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Professor James Watson
Professor

James Watson

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 61645

Overview

Background

James is an applied conservation scientist and bioegeographer working at the interface between ecology, policy and management to improve outcomes for biodiversity. He has a particular interest in understanding how humanity influences landscape and the climate, and what this means for biodiversity and ecosystem service outcomes, and the implications of this for environmental policy setting and management.

As a Professor of Conservation Science at The University of Queensland, he leads two research groups. The Green Fire Science research group (www.greenfirescience.com) mission is to do applied research that is linked directly to the practice of large-scale conservation and the Research and Recovery of Endangered Species (https://raresgroup.com.au) mission is to focus on Australia's rarest, least studied species to try and work out their needs and work with those on-ground practioners to try and save them.

James has been passionate conservation for decades. As a Rhodes Scholar, James undertook his PhD research studying in Madagascar, trying to come up with conservation plans to save endemic bird species inhabiting the country’s remaining littoral forest. Since then he has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and reports on conservation related matters, ranging from assessing the impacts of climate change on species to mapping the effectiveness of protected areas on biodiversity conservation outcomes globally. He has served on the International Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Data and Knowledge Task Force, and is a Research Fellow for the United Nation’s Environment Program, a Senior Technical expert for the United Nations Development Program’s Global Programme on Nature for Development, and was the founding chair of the International Union for Nature Conservation Climate Change Specialist Group. James sits on the scientific committees of BirdLife Australia and SUBAC. James was global president of the Society for Conservation Biology in 2015-17.

I am also an affiliated researcher at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science.

Availability

Professor James Watson is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford

Research interests

  • Conservation policy and practice

Works

Search Professor James Watson’s works on UQ eSpace

491 works between 2001 and 2025

1 - 20 of 491 works

2025

Journal Article

Global land cover maps do not reveal mining pressures to biodiversity

Sonter, Laura J., Nursamsi, Ilyas, Bennun, Leon, Graham, Jamie, Maus, Victor, Rainey, Hugo, Starkey, Malcolm, Turner, Joseph A., Watson, James E. M. and Prescott, Graham W. (2025). Global land cover maps do not reveal mining pressures to biodiversity. Scientific Reports, 15 (1) 22421, 1. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-01959-3

Global land cover maps do not reveal mining pressures to biodiversity

2025

Journal Article

Effect of climate on traits of dominant and rare tree species in the world’s forests

Hordijk, Iris, Poorter, Lourens, Liang, Jingjing, Reich, Peter B., de-Miguel, Sergio, Nabuurs, Gert-Jan, Gamarra, Javier G. P., Chen, Han Y. H., Zhou, Mo, Wiser, Susan K., Pretzsch, Hans, Paquette, Alain, Picard, Nicolas, Hérault, Bruno, Bastin, Jean-Francois, Alberti, Giorgio, Abegg, Meinrad, Adou Yao, Yves C., Almeyda Zambrano, Angelica M., Alvarado, Braulio V., Alvarez-Davila, Esteban, Alvarez-Loayza, Patricia, Alves, Luciana F., Amaral, Iêda, Ammer, Christian, Antón-Fernández, Clara, Araujo-Murakami, Alejandro, Arroyo, Luzmila, Avitabile, Valerio ... Crowther, Thomas W. (2025). Effect of climate on traits of dominant and rare tree species in the world’s forests. Nature Communications , 16 (1) 4773. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59754-7

Effect of climate on traits of dominant and rare tree species in the world’s forests

2025

Journal Article

Groundhog Day: the EPBC Act reform process

Bell-James, Justine, Maron, Martine, McCormack, Phillipa C. and Watson, James E. M. (2025). Groundhog Day: the EPBC Act reform process. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 41, 19-40.

Groundhog Day: the EPBC Act reform process

2025

Journal Article

Bridging conservation gaps under climate change at multiple scales to protect 30% of Earth's surface by 2030

Wu, Hui, Yu, Le, Shen, Xiaoli, Watson, James E. M., Wan, Huawei, Cao, Yue, Hua, Ting, Liu, Tao, Zhao, Jianqiao, Liu, Jianguo, Gao, Jixi and Ma, Keping (2025). Bridging conservation gaps under climate change at multiple scales to protect 30% of Earth's surface by 2030. Conservation Biology, e70054. doi: 10.1111/cobi.70054

Bridging conservation gaps under climate change at multiple scales to protect 30% of Earth's surface by 2030

2025

Journal Article

Negotiating risks to natural capital in net-zero transitions

Pascale, Andrew C., Watson, James E. M., Davis, Dominic, Smart, Simon, Brear, Michael, Jones, Ryan and Greig, Chris (2025). Negotiating risks to natural capital in net-zero transitions. Nature Sustainability, 8 (6) eadh2458, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41893-025-01576-y

