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

501 works between 2001 and 2025
All (501) Journal Article (416) Book Chapter (20) Conference Publication (6) Book (2) Other Outputs (57)

81 - 100 of 501 works

2022

Journal Article

The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity

Allan, James R., Possingham, Hugh P., Atkinson, Scott C., Waldron, Anthony, Di Marco, Moreno, Butchart, Stuart H. M., Adams, Vanessa M., Kissling, W. Daniel, Worsdell, Thomas, Sandbrook, Chris, Gibbon, Gwili, Kumar, Kundan, Mehta, Piyush, Maron, Martine, Williams, Brooke A., Jones, Kendall R., Wintle, Brendan A., Reside, April E. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity. Science, 376 (6597), 1094-1101. doi: 10.1126/science.abl9127

The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity

2022

Journal Article

Logging elevated the probability of high-severity fire in the 2019–20 Australian forest fires

Lindenmayer, David B., Zylstra, Phil, Kooyman, Robert, Taylor, Chris, Ward, Michelle and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Logging elevated the probability of high-severity fire in the 2019–20 Australian forest fires. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 6 (5), 533-535. doi: 10.1038/s41559-022-01717-y

Logging elevated the probability of high-severity fire in the 2019–20 Australian forest fires

2022

Journal Article

Reconsidering priorities for forest conservation when considering the threats of mining and armed conflict

Williams, Brooke A., Grantham, Hedley S., Watson, James E. M., Shapiro, Aurélie C., Plumptre, Andrew J., Ayebare, Samuel, Goldman, Elizabeth and Tulloch, Ayesha I. T. (2022). Reconsidering priorities for forest conservation when considering the threats of mining and armed conflict. Ambio, 51 (9), 2007-2024. doi: 10.1007/s13280-022-01724-0

Reconsidering priorities for forest conservation when considering the threats of mining and armed conflict

2022

Journal Article

Accounting for both automated recording unit detection space and signal recognition performance in acoustic surveys: A protocol applied to the cryptic and critically endangered Night Parrot ( Pezoporus occidentalis )

Leseberg, Nicholas P., Venables, William N., Murphy, Stephen A., Jackett, Nigel A. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Accounting for both automated recording unit detection space and signal recognition performance in acoustic surveys: A protocol applied to the cryptic and critically endangered Night Parrot ( Pezoporus occidentalis ). Austral Ecology, 47 (2), 440-455. doi: 10.1111/aec.13128

Accounting for both automated recording unit detection space and signal recognition performance in acoustic surveys: A protocol applied to the cryptic and critically endangered Night Parrot ( Pezoporus occidentalis )

2022

Journal Article

Importance of equitable cost sharing in the Convention on Biological Diversity's protected area agenda

Stark, Keila, Adams, Vanessa, Brown, Christopher J., Chauvenet, Alienor, Davis, Katrina, Game, Edward T., Halpern, Benjamin S., Lynham, John, Mappin, Bonnie, Selkoe, Kim, Watson, James E.M., Possingham, Hugh P. and Klein, Carissa J. (2022). Importance of equitable cost sharing in the Convention on Biological Diversity's protected area agenda. Conservation Biology, 36 (2) cobi.13812, e13812. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13812

Importance of equitable cost sharing in the Convention on Biological Diversity's protected area agenda

2022

Journal Article

Response: Where might we find ecologically intact communities?

Grantham, Hedley S., Evans, Tom, Lieberman, Susan, Robinson, John G., Elsen, Paul R., Ferrier, Simon, Kearney, Stephen G., Maurer, Golo, Surya, Gautam, Spindler, Rebecca, Stasak, Basha, Trezise, James and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Response: Where might we find ecologically intact communities?. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 5 730546. doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2022.730546

Response: Where might we find ecologically intact communities?

