David Watson

Personal profile

Professor David M Watson's research falls into three principal areas: managing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes; measuring and predicting the biological effects of habitat fragmentation; and the ecology of parasitic plants. His research has been conducted through detailed community-level field studies in Australia and Latin America; species-specific studies of distribution and abundance; theoretical advances; empirical studies based on previously published data; & synthetic reviews consolidating existing information and proposing new hypotheses. Most of his research is applied, improving our understanding and management of natural systems. He has developed a new way of conducting bird surveys; articulated a generalised explanation for distribution patterns of parasitic plants; demonstrated parasitic plants boost productivity in their communities; & suggested changes in productivity and food availability underlie woodland bird declines.

Research Interests

Research Interests

Managing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes
Measuring and predicting the biological effects of habitat fragmentation
Ecology of parasitic plants

Professional Information

External Appointments & Memberships:

Technical Advisory Group (member) for the Great Western Woodlands Project (jointly managed by Birdlife Australia and the Nature Conservancy)
Slopes to Summit Partnership (regional hub of the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative)( founding member and senior ecologist)
Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre (member of the management committee)

Editorial roles on journals:

Austral Ecology (Associate editor)

Education/Academic qualification

Doctor of Philosophy (Ecology), University of Kansas

1999

Bachelor of Science (Honours 1), Monash University

1994

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Research Output

1745 Citations
24 h-Index
68 Article
6 Chapter
4 Conference paper
2 Comment/debate
8 More

Post-Anthropocene Conservation

Watson, M. J. & Watson, D. M., Jan 2020, In : Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 35, 1, p. 1-3 3 p.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Short survey

Open Access

Using visualization and machine learning methods to monitor low detectability species—The least bittern as a case study

Znidersic, E., Towsey, M., Roy, W. K., Darling, S. E., Truskinger, A., Roe, P. & Watson, D. M., Jan 2020, In : Ecological Informatics. 55, 101014.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Open Access

A Call for International Leadership and Coordination to Realize the Potential of Conservation Technology

Lahoz-Monfort, J. J., Chadès, I., Davies, A., Fegraus, E., Game, E., Guillera-Arroita, G., Harcourt, R., Indraswari, K., McGowan, J., Oliver, J. L., Refisch, J., Rhodes, J., Roe, P., Rogers, A., Ward, A., Watson, D. M., Watson, J. E. M., Wintle, B. A. & Joppa, L., 01 Oct 2019, In : Bioscience. 69, 10, p. 823-832 10 p.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article

1 Citation (Scopus)

Camera trapping and transect counts yield complementary insights into an endangered island endemic rail

Znidersic, E., Flores, T., Macrae, I., Woinarski, J. C. Z. & Watson, D. M., 25 Feb 2019, In : Pacific Conservation Biology. 25, 4, p. 394-402 9 p.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article