Negotiating risks to natural capital in net-zero transitions

2025

Journal Article

Half of the habitat of Australia's highly imperilled narrow-range species is outside protected areas

Ward, Michelle, Maron, Martine, Simmonds, Jeremy S., Lintermans, Mark, Whiterod, Nick S., Chapple, David G., Possingham, Hugh P., Legge, Sarah M., Gallagher, Rachael V., Wintle, Brendan A., Vine, Samantha, Ashman, Kita, Hoskin, Conrad J., Garnett, Stephen T., Woinarski, John C.Z., Scheele, Ben C., Loane, Cerin, Fitzsimons, James A., Stewart, Romola R., Tulloch, Ayesha I.T., Hyman, Isabel T., Pearce, Kate, Burbidge, Allan H., Raadik, Tarmo A., Kuchling, Gerald, Georges, Arthur, West, Matthew, Adams, Vanessa M., Emery, J.P. and Watson, James E.M. (2025). Half of the habitat of Australia's highly imperilled narrow-range species is outside protected areas. Biological Conservation, 308 111195, 111195. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111195

Half of the habitat of Australia's highly imperilled narrow-range species is outside protected areas

2025

Journal Article

Ability of new protected areas to counteract losses from downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement

Yan, Yanyun, Tan, Song Ling, Webb, Edward L., Watson, James E. M. and Carrasco, L. Roman (2025). Ability of new protected areas to counteract losses from downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement. Conservation Biology, 39 (2) e14381, 1-11. doi: 10.1111/cobi.14381

Ability of new protected areas to counteract losses from downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement

2025

Journal Article

Ambitions in national plans do not yet match bold international protection and restoration commitments

Bell-James, Justine and Watson, James E. M. (2025). Ambitions in national plans do not yet match bold international protection and restoration commitments. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 9 (3) 2096, 1-8. doi: 10.1038/s41559-025-02636-4

Ambitions in national plans do not yet match bold international protection and restoration commitments

2025

Journal Article

Australia’s inadequate marine protection

Davey, Madeline and Watson, James E. M. (2025). Australia’s inadequate marine protection. Science, 387 (6734), 586-587. doi: 10.1126/science.adt7848

Australia’s inadequate marine protection

2025

Journal Article

The estimated cost of preventing extinction and progressing recovery for Australia’s priority threatened species

Ward, Michelle, Possingham, Hugh P., Wintle, Brendan A., Woinarski, John C. Z., Marsh, Jessica R., Chapple, David G., Lintermans, Mark, Scheele, Ben C., Whiterod, Nick S., Hoskin, Conrad J., Aska, Bora, Yong, Chuanji, Tulloch, Ayesha, Stewart, Romola and Watson, James E. M. (2025). The estimated cost of preventing extinction and progressing recovery for Australia’s priority threatened species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122 (6) e2414985122, 1-10. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2414985122

The estimated cost of preventing extinction and progressing recovery for Australia’s priority threatened species

2025

Journal Article

Accounting for the true costs of recovery of threatened species

Reside, April E., Carwardine, Josie and Watson, James E. M. (2025). Accounting for the true costs of recovery of threatened species. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 9 (3), 372-373. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02621-3

Accounting for the true costs of recovery of threatened species

2025

Journal Article

Conservation in troubled times

Dudley, Nigel, Mitchell, Brent A., Redford, Kent H., Stolton, Sue, Timmins, Hannah L. and Watson, James E.M. (2025). Conservation in troubled times. Oryx, 59 (1), 1-3. doi: 10.1017/s0030605325000286

Conservation in troubled times

2025

Journal Article

Educating and empowering Australians through a digital approach to biodiversity conservation

Kindler, Gareth S., Kelly, Nick, Carden, Tim and Watson, James E. M. (2025). Educating and empowering Australians through a digital approach to biodiversity conservation. Conservation Science and Practice, 7 (4) e70039. doi: 10.1111/csp2.70039

Educating and empowering Australians through a digital approach to biodiversity conservation

2025

Journal Article

Role of protected areas in mitigating range loss and local extinctions of terrestrial mammals

Cristiano, Andrea, Pillay, Rajeev, Ramírez-Delgado, Juan Pablo, Watson, James E. M., Venter, Oscar and Pacifici, Michela (2025). Role of protected areas in mitigating range loss and local extinctions of terrestrial mammals. Conservation Biology. doi: 10.1111/cobi.70092

Role of protected areas in mitigating range loss and local extinctions of terrestrial mammals

