need) to read it are working in an area that impacts everyone on the planet in one way or another.