2022

Journal Article

The role of different governance regimes in reducing native vegetation conversion and promoting regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon

Alves-Pinto, Helena N., Cordeiro, Carlos L. O., Geldmann, Jonas D., Jonas, Harry, Gaiarsa, Marilia Palumbo, Balmford, Andrew, Watson, James E. M., Latawiec, Agnieszka Ewa and Strassburg, Bernardo (2022). The role of different governance regimes in reducing native vegetation conversion and promoting regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon. Biological Conservation, 267 109473, 109473. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109473

The role of different governance regimes in reducing native vegetation conversion and promoting regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon

2022

Other Outputs

National parks are not enough – we need landholders to protect threatened species on their property

Kearney, Stephen, Reside, April, Watson, James, Nelson, Rebecca Louise, Spindler, Rebecca and Adams, Vanessa (2022, 02 11). National parks are not enough – we need landholders to protect threatened species on their property The Conversation

National parks are not enough – we need landholders to protect threatened species on their property

2022

Journal Article

The costs and benefits of restoring a continent's terrestrial ecosystems

Mappin, Bonnie, Ward, Adrian, Hughes, Lesley, Watson, James E. M., Cosier, Peter and Possingham, Hugh P. (2022). The costs and benefits of restoring a continent's terrestrial ecosystems. Journal of Applied Ecology, 59 (2), 408-419. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.14008

The costs and benefits of restoring a continent's terrestrial ecosystems

2022

Journal Article

Accelerated shifts in terrestrial life zones under rapid climate change

Elsen, Paul R., Saxon, Earl C., Simmons, B. Alexander, Ward, Michelle, Williams, Brooke A., Grantham, Hedley S., Kark, Salit, Levin, Noam, Perez‐Hammerle, Katharina‐Victoria, Reside, April E. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Accelerated shifts in terrestrial life zones under rapid climate change. Global Change Biology, 28 (3), 918-935. doi: 10.1111/gcb.15962

Accelerated shifts in terrestrial life zones under rapid climate change

2022

Journal Article

Matrix condition mediates the effects of habitat fragmentation on species extinction risk

Ramírez-Delgado, Juan Pablo, Di Marco, Moreno, Watson, James E. M., Johnson, Chris J., Rondinini, Carlo, Corredor Llano, Xavier, Arias, Miguel and Venter, Oscar (2022). Matrix condition mediates the effects of habitat fragmentation on species extinction risk. Nature Communications, 13 (1) 595, 595. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28270-3

Matrix condition mediates the effects of habitat fragmentation on species extinction risk

2022

Journal Article

Creating past habitat maps to quantify local extirpation of Australian threatened birds

Ward, Michelle, Watson, James E. M., Possingham, Hugh P., Garnett, Stephen T., Maron, Martine, Rhodes, Jonathan R., MacColl, Chris, Seaton, Richard, Jackett, Nigel, Reside, April E., Webster, Patrick and Simmonds, Jeremy S. (2022). Creating past habitat maps to quantify local extirpation of Australian threatened birds. Environmental Research Letters, 17 (2) 024032, 024032. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac4f8b

Creating past habitat maps to quantify local extirpation of Australian threatened birds

2022

Journal Article

Saving species beyond the protected area fence: threats must be managed across multiple land tenure types to secure Australia's endangered species

Kearney, Stephen G., Carwardine, Josie, Reside, April E., Adams, Vanessa M., Nelson, Rebecca, Coggan, Anthea, Spindler, Rebecca and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Saving species beyond the protected area fence: threats must be managed across multiple land tenure types to secure Australia's endangered species. Conservation Science and Practice, 4 (3) e617. doi: 10.1111/csp2.617

Saving species beyond the protected area fence: threats must be managed across multiple land tenure types to secure Australia's endangered species

2022

Journal Article

Nests and eggs of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus: Two new nests and a review of previous descriptions

Patrick, Patrick, Jackett, Nigel, Mason, Ian, Rush, Emily, Leseberg, Nicholas and Watson, James (2022). Nests and eggs of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus: Two new nests and a review of previous descriptions. Australian Field Ornithology, 39, 12-18. doi: 10.20938/afo39012018

Nests and eggs of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus: Two new nests and a review of previous descriptions