2025

Journal Article

A horizon scan of biological conservation issues for 2025

Sutherland, William J., Brotherton, Peter N.M., Butterworth, Holly M., Clarke, Stewart J., Davies, Tammy E., Doar, Nigel, Esmail, Nafeesa, Fleishman, Erica, Gaston, Kevin J., Herbert-Read, James E., Hughes, Alice C., Hughes, Jonathan, Kaartokallio, Hermanni, Koh, Lian Pin, Kumar, Ritesh, Lickorish, Fiona A., Littler, Hannah, Palardy, James E., Pearce-Higgins, James W., Peck, Lloyd S., Pettorelli, Nathalie, Pretty, Jules, Schloss, Irene R., Spalding, Mark D., ten Brink, Dirk, Tew, Eleanor R., Timoshyna, Anastasiya, Tubbs, Nicolas, Watson, James E.M. ... Thornton, Ann (2025). A horizon scan of biological conservation issues for 2025. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 40 (1), 80-89. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.11.002

A horizon scan of biological conservation issues for 2025

2024

Journal Article

The cost of recovering Australia’s threatened species

Reside, April E., Carwardine, Josie, Ward, Michelle, Yong, Chuanji, Venegas Li, Ruben, Rogers, Andrew, Wintle, Brendan A., Silcock, Jennifer, Woinarski, John, Lintermans, Mark, Taylor, Gary, Pintor, Anna F. V. and Watson, James E. M. (2024). The cost of recovering Australia’s threatened species. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 9 (3) e12682, 425-435. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02617-z

The cost of recovering Australia’s threatened species

2024

Journal Article

Global rarity of high-integrity tropical rainforests for threatened and declining terrestrial vertebrates

Pillay, Rajeev, Watson, James E. M., Hansen, Andrew J., Burns, Patrick, Virnig, Anne Lucy Stilger, Supples, Christina, Armenteras, Dolors, González-del-Pliego, Pamela, Aragon-Osejo, Jose, A. Jantz, Patrick, Ervin, Jamison, Goetz, Scott J. and Venter, Oscar (2024). Global rarity of high-integrity tropical rainforests for threatened and declining terrestrial vertebrates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121 (51) e2413325121, e2413325121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2413325121

Global rarity of high-integrity tropical rainforests for threatened and declining terrestrial vertebrates

2024

Journal Article

Author Correction: Global potential for natural regeneration in deforested tropical regions

Williams, Brooke A., Beyer, Hawthorne L., Fagan, Matthew E., Chazdon, Robin L., Schmoeller, Marina, Sprenkle-Hyppolite, Starry, Griscom, Bronson W., Watson, James E. M., Tedesco, Anazélia M., Gonzalez-Roglich, Mariano, Daldegan, Gabriel A., Bodin, Blaise, Celentano, Danielle, Wilson, Sarah Jane, Rhodes, Jonathan R., Alexandre, Nikola S., Kim, Do-Hyung, Bastos, Diego and Crouzeilles, Renato (2024). Author Correction: Global potential for natural regeneration in deforested tropical regions. Nature, 637 (8044), E9-E9. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08481-y

Author Correction: Global potential for natural regeneration in deforested tropical regions

2024

Journal Article

Global potential for natural regeneration in deforested tropical regions

Williams, Brooke A., Beyer, Hawthorne L., Fagan, Matthew E., Chazdon, Robin L., Schmoeller, Marina, Sprenkle-Hyppolite, Starry, Griscom, Bronson W., Watson, James E. M., Tedesco, Anazélia M., Gonzalez-Roglich, Mariano, Daldegan, Gabriel A., Bodin, Blaise, Celentano, Danielle, Wilson, Sarah Jane, Rhodes, Jonathan R., Alexandre, Nikola S., Kim, Do-Hyung, Bastos, Diego and Crouzeilles, Renato (2024). Global potential for natural regeneration in deforested tropical regions. Nature, 636 (8041) e1701345, 131-137. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08106-4

Global potential for natural regeneration in deforested tropical regions

2024

Journal Article

Dominance and rarity in tree communities across the globe: patterns, predictors and threats

Hordijk, Iris, Bialic-Murphy, Lalasia, Lauber, Thomas, Routh, Devin, Poorter, Lourens, Rivers, Malin C., ter Steege, Hans, Liang, Jingjing, Reich, Peter B., de-Miguel, Sergio, Nabuurs, Gert-Jan, Gamarra, Javier G. P., Chen, Han Y. H., Zhou, Mo, Wiser, Susan K., Pretzsch, Hans, Paquette, Alain, Picard, Nicolas, Hérault, Bruno, Bastin, Jean-Francois, Alberti, Giorgio, Abegg, Meinrad, Adou Yao, Yves C., Almeyda Zambrano, Angelica M., Alvarado, Braulio V., Alvarez-Davila, Esteban, Alvarez-Loayza, Patricia, Alves, Luciana F., Ammer, Christian ... Crowther, Thomas W. (2024). Dominance and rarity in tree communities across the globe: patterns, predictors and threats. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 33 (10), 1-21. doi: 10.1111/geb.13889

