Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair, is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof. John Donaldson as the new STAP Panel Member for biodiversity.
John is a biodiversity scientist and conservation biologist with more than 25 years of experience working at the science-policy interface. Here he has been able to integrate his passion for ecology and natural science with other disciplines in order to advise policymakers on complex socio-ecological issues. He has a wide range of interests and has worked nationally and internationally on wildlife trade, plant conservation, biological invasions, the impact of genetically modified organisms and mainstreaming biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. John was Chief Director of biodiversity science and assessment at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, from its inception in 2004 until 2020, and built up teams to assess the status of biodiversity, biological invasions and impacts of genetically modified organisms and to advise government on climate change impacts and sustainable use of biodiversity. He has been a consistent advocate for the role of science in addressing societal issues, has maintained an active research program throughout his career and led the development of both national and institutional research strategies dealing with biodiversity. John has held various positions on committees of the IUCN/Species Survival Commission and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), has been a technical advisor to governments for several Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and is currently co-Chair of the IPBES Assessment for the Sustainable Use of Wild Species.
You can review John’s full CV by visiting this link.
