William Laurance is Distinguished Research Professor and an Australian Laureate at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. He is also the Prince Bernhard Chair in International Nature Conservation at Utrecht University, Netherlands. His research on the impacts of intense land use on tropical forests and species has ranged from the Amazon to Africa to tropical Australia. He is the author of five books and more than 300 scientific and popular articles. He is the former president of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.


More from William Laurance

As Roads Spread in Rainforests, The Environmental Toll Grows

by william laurance
From Brazil to Borneo, new roads are being built into tropical forests at a dizzying pace, putting previously intact wilderness at risk. If we hope to preserve rainforests, a leading researcher says, new strategies must be adopted to limit the number of roads and reduce their impacts.
READ MORE

China’s Appetite for Wood Takes a Heavy Toll on Forests

by william laurance
More than half of the timber now shipped globally is destined for China. But unscrupulous Chinese companies are importing huge amounts of illegally harvested wood, prompting conservation groups to step up boycotts against rapacious timber interests.
READ MORE

The World’s Tropical Forests Are Already Feeling the Heat

by william laurance
Much attention has been paid to how global warming is affecting the world’s polar regions and glaciers. But a leading authority on tropical forests warns that rising temperatures could have an equally profound impact on rainforests and are already taking a toll on some tropical species.
READ MORE

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