Dr. John Donaldson is a biodiversity scientist and conservation biologist with over two decades of experience working at the interface between biodiversity science and national and international policy. He has worked mostly in government agencies with a strong focus on strengthening the evidence base for environmental decision making.
Dr. Donaldson’s research has focused on understanding and resolving the ecological and social issues relating to the conservation of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, wildlife trade, and the management of threatened species. His research has covered 16 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central/South America and has resulted in over 100 scientific publications. Dr. Donaldson has further led and managed programs dealing with the environmental risk of genetically modified organisms, biological invasions, climate change and biodiversity assessments.
Dr. Donaldson has held various positions in national and multi-national organizations, including as Chair of the South African Scientific Authority (2009-2018), Chair of the IUCN/SSC Plant Conservation Committee (2010-2020), and Co-Chair of the IPBES assessment for the sustainable use of wild species (2018-2022). He was one of the senior managers responsible for developing the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), particularly the applied research division. His research group won the award for excellence from the National Science and Technology Forum (2005) and he was a finalist in the Green Matter award of the NSTF (2016). Until recently, Dr. Donaldson held the Harold Pearson Chair in botany at the University of Cape Town.
Dr. Donaldson holds a PhD in Zoology from the University of Cape Town, a Masters in Entomology from Rhodes University (South Africa), and a Bachelors degree in biology from Rhodes University.
You may review Dr. Donaldson's full CV here.
