William Laurance is a Distinguished Research Professor at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, and holds an Australian Laureate Fellowship, one of Australia’s highest scientific awards. He also holds the Prince Bernhard Chair in International Nature Conservation at Utrecht University, Netherlands. 

Laurance received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989.  His research focuses on the impacts of intensive land-uses, such as habitat fragmentation, logging, hunting and wildfires, on tropical forests and their biodiversity.  He is also interested in protected areas, climatic change, the impacts of roads and other infrastructure on biodiversity, and conservation policy.  His research over the past 35 years spans the tropical world, including the Amazon, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.  To date he has published eight books and over 400 scientific and popular articles. 

A leading voice for conservation, Laurance believes that scientists must actively engage policy makers and the general public, as well as other scientists.  He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and former president of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. 

Laurance has received many scientific honors including the BBVA Frontiers in Ecology and Conservation Biology Award, a Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Conservation Biology, and the Heineken Environment Prize.  He is also founder and director of ALERT—the Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers & Thinkers, a group that advocates for environmental sustainability.

Research Disciplines

• Environmental Science and Management (0502)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity (9608)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Campbell M, Edwards W, Magrach A, Laurance S, Alamgir M, Porolak G and Laurance W (2017) Forest edge disturbance increases rattan abundance in tropical rain forest fragments. Scientific Reports, 7. pp. 1-12
• Collins C, Banks-Leite C, Brudvig L, Foster B, Cook W, Damschen E, Andrade A, Austin M, Camargo J, Driscoll D, Holt R, Laurance W, Nicholls A and Orrock J (2017) Fragmentation affects plant community composition over time. Ecography, 40 (1). pp. 119-130
• Ewers R, Andrade A, Laurance S, Camargo J, Lovejoy T and Laurance W (2017) Predicted trajectories of tree community change in Amazonian rainforest fragments. Ecography, 40 (1). pp. 26-35
• Laurance W, Campbell M, Alamgir M and Mahmoud M (2017) Road expansion and the fate of Africa's tropical forests. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 5. pp. 1-7
• Levis C, Costa F, Bongers F, Peña-Claros M, Clement C, Junqueira A, Neves E, Tamanaha E, Figueiredo F, Salomão R, Castilho C, Magnusson W, Phillips O, Guevara J, Sabatier D, Molino J, Cárdenas López D, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Pitman N, Duque A, Núñez Vargas P, Zartman C, Vásquez R, Andrade A, Camargo J, Feldpausch T, Laurance S, Laurance W, Killeen T, Mendonça Nascimento H, Montero J, Mostacedo B, Amaral I, Guimarães Vieira I, Brienen R, Castellanos H, Terborgh J, de Jesus Veiga Carim M, da Silva Guimaraes J, de Souza Coelho L, de Almeida Matos F, Wittman F, Mogollón H, Damasco G, Dávila N, García-Villacorta R, Honorio Coronado E, Emilio T, de Andrade Lima Filho D, Schlietti J, Souza P, Targhetta N, Comiskey J, Marimon B, Marimon Jr. B, Neill D, Alonso A, Arroyo L, Carvalho F, Coelho de Sousa F, Dallmeier F, Pansonato M, Duivenvoorden J, Fine P, Stevenson P, Araujo-Murakami A, Aymard C. G, Baraloto C, do Amaral D, Engel J, Henkel T, Maas P, Petronelli P, Cardenas Revilla J, Stropp J, Daly D, Gribel R, Ríos Paredes M, Silviera M, Thomas-Caesar R, Baker T, Ferriera da Silva N, Ferriera L, Peres C, Silman