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William F. Laurance

William F. Laurance

Award Badge
Ecology and Evolution
Australia
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
147
Citations
96408
World Ranking
35
National Ranking
3

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Australia Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Australia Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Australia Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Australia Leader Award
  • 2015 - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
  • 2010 - Australian Laureate Fellowship
  • 2008 - BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
  • 2003 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Overview

William F. Laurance is affiliated with James Cook University in Australia and has contributed extensively to the field of environmental science. Their research focuses primarily on environmental conservation, global change, and ecology.

The main fields of study covered by their work include:

  • Environmental Science

Within this broader field, Laurance has specialized in several subfields, such as:

  • Nature and Landscape Conservation
  • Global and Planetary Change
  • Ecology
  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Ecological Modeling

The topics Laurance investigates are diverse but with a clear focus on ecological patterns and conservation issues. These topics include:

  • Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
  • Plant and animal studies
  • Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
  • Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation
  • Species Distribution and Climate Change
  • Land Use and Ecosystem Services
  • Forest ecology and management

Some recent papers authored or co-authored by William F. Laurance demonstrate their ongoing research interests and contributions to ecological science. Notable publications include:

  • "Scientists' warning on climate change and insects" (2022), published in Ecological Monographs
  • "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity" (2020), published in Nature Communications
  • "Taking the pulse of Earth's tropical forests using networks of highly distributed plots" (2021), published in Biological Conservation
  • "Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests" (2020), published in Nature Communications
  • "Competition influences tree growth, but not mortality, across environmental gradients in Amazonia and tropical Africa" (2020), published in Ecology

Laurance has frequently published in recognized scientific journals, with the most common venues including:

  • Nature Communications
  • Nature Ecology & Evolution
  • Science
  • Nature
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Collaboration appears significant in Laurance's body of work. Frequent co-authors have included:

  • Susan G. W. Laurance
  • José Luís Camargo
  • Oliver L. Phillips
  • Beatriz Schwantes Marimon
  • Ben Hur Marimon

William F. Laurance has received various awards and recognitions over their career, encompassing fellowships and prestigious honors such as:

  • Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (2015)
  • Australian Laureate Fellowship (2010)
  • BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2008)
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2003)

Best Publications

  • Habitat fragmentation and its lasting impact on Earth’s ecosystems

    Nick M. Haddad;Lars A. Brudvig;Jean Clobert;Kendi F. Davies

  • Ecosystem Decay of Amazonian Forest Fragments: a 22-Year Investigation

    William F. Laurance;William F. Laurance;Thomas E. Lovejoy;Heraldo L. Vasconcelos;Emilio M. Bruna

  • Primary forests are irreplaceable for sustaining tropical biodiversity

    Luke Gibson;Tien Ming Lee;Tien Ming Lee;Lian Pin Koh;Lian Pin Koh;Barry W. Brook

  • Landscape moderation of biodiversity patterns and processes - eight hypotheses

    Teja Tscharntke;Jason M. Tylianakis;Tatyana A. Rand;Raphael K. Didham;Raphael K. Didham;Raphael K. Didham

  • Drought sensitivity of the Amazon rainforest.

    Oliver L. Phillips;Luiz E. O. C. Aragão;Simon L. Lewis;Joshua B. Fisher

  • Sixteen years of change in the global terrestrial human footprint and implications for biodiversity conservation

    Oscar Venter;Oscar Venter;Oscar Venter;Eric W. Sanderson;Ainhoa Magrach;Ainhoa Magrach;James R. Allan

  • Agricultural expansion and its impacts on tropical nature

    William F. Laurance;Jeffrey Sayer;Kenneth G. Cassman

  • World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice

    William J. Ripple;Christopher Wolf;Thomas M. Newsome;Thomas M. Newsome;Mauro Galetti

  • Hyperdominance in the Amazonian Tree Flora

    Hans Ter Steege;Hans Ter Steege;Nigel C.A. Pitman;Daniel Sabatier;Christopher Baraloto

  • Tropical Forest Remnants: Ecology, Management, and Conservation of Fragmented Communities

    Gregory O. Vigle;W. F. Laurance;R. O. Bierregaard

  • Impacts of roads and linear clearings on tropical forests.

    William F. Laurance;William F. Laurance;Miriam Goosem;Susan G.W. Laurance;Susan G.W. Laurance

  • Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

    William F. Laurance;William F. Laurance;D. Carolina Useche;Julio Rendeiro;Margareta Kalka

  • Changes in the carbon balance of tropical forests: evidence from long-term plots

    Oliver L. Phillips;Yadvinder Malhi;Niro Higuchi;William F. Laurance

  • The Future of the Brazilian Amazon

    William F. Laurance;Mark A. Cochrane;Scott Bergen;Philip M. Fearnside

  • Long-term decline of the Amazon carbon sink

    R J W Brienen;O L Phillips;T R Feldpausch;T R Feldpausch;E Gloor

  • The exceptional value of intact forest ecosystems

    James E. M. Watson;James E. M. Watson;Tom Evans;Oscar Venter;Brooke Williams;Brooke Williams

  • Matrix habitat and species richness in tropical forest remnants

    Claude Gascon;Thomas E Lovejoy;Richard O Bierregaard;Jay R Malcolm

  • The fate of Amazonian forest fragments: A 32-year investigation

    William F. Laurance;William F. Laurance;José L.C. Camargo;Regina C.C. Luizão;Susan G. Laurance;Susan G. Laurance

  • RAIN FOREST FRAGMENTATION AND THE DYNAMICS OF AMAZONIAN TREE COMMUNITIES

    William F. Laurance;Leandro V. Ferreira;Judy M. Rankin-de Merona;Susan G. Laurance

  • Variation in wood density determines spatial patterns in Amazonian forest biomass

    Timothy R. Baker;Timothy R. Baker;Oliver L. Phillips;Yadvinder Malhi;Samuel Almeida

Frequent Co-Authors

Susan G. Laurance
Susan G. Laurance James Cook University
Timothy R. Baker
Timothy R. Baker University of Leeds
Oliver L. Phillips
Oliver L. Phillips University of Leeds
Ana Andrade
Ana Andrade National Institute of Amazonian Research
Yadvinder Malhi
Yadvinder Malhi University of Oxford
Simon L. Lewis
Simon L. Lewis University College London
Nigel C. A. Pitman
Nigel C. A. Pitman Field Museum of Natural History
David A. Neill
David A. Neill Missouri Botanical Garden
John Terborgh
John Terborgh Duke University
Hans ter Steege
Hans ter Steege Naturalis Biodiversity Center

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