David Lindenmayer

David Lindenmayer talking about the preservation of Leadbeater's possum in Melbourne on 27 November 2012.

Distinguished Professor David Lindenmayer, AO FAA, is an Australian scientist and academic. His research focuses on the adoption of nature conservation practices in agricultural production areas, developing ways to improve integration of native forest harvesting and biodiversity conservation, new approaches to enhance biodiversity conservation in plantations, and improved fire management practices in Australia. He specialises in large-scale, long-term research monitoring programs in south-eastern Australia, primarily in forests, reserves, national parks, plantations, and on farm land.

Lindenmayer is a Distinguished Professor (level E3) of Ecology and Conservation Biology at the Australian National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society. He has published more than 900 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 48 books on a wide range of topics associated with forestry, woodlands, wildlife and biodiversity conservation, and ecologically sustainable natural resource management. He is among the world’s most highly cited forest ecologists and conservation biologists, being listed among the top 2000 highly cited researchers according to Google Scholar Citations public profiles across all disciplines. His current H-index is 143 as of July 2023, placing him among the top 2000 Highly Cited Researchers (h>100) according to Google Scholar Citations public profiles across all disciplines. In 2020 and 2021, The Australian newspaper listed the 30 leading Australian scientists, and Lindenmayer was listed as the leading conservation and biodiversity expert in the nation.

His areas of expertise also include environmental management, forestry management and environment, terrestrial ecology, wildlife and habitat management, environmental monitoring, forestry fire management, natural resource management, zoology and forestry sciences, with a particular focus on the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum. His work on wildlife conservation and biodiversity has, for many years, led world research in this area. Lindenmayer's conservation and biodiversity research has been recognised through numerous awards, including the Eureka Science Prize, and the Australian Natural History Medallion by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished service to conservation and the environment in the field of landscape ecology, to tertiary education, and to professional organisations".

Academic career

• 2018-2023:  Research Director of the Sustainable Farms Project – a major cross-disciplinary project at The Australian National University that integrates ecological, economic and mental health research to tackle sustainability in Australia’s farming sector.
• 2015-2021: ANU Node Director, National Environmental Science Program. Threatened Species Recovery Hub. Leadership Group member.
• 2018: Robert H. Whittaker Distinguished Ecologist Award
• 2012 Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship
• 2009: Australian Ecology Research Award
• 2008 FAA - Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
• 2003 DSc - The Australian National University. Accepted May 2003; conferred December 2003
• 1990 PhD - The Australian National University: "The ecology and habitat requirements of Leadbeater's Possum"
• 1986 DipEd - University of Adelaide
• 1982 BSc - The Australian National University

Awards

• 2024 Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture, from the Australian Academy of Science.

Publications

Lindenmayer has published over 900 peer-reviewed scientific papers. He has authored 48 books either solely or in collaboration with others, including

• 2022, Natural Asset Farming, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2021, The Great Forest Book, Allen and Unwin Publishing. This book was long-listed by Australian independent booksellers for the Indie Awards.
• 2019, Rocky Outcrops in Australia: Ecology, Conservation and Management, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2018, Restoring Farm Woodlands for Wildlife, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2018, Effective Ecological Monitoring, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2018, Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2016, Wildlife Conservation in Farm Landscapes, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2015, Mountain Ash: Fire, Logging and the Future of Victoria's Giant Forests, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2015, Indicators and Surrogates of Biodiversity and Environmental Change, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2014, Ten Commitments Revisited: Securing Australia's Future Environment, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2014, Booderee National Park. The Jewel of Jervis Bay, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2013, Melbourne's Water Catchments. Perspectives on a world class water supply, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2011, Planting for Wildlife: A Practical Guide to Restoring Native Woodlands, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2011, What Makes a Good Farm for Wildlife? CSIRO Publishing.
• 2010, Forest Phoenix. How a Great Forest Recovers After Wildfire, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2010, Reptiles of the NSW Murray Catchment: A Guide to Their Identification, Ecology and Conservation, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2010, Effective Ecological Monitoring, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2009, Australia’s Biodiversity and Climate Change, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2009, Large-Scale Landscape Experiments. Lessons from Tumut, Cambridge University Press.
• 2009, Forest Pattern and Ecological Process: A Synthesis of 25 Years of Research, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2008, Salvage Logging and Its Ecological Consequences, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2007, On Borrowed Time. Australia’s Biodiversity Crisis, CSIRO Publishing and Penguin.
• 2007, Saving the Earth as a Career: Advice on Becoming a Conservation Professional, Blackwells Publishers.
• 2006, Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change, Island Press.
• 2006, Life in the Tall Eucalypt Forests, New Holland Publishers.
• 2005, Woodlands: A Disappearing Landscape, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2005, Practical Conservation Biology, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2004, Trees and Biodiversity. A Guide for Farm Forestry, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
• 2003, Wildlife on Farms. How to Conserve Native Animals, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2002, Wildlife, Fire and Future Climate: A forest ecosystem analysis, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2002, Conserving Forest Biodiversity: A Comprehensive Multiscaled Approach, Island Press.
• 2002, Gliders of Australia. A Natural History, University of NSW Press.
• 2002, Tree Hollows and Wildlife Conservation in Australia, CSIRO Publishing.
• 1998, Conservation Biology for the Australian Environment, Surrey Beatty and Sons.
• 1996, Wildlife and Woodchips: Leadbeater's Possum as a Testcase of Sustainable Forestry, University of New South Wales Press.
• 1995, The Risk of Extinction: Ranking Management Options for Leadbeater's Possum, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies.

In addition, Lindenmayer has edited and contributed chapters to:

• 2013, Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2012, Land Use Intensification. Effects on Agriculture, Biodiversity and Ecological Processes, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2012, Biodiversity Monitoring in Australia, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2010, Temperate Woodland Conservation and Management, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2008, 10 Commitments: Reshaping the Lucky Country’s Environment, CSIRO Publishing.
• 2007, Managing and Designing Landscapes for Conservation: Moving from Perspectives to Principles, Blackwell Publishing.
• 2003, Towards Forest Sustainability, Island Press.
• 2003, Australia Burning: Fire Ecology, Policy and Management Issues, CSIRO Publishing.