Dominance and rarity in tree communities across the globe: patterns, predictors and threats

Funding

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    Queensland regional planning assessments
    Queensland Conservation Council
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    Mapping environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks to Australia's mining sector - a tool for responsible investment
    Commonwealth Government Geoscience Australia
    Open grant
  • 2023
    Wilderness Inventory Data Review
    Minister for Climate, Environment and Water (South Australia)
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Mapping threatened species recovery across Federal electorates
    World Wide Fund for Nature Australia
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2025
    A critical pathway for Australia's Conservation Future (Ian Potter Foundation grant administered by the University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2022
    Climate Change Adaptation Planning for Threatened Species: pilot project
    Australian Capital Territory - Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate - Conservation Research Branch
    Open grant
  • 2021
    Apply Key Biodiversity Criteria to Bush Heritage Priority Landscapes to determine intactness and land condition
    Bush Heritage Australia
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    Linking assessment of global goals for ecosystems and species by coupling WCS and CSIRO capabilities in landscape integrity mapping and biodiversity modelling
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    A conservation metric for business to measure biodiversity
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    Assessing the biotic response to intact forest metrics
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Vibrant Oceans: Applied Coral Reef Conservation
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2021
    KBA mapping for Australia
    Birdlife Australia
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2020
    The ecology and conservation biogeography of the buff-breasted button-quail
    Birds Queensland
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2021
    ACF Key Biodiversity Areas Mapping Project
    Australian Conservation Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Ecosystem risk assessment (ARC Linkage Project administered by The University of New South Wales)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2021
    Global priorities for terrestrial biodiversity
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2024
    Land clearing assessment on species
    Australian Conservation Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2021
    Identifying Nature's Strongholds
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    Conservation Priority Setting
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    Africa Climate Change and Biodiversity - ABCG II
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Identifying the most important terrestrial wilderness areas on the planet
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Australia wide analysis for threatened species
    Australian Conservation Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2019
    Intact Forests - Framework Metric
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    SNAPP Compensatory Conservation Working Group
    The Nature Conservancy
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2021
    Macarthur Intact Forests
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Rapid response to significant unanticipated threat - testing novel feral cat control strategies to support conservation of the endangered alwal/golden-shouldered parrot [...]
    Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2020
    Night Parrot Research, Pullen Pullen Reserve, Qld
    Bush Heritage Australia
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2019
    Africa Spatial Planning - ABCG II
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2020
    Optimising community-based climate change adaptation in the Pacific Islands
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2021
    GIS support to WCS Indonesia Program's Sulawesi project
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    Intact forests values assessment
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    Provide MARXAN analysis of WCS Papua New Guinea program
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2022
    The capacity of forests to protect regional climate under global warming
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2018
    Assessing biodiversity priorities and carbon values across the Great Eastern Ranges
    Australian Conservation Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    Africa Biodiversity Consultative Group II
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2021
    Support for Research Assistants
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2018
    The Luc Hoffman Institute Fellow - Pathways for Drivers of Positive Change
    WWF International
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    Planning for the impacts of land-uses on coral reef fisheries
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    Analysis of the public protected area framework in NSW and future opportunities
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2020
    Assimilating development objectives in conservation planning
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    ECO-SMarT
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Integrating human response to climate change into conservation planning: developing an integrated decision framework
    Research Donation Generic
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    MacArthur Foundation - Lower Mekong
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    `MacArthur Foundation - Portfolio Approach
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    MacArthur Foundation - Tanzania - Green Economies
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2021
    NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub
    National Environmental Science Program
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Africa Biodiversity Consultative Group
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Conservation strategy fund - Uganda
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    MacArthur Foundation - Birdlife subgrant - Support WCS's East Africa climate assessment work for Rwanda and Tanzania
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2018
    MacArthur Foundation - West Indian Ocean spatial planning assessment
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Eastern DRC spatial planning
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2016
    Climate adaptation on coral reefs
    Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Professor James Watson is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Autecology of an endangered Australian passerine: CarpentarianGrasswren (Amytornis dorotheae)

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Managing grazing in the grasslands of Queenslands Channel Country: a critical refuge for the Critically Endangered Plains Wanderer

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Biogeography and conservation assessment of the endangered Northern Masked Owl

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Classifying and understanding the effectiveness of ecological corridors and their role in wider landscape and seascape integrity

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Carissa Klein

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Using Barn Owls to detect Endangered or cryptic species in western Queensland

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Diana Fisher

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Conservation Biogeography of the Red Goshawk

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Conserving migratory species

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Hugh Possingham, Professor Richard Fuller

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Professor James Watson directly for media enquiries about:

  • biodiversity
  • climate change
  • extinction
  • landclearing
  • landuse planning
  • logging
  • saving species
  • species loss

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au