2022

Journal Article

A horizon scan of global biological conservation issues for 2022

Sutherland, William J., Atkinson, Philip W., Butchart, Stuart H.M., Capaja, Marcela, Dicks, Lynn V., Fleishman, Erica, Gaston, Kevin J., Hails, Rosemary S., Hughes, Alice C., Le Anstey, Becky, Le Roux, Xavier, Lickorish, Fiona A., Maggs, Luke, Noor, Noor, Oldfield, Thomasina E.E., Palardy, James E., Peck, Lloyd S., Pettorelli, Nathalie, Pretty, Jules, Spalding, Mark D., Tonneijck, Femke H., Truelove, Gemma, Watson, James E.M., Wentworth, Jonathan, Wilson, Jeremy D. and Thornton, Ann (2022). A horizon scan of global biological conservation issues for 2022. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 37 (1), 95-104. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.10.014

A horizon scan of global biological conservation issues for 2022

2022

Journal Article

New records of Painted Button-quail Turnix varius in North Queensland suggest a distribution through southern and central Cape York Peninsula

Webster, Patrick, Leseberg, Nicholas, Murphy, Stephen and Watson, James (2022). New records of Painted Button-quail Turnix varius in North Queensland suggest a distribution through southern and central Cape York Peninsula. Australian Field Ornithology, 39, 199-205. doi: 10.20938/afo39199205

New records of Painted Button-quail Turnix varius in North Queensland suggest a distribution through southern and central Cape York Peninsula

2022

Journal Article

Retaining the ‘art’: Painted Button-quail Turnix varius do make platelets in north-eastern Queensland

Webster, Patrick T.D., Murphy, Stephen A., Leseberg, Nicholas P. and Watson, James E.M. (2022). Retaining the ‘art’: Painted Button-quail Turnix varius do make platelets in north-eastern Queensland. Australian Field Ornithology, 39, 206-210. doi: 10.20938/afo39206210

Retaining the ‘art’: Painted Button-quail Turnix varius do make platelets in north-eastern Queensland

2021

Journal Article

Author Correction: Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity (Nature Communications, (2020), 11, 1, (5978), 10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3)

Grantham, H. S., Duncan, A., Evans, T. D., Jones, K. R., Beyer, H. L., Schuster, R., Walston, J., Ray, J. C., Robinson, J. G., Callow, M., Clements, T., Costa, H. M., DeGemmis, A., Elsen, P. R., Ervin, J., Franco, P., Goldman, E., Goetz, S., Hansen, A., Hofsvang, E., Jantz, P., Jupiter, S., Kang, A., Langhammer, P., Laurance, W. F., Lieberman, S., Linkie, M., Malhi, Y., Maxwell, S. ... Watson, J. E.M. (2021). Author Correction: Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity (Nature Communications, (2020), 11, 1, (5978), 10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3). Nature Communications, 12 (1) 592, 592. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-20999-7

Author Correction: Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity (Nature Communications, (2020), 11, 1, (5978), 10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3)

2021

Journal Article

Integrated spatial planning for biodiversity conservation and food production

Fastré, Constance, van Zeist, Willem-Jan, Watson, J. E.M. and Visconti, Piero (2021). Integrated spatial planning for biodiversity conservation and food production. One Earth, 4 (11), 1635-1644. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.10.014

Integrated spatial planning for biodiversity conservation and food production

2021

Journal Article

Mismatch between bird species sensitivity and the protection of intact habitats across the Americas

Cazalis, Victor, Barnes, Megan D., Johnston, Alison, Watson, James E. M., Şekercioğlu, Cagan H. and Rodrigues, Ana S. L. (2021). Mismatch between bird species sensitivity and the protection of intact habitats across the Americas. Ecology Letters, 24 (11) ele.13859, 2394-2405. doi: 10.1111/ele.13859

Mismatch between bird species sensitivity and the protection of intact habitats across the Americas

Current 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
  • 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

Past funding

  • 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
  • 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

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Master Philosophy

    Engaging elected representatives and constituencies for biodiversity conservation success

    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

    Biogeography and conservation assessment of the endangered Northern Masked Owl

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Ecology and conservation of the Buff-breasted Button-quail (Turnix olivii)

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron

  • Master Philosophy

    Engaging elected representatives and constituencies for biodiversity conservation success

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Conservation Biogeography of the Red Goshawk

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

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

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

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

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Megafauna losses and predatory interactions in tropical forests

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Luskin

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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