Keynote Speaker  

David S. Wilcove

David S. Wilcove is professor of ecology, evolutionary biology, and public affairs at Princeton University. Prior to joining the faculty of Princeton University, he was senior ecologist at the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, DC, where he developed science-based strategies to protect endangered species. He is author of No Way Home: The Decline of the World’s Great Animal Migrations (2008), The Condor’s Shadow: The Loss and Recovery of Wildlife in America (1999), and numerous technical and popular articles in the fields of conservation biology, ornithology, and endangered species protection. He has served on the boards of directors of the Society for Conservation Biology, Rare, American Bird Conservancy, Natural Areas Association, and New Jersey Audubon Society, as well as the editorial boards of Conservation Biology, Ecological Applications, and Issues in Ecology. In 2001, Professor Wilcove received the Distinguished Service Award of the Society for Conservation Biology in recognition of his work on behalf of endangered species.  He received a Ph.D. in biology from Princeton University (1985) and a B.S. from Yale University (1980).  He lives in Princeton, New Jersey. 

Research Interests

Members of my research group are tackling a range of topics in different places, but in all of our work we strive to use a combination of ecology, economics, and policy research to find workable solutions to challenging conservation issues. Recent or ongoing projects include studies of the impact of logging and oil-palm agriculture on biodiversity in Southeast Asia (focusing on birds, fish, and dung beetles); the conservation of migratory species; and how human adaptive responses to climate change are likely to affect biodiversity. New or upcoming projects include studies of the wild bird trade in Southeast Asia, the development of coastal wetlands in Asia, and how bird distributions and abundance are affected by land-use changes in the Himalayas and Amazonia.