Michelle Nerissa Noronha

Strong women often go unheard of.

On the surface, Michelle Nerissa Noronha is an accomplished horticulturist with extensive environmental management knowledge and equally as impressive experience in training and assessing horticulture, and conservation & environmental management. The Aussie-born graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Environmental Management from Edith Cowan University, Western Australia – and since then has involved herself with a range of community volunteering from being a home tutor to an assistant in horse-riding for the Disabled Association in 1998 to 1999.  While as of now, this humble Wonder Woman is a respected horticulture lecturer in Central Regional Tafe, Western Australia, Michelle’s story once crossed path with BEST Society and how lucky were we for the intervention.

Between the months in the year 2007 and 2008, Michelle worked with Sukau Rainforest Lodge, managing the lodge’s environmental rehabilitation project including planning, implementing, supervision and maintenance and monitoring of riverine jungle revegetation site. During her time in Sabah, Michelle worked alongside BEST Society with our conservation works among other environment projects for the last 25 years in Sukau Rainforest Lodge and has pioneered work in 2007/8 in assisting us to successfully implement our Kinabatangan Wildlife Rehabilitation Corridor program or KWICORP – our tree planting program aiming to regenerate 64 acres site of riverine forest corridor. KWICORP grew to the enormity of a success that it grew into and being the environmentally conscious person she is, best believe Michelle was part of that journey.

While we can go on about the incredible works of Michelle, we would like to take our hats off in appreciation and gratitude for the involvement of Michelle Noronha towards her tireless and generous dedication in her works for both the environment and the community in and around Sukau – she has even gone as far as organising an English and Computer skills tuition for the staff!

For her countless contribution, we are dedicating a room at the Sukau Ecotourism Research Centre (SERC) to Michelle Noronha.