Ecologist, Conservation Biologist, Professor
Don Waller works as a plant ecologist, conservation biologist, and conservation activist (ResearchGate link). He taught ecology, evolution, and conservation biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1978 to 2019 researching population dynamics; the demographic and genetic hazards of rarity; and drivers of long-term ecological change including the effects of habitat fragmentation, climate change, invasive species, and trophic cascades involving white-tailed deer. Dr. Waller applies his knowledge to improve forest and wildlife management. He co-authored Wild Forests: Conservation Biology and Public Policy (Island Press 1994) and edited The Vanishing Present: Shifts in Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2008). He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Rewilding Institute and serves as Vice-President for Science for the Superior Bio-Conservancy.
