This special issue of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism is dedicated to Professor Susan Moore (1960–2016). Sue was a Professor at Murdoch University in Western Australia whose multidisciplinary work spanned many fields under the banner of natural resource management, upon which this issue is based. Sue's love and appreciation of nature was lifelong and pursued with passion in both government and academia. Her optimism and energetic presence lifted those around her, and her keen mind always saw to the core of any issue. Her work bridged the gap between people and places and we are all the better for her profound insight.

After growing up on a farm in New South Wales, Sue attended the University of New England graduating with first class honours from the School of Natural Resources. She was subsequently appointed as the first woman scientist at the Western Australian (WA) Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (1982). She held this position for nearly a decade, where she played an integral role in the development of management plans and pioneered the inclusion of community participation in planning processes. Setting herself a new challenge, Sue decided to embark on a PhD at the University of Washington for which she was awarded a prestigious Harkness Fellowship. Working in the College of Forest Resources from 1991 to 94, Sue's PhD research compared National Park planning in WA with that in the US.