M, Cerón C, Valverde F, Di Fiore A, Jiminez E, Peñuala Mora M, Toledo M, Barbosa E, de Matos Bonates L, Arboleda N, de Sousa Farias E, Fuentes A, Guillaumet J, Jørgensen P, Malhi Y, de Andrade Miranda I, Phillips J, Prieto A, Rudas A, Ruschell A, Silva N, von Hildebrand P, Vos V, Zent E, Zent S, Ladvocat Cintra B, Nascimento M, Oliveira A, Ramírez-Angulo H, Ramos J, Rivas-Torres G, Schöngart J, Sierra R, Tirado M, van der Heijden G, Vilanova Torre E, Wang O, Young K, Baider C, Cano A, Farfan-Rios W, Ferreira C, Hoffman B, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Torres-Lezama A, Umaña Medina M, van Andel T, Villarroel D, Zagt R, Alexiades M, Balslev H, Garcia-Cabrera K, Gonzales T, Hernandez L, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Manzatto A, Milliken W, Palacios Cuenca W, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Ramirez Arevalo F, Costa Reis N, Sampaio A, Urrego Giraldo L, Valderrama Sandoval E, Valenzuela Gamarra L, Vela C and ter Steege H (2017) Persistent effects of pre-Columbian plant domestication on Amazonian forest composition. Science, 355 (6328). pp. 925-931
• Mahmoud M, Sloan S, Campbell M, Alamgir M, Imong I, Odigha O, Chapman H, Dunn A and Laurance W (2017) Alternative routes for a proposed Nigerian superhighway to limit damage to rare ecosystems and wildlife. Tropical Conservation Science, 10. pp. 1-10
• Sullivan M, Talbot J, Lewis S, Phillips O, Qie L, Begne S, Chave J, Cuni-Sanchez A, Habau W, López-González G, Miles L, Monteagudo-Mendoza A, Sonké B, Sunderland T, ter Steege H, White L, Affum-Baffoe K, Aiba S, Cristo de Almeida E, Almeida de Oliveira E, Alvarez-Loayza P, Álvarez Davilá E, Andrade A, Aragão L, Ashton P, Aymard C. G, Baker T, Balinga M, Banin L, Baraloto C, Bastin J, Berry N, Bogaert J, Bonal D, Bongers F, Brienen R, Camargo J, Cerón C, Moscoso V, Chezeaux E, Clark C, Pacheco Á, Comiskey J, Cornejo Valverde F, Honorio Coronado E, Dargie G, Davies S, de Canniere C, Djuikouo K. M, Doucet J, Erwin T, Espejo J, Ewango C, Fauset S, Feldspausch T, Herrera R, Gilpin M, Gloor E, Hall J, Harris D, Hart T, Kartawinata K, Khoon Kho L, Kitayama K, Laurance S, Laurance W, Leal M, Lovejoy T, Lovett J, Mpanya Lukasu F, Makana J, Malhi Y, Maracahipes L, Marimon B, Marimon Junior B, Marshall A, Morandi P, Muckendi J, Mukinzi J, Nilus R, Núñez Vargas P, Pallqui Camacho N, Pardo G, Peña-Claros M, Pétronelli P, Pickavance G, Poulsen A, Poulsen J, Primack R, Priyadi H, Quesada C, Reitsma J, Réjou-Méchain M, Restrepo Z, Rutishauser E, Abu Salim K, Salamão R, Samsoedin I, Sheil D, Sierra R, Silveira M, Slik J, Steel L, Taedoumg H, Tan S, Terborgh J, Thomas S, Toledo M, Umunay P, Valenzuela Gamarra L, Vieira I, Vos V, Wang O, Willcock S and Zemagho L (2017) Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome. Scientific Reports, 7. pp. 1-12
• Alamgir M, Campbell M, Turton S, Pert P, Edwards W and Laurance W (2016) Degraded tropical rain forests possess valuable carbon storage opportunities in a complex, forested landscape. Scientific Reports, 6. pp. 1-10
• Baker T, Díaz D, Moscoso V, Navarro G, Monteagudo A, Pinto R, Cangani K, Fyllas N, Lopez Gonzalez G, Laurance W, Lewis S, Lloyd J, ter Steege H, Terborgh J and Phillips O (2016) Consistent, small effects of treefall disturbances on the composition and diversity of four Amazonian forests. Journal of Ecology, 104 (2). pp. 497-506
