Professor James Watson
Professor

James Watson

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 61645

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

Ecology Environmental Sciences

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford

Research interests

  • Conservation policy and practice

Search Professor James Watson’s works on UQ eSpace

494 works between 2001 and 2025
All (494) Journal Article (427) Book Chapter (21) Conference Publication (6) Book (2) Other Outputs (38)

301 - 320 of 494 works

2017

Journal Article

Species' traits influenced their response to recent climate change

Pacifici, Michela, Visconti, Piero, Butchart, Stuart H. M., Watson, James E. M., Cassola, Francesca M. and Rondinini, Carlo (2017). Species' traits influenced their response to recent climate change. Nature Climate Change, 7 (3), 205-209. doi: 10.1038/NCLIMATE3223

Species' traits influenced their response to recent climate change

2017

Journal Article

Erratum to: Species’ traits influenced their response to recent climate change (Nature Climate Change, (2017), 7, 3, (205-208), 10.1038/nclimate3223)

Pacifici, Michela, Visconti, Piero, Butchart, Stuart H. M., Watson, James E. M., Cassola, Francesca M. and Rondinini, Carlo (2017). Erratum to: Species’ traits influenced their response to recent climate change (Nature Climate Change, (2017), 7, 3, (205-208), 10.1038/nclimate3223). Nature Climate Change, 8 (8), 750-750. doi: 10.1038/s41558-018-0229-3

Erratum to: Species’ traits influenced their response to recent climate change (Nature Climate Change, (2017), 7, 3, (205-208), 10.1038/nclimate3223)

2017

Journal Article

Observations on breeding Night Parrots (Pezoporus occidentalis) in western Queensland

Murphy, Stephen A., Austin, Jeremy J., Murphy, Rachel K., Silcock, Jennifer, Joseph, Leo, Garnett, Stephen T., Leseberg, Nicholas P., Watson, James E.M. and Burbidge, Allan H. (2017). Observations on breeding Night Parrots (Pezoporus occidentalis) in western Queensland. Emu-Austral Ornithology, 117 (2), 107-113. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2017.1292404

Observations on breeding Night Parrots (Pezoporus occidentalis) in western Queensland

2017

Journal Article

Recent increases in human pressure and forest loss threaten many Natural World Heritage Sites

Allan, James R., Venter, Oscar, Maxwell, Sean, Bertzky, Bastian, Jones, Kendall, Shi, Yichuan and Watson, James E. M. (2017). Recent increases in human pressure and forest loss threaten many Natural World Heritage Sites. Biological Conservation, 206, 47-55. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2016.12.011

Recent increases in human pressure and forest loss threaten many Natural World Heritage Sites

2017

Journal Article

Towards a threat assessment framework for ecosystem services

Maron, Martine, Mitchell, Matthew G. E., Runting, Rebecca K., Rhodes, Jonathan R., Mace, Georgina M., Keith, David A. and Watson, Jason E. M. (2017). Towards a threat assessment framework for ecosystem services. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 32 (4), 240-248. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.12.011

Towards a threat assessment framework for ecosystem services

2017

Other Outputs

More than half the world’s most important natural sites are under threat: it’s time to protect them

Watson, J.E.M., Allan, James and Maxwell, S. (2017, 01 31). More than half the world’s most important natural sites are under threat: it’s time to protect them The Conversation

More than half the world’s most important natural sites are under threat: it’s time to protect them

2017

Book Chapter

Current wilderness coverage on the World Heritage list: broad gaps and opportunities

Allan, James R., Shi, Yichuan, Bertzky, Bastian, Jaeger, Tilman, Venter, Oscar, Mackey, Brendan, van Merm, Remco, Osipova, Elena, Watson, James Edward and Kormos, Cyril F. (2017). Current wilderness coverage on the World Heritage list: broad gaps and opportunities. World heritage, wilderness and large landscapes and seascapes. (pp. 27-47) edited by Cyril F. Kormos, Tim Badman, Tilman Jaeger, Bastian Bertzky, Remco van Merm, Elena Osipova, Yichuan Shi and Peter Bille Larsen. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

Current wilderness coverage on the World Heritage list: broad gaps and opportunities

2017

Journal Article

How to find a night parrot: the researcher’s perspective

Leseberg, Nick and Watson, James Edward (2017). How to find a night parrot: the researcher’s perspective. Australian Birdlife, 6, 32-33.

How to find a night parrot: the researcher’s perspective

2017

Book Chapter

The need for a wilderness and large landscapes and seascapes approach under the World Heritage Convention

Kormos, Cyril F., Jaeger, Tilman, Bertzky, Bastian, Badman, Tim, van Merm, Remco, Osipova, Elena, Shi, Yichuan, Mackey, Brendan G., Mittermeier, Russell A., Jacobson, Mathew, Busch, Kyra, Khamaganova, Erjen, Hilty, Jodi, Larsen, Peter Bille, Watson, James E.M. and Locke, Harvey (2017). The need for a wilderness and large landscapes and seascapes approach under the World Heritage Convention. World heritage, wilderness and large landscapes and seascapes. (pp. 1-9) edited by Cyril F. Kormos, Tim Badman, Tilman Jaeger, Bastian Bertzky, Remco van Merm, Elena Osipova, Yichuan Shi and Peter Bille Larsen. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

The need for a wilderness and large landscapes and seascapes approach under the World Heritage Convention

