As a Professor in Ecology, David Watson is an internationally recognised ecologist who has transformed our understanding of woodland ecosystems, biodiversity loss and species interactions, including pioneering work revealing mistletoe’s role as a keystone resource and the links between bird declines, soil health and insect abundance.

His expertise spans conservation biology, landscape ecology, acoustic monitoring and threatened‑species management, and he helped establish the Australian Acoustic Observatory, a national biodiversity‑listening network.

A prominent voice in environmental policy, he contributes to major conservation bodies and national debates on feral horse management and ecosystem restoration.

He is widely sought by media for insight into ecological resilience and Australia’s changing woodland environments.