• Coelho de Souza F, Dexter K, Phillips O, Brienen R, Chave J, Galbraith D, López-gonzález G, Mendoza A, Pennington R, Poorter L, Alexiades M, Esteban Á, Andrade A, Aragão L, Araujo-Murakami A, Arets E, Aymard C. G, Baraloto C, Barroso J, Bonal D, Boot R, Camargo J, Comiskey J, Valverde F, de Camargo P, Di Fore A, Elias F, Erwin T, Feldpausch T, Ferreira L, Fyllas N, Gloor E, Herault B, Herrera R, Higuchi N, Honorio Coronado E, Killeen T, Laurance W, Laurance S, Lloyd J, Lovejoy T, Malhi Y, Maracahipes L, Marimon B, Marimon-Junior B, Mendoza C, Morandi P, Neill D, Núñez Vargas P, De Oliveira E, Lenza E, Palacios W, Peñuela-Mora M, Pipoly J, Pitman N, Prieto A, Quesada C, Ramírez-Angulo H, Rudas A, Ruokolainen K, Salomão R, Silveira M, Stropp J, ter Steege H, Thomas-Caesar R, van der Hout P, van der Heijden G, van der Meer P, Vásquez R, Vieira S, Vilanova E, Vos V, Wang O, Young K, Zagt R and Baker T (2016) Evolutionary heritage influences Amazon tree ecology. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences, 283. pp. 1-10
• Feldpausch T, Phillips O, Brienen R, Gloor E, Lloyd J, López-gonzález G, Monteagudo-Mendoza A, Malhi Y, Alarcón A, Álvarez-Dávila E, Alvarez-Loayza P, Andrade A, Aragao L, Arroyo L, Aymard C. G, Baker T, Baraloto C, Barroso J, Bonal D, Castro W, Chama V, Chave J, Domingues T, Fauset S, Groot N, Honorio Coronado E, Laurance S, Laurance W, Lewis S, Licona J, Marimon B, Marimon-junior B, Mendoza Bautista C, Neill D, Oliveira E, Oliveira dos Santos C, Pallqui Camacho N, Pardo-Molina G, Prieto A, Quesada C, Ramírez F, Ramírez-Angulo H, Réjou-Méchain M, Rudas A, Saiz G, Salomão R, Silva-Espejo J, Silveira M, ter Steege H, Stropp J, Terborgh J, Thomas-Caesar R, van der Heijden G, Vásquez-Martinez R, Vilanova E and Vos V (2016) Amazon forest response to repeated droughts. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 30 (7). pp. 964-982
• Johnson M, Galbraith D, Gloor M, De Deurwaerder H, Guimberteau M, Rammig A, Thonicke K, Verbeeck H, von Randow C, Monteagudo A, Phillips O, Brienen R, Feldpausch T, Lopez Gonzalez G, Fauset S, Quesada C, Christoffersen B, Ciais P, Sampaio G, Kruijt B, Meir P, Moorcroft P, Zhang K, Alvarez-Davila E, de Oliveira A, Amaral I, Andrade A, Aragao L, Araujo-Murakami A, Arets E, Arroyo L, Aymard G, Baraloto C, Barroso J, Bonal D, Boot R, Camargo J, Chave J, Cogollo A, Cornejo Valverde F, Lola da Costa A, Di Fiore A, Ferreira L, Higuchi N, Honorio E, Killeen T, Laurance S, Laurance W, Licona J, Lovejoy T, Malhi Y, Marimon B, Marimon Junior B, Matos D, Mendoza C, Neill D, Pardo G, Peña-Claros M, Pitman N, Poorter L, Prieto A, Ramirez-Angulo H, Roopsind A, Rudas A, Salomao R, Silveira M, Stropp J, ter Steege H, Terborgh J, Thomas R, Toledo M, Torres-Lezama A, van der Heijden G, Vásquez R, Guimarães Vieira I, Vilanova E, Vos V and Baker T (2016) Variation in stem mortality rates determines patterns of above-ground biomass in Amazonian forests: implications for dynamic global vegetation models. Global Change Biology, 22 (12). pp. 3996-4013

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Social-ecological Impacts of Landscape Transitions in Southeast Asia (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Maintaining Connectivity for Tropical Rainforest Mammals in Agricultural Landscapes (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Diversity and Habitat use of Mid-Large Sized Mammals Across Oil Palm Landscapes in the Plains of Colombia. (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Foreign Investments in African Extractive Industries: a Focus on China-Africa with Case Studies in Cameroon (2015, PhD , Associate Advisor)
• Conservation challenges of wet-tropical nature reserves in north-east India (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• The ecological response of lianas to habitat fragmentation of a tropical rainforest (2016, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• The environmental and social impacts of roads in southeast Asia (2013, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Regeneration and Recovery Dynamics of Logged Forests in the Solomon Islands (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.