2016

Journal Article

Trump presidency presents challenges and opportunities for the environment

Biggs, Duan, Cheung, Hubert, Watson, James and Redford, Kent (2016, 12 15). Trump presidency presents challenges and opportunities for the environment

Trump presidency presents challenges and opportunities for the environment

2016

Journal Article

Half the world’s ecosystems at risk from habitat loss, and Australia is one of the worst

Watson, James, McDonald-Madden, Eve, Allan, James, Jones, Kendall, Di Marco, Moreno and Fuller, Richard (2016, 12 14). Half the world’s ecosystems at risk from habitat loss, and Australia is one of the worst

Half the world’s ecosystems at risk from habitat loss, and Australia is one of the worst

2016

Journal Article

Does the social equitability of community and incentive based conservation interventions in non-OECD countries, affect human well-being? A systematic review protocol

Althor, Glenn, McKinnon, Madeleine, Cheng, Samantha H., Klein, Carissa and Watson, James (2016). Does the social equitability of community and incentive based conservation interventions in non-OECD countries, affect human well-being? A systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence, 5 (1) 26. doi: 10.1186/s13750-016-0078-3

Does the social equitability of community and incentive based conservation interventions in non-OECD countries, affect human well-being? A systematic review protocol

2016

Journal Article

Climate change is affecting all life on Earth – and that’s not good news for humanity

Scheffers, Brett and Watson, James (2016, 11 12). Climate change is affecting all life on Earth – and that’s not good news for humanity

Climate change is affecting all life on Earth – and that’s not good news for humanity

2016

Journal Article

The broad footprint of climate change from genes to biomes to people

Scheffers, Brett R., De Meester, Luc, Bridge, Tom C. L., Hoffmann, Ary A., Pandolfi, John M., Corlett, Richard T., Butchart, Stuart H. M., Pearce-Kelly, Paul, Kovacs, Kit M., Dudgeon, David, Pacifici, Michela, Rondinini, Carlo, Foden, Wendy B., Martin, Tara G., Mora, Camilo, Bickford, David and Watson, James E. M. (2016). The broad footprint of climate change from genes to biomes to people. Science, 354 (6313) aaf7671, 719-+. doi: 10.1126/science.aaf7671

The broad footprint of climate change from genes to biomes to people

2016

Journal Article

Global biodiversity targets requires both sufficiency and efficiency

Moreno, Di Marco, Watson, James E.M., Venter, Oscar and Possingham, Hugh P. (2016). Global biodiversity targets requires both sufficiency and efficiency. Conservation Letters, 9 (6), 395-397. doi: 10.1111/conl.12299

Global biodiversity targets requires both sufficiency and efficiency

2016

Journal Article

Catastrophic declines in wilderness areas undermine global environmental targets

Watson, James E. M., Shanahan, Danielle F., Di Marco, Moreno, Allan, James, Laurance, William F., Sanderson, Eric W., Mackey, Brendan and Venter, Oscar (2016). Catastrophic declines in wilderness areas undermine global environmental targets. Current Biology, 26 (21), 2929-2934. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.049

Catastrophic declines in wilderness areas undermine global environmental targets

2016

Journal Article

Four environmental reasons why fast-tracking the Carmichael coal mine is a bad idea

Reside, April, Mappin, Bonnie, Watson, James, Chapman, Sarah and Kearney, Stephen (2016, 11 02). Four environmental reasons why fast-tracking the Carmichael coal mine is a bad idea

Four environmental reasons why fast-tracking the Carmichael coal mine is a bad idea

2016

Journal Article

Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests

Liang, Jingjing, Crowther, Thomas W., Picard, Nicolas, Wiser, Susan, Zhou, Mo, Alberti, Giorgio, Schulze, Ernst-Detlef, McGuire, A. David, Bozzato, Fabio, Pretzsch, Hans, De-Miguel, Sergio, Paquette, Alain, Hérault, Bruno, Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael, Barrett, Christopher B., Glick, Henry B., Hengeveld, Geerten M., Nabuurs, Gert-Jan, Pfautsch, Sebastian, Viana, Helder, Vibrans, Alexander C., Ammer, Christian, Schall, Peter, Verbyla, David, Tchebakova, Nadja, Fischer, Markus, Watson, James V., Chen, Han Y. H., Lei, Xiangdong ... Reich, Peter B. (2016). Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests. Science, 354 (6309) aaf8957, aaf8957-aaf8957. doi: 10.1126/science.aaf8957

Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests

2016

Journal Article

Why our wilderness matters

Watson, James (2016). Why our wilderness matters. Time

Why our wilderness matters

2016

Journal Article

Persistent disparities between recent rates of habitat conversion and protection and implications for future global conservation targets

Watson, James E. M., Jones, Kendall R., Fuller, Richard A., Di Marco, Moreno, Segan, Daniel B., Butchart, Stuart H. M., Allan, James R., McDonald-Madden, Eve and Venter, Oscar (2016). Persistent disparities between recent rates of habitat conversion and protection and implications for future global conservation targets. Conservation Letters, 9 (6), 1-9. doi: 10.1111/conl.12295

Persistent disparities between recent rates of habitat conversion and protection and implications for future global conservation targets

Past funding

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

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

    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

    Biogeography and conservation assessment of the endangered Northern Masked Owl

    Principal Advisor

  • 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

    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

Enquiries

Contact Professor James Watson directly for media enquiries about:

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

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