Dr William Morgan

My research seeks to uncover what works, and what doesn’t, in biodiversity conservation. I address this question through conducting global syntheses of the evidence for conservation actions for a range of species groups, including reptiles, corals and pollinating insects. As part of this work, I co-design tools and processes for improving evidence use in conservation, engaging directly with research end-users to understand their evidence needs. I am also collaborating with computer scientists to develop AI-powered tools for drastically speeding up evidence synthesis, which will allow us to deliver policy-relevant evidence quickly, reliably and transparently. Collaboration has played a key role in my work, and I have built links with funders, consultants, NGOs and policy makers through projects like the Conservation Learning Initiative that develop our understanding of key conservation policies and strategies by applying the best available evidence. I have also worked on population ecology questions pertinent to conservation challenges, particularly around how species will expand their ranges in response to environmental change, exploring whether actions like species reintroductions might help populations keep pace in an ever-changing world.

Key publications

Speight, O., Morgan, W. H., White, T. B., Sainsbury, K. A., Bouskila, A., Rotem, G., ... & Christie, A. P. (2025). Exploring gaps, biases, and research priorities in the evidence for reptile conservation actions. Conservation Biology, e70073.

Thornton, A., Morgan, W. H., Bladon, E. K., Smith, R. K., & Sutherland, W. J. (2025). Coral Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Actions (p. 452). Open Book Publishers.

Morgan, W. H., Palmer, S. C. F., & Lambin, X. (2024). Mating system induced lags in rates of range expansion for different simulated mating systems and dispersal strategies: a modelling study. Oecologia, 204(1), 119-132.

Christie, A. P., Morgan, W. H., Salafsky, N., White, T. B., Irvine, R., Boenisch, N., ... & Sutherland, W. J. (2023). Assessing diverse evidence to improve conservation decision‐making. Conservation Science and Practice, 5(10), e13024.

Smith, R. K., Morgan, W. H., Al‐Fulaij, N., Amano, T., Bowkett, A. E., Christie, A., ... & Sutherland, W. J. (2023). Co‐designing a toolkit for evidence‐based decision making in conservation: Processes and lessons. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 4(3), e12269.

Martin, P. A., Christie, A. P., Shackelford, G. E., Hood, A. S., Wang, S., Li, B., Morgan, W. H., ... & Sutherland, W. J. (2023). Flexible synthesis can deliver more tailored and timely evidence for research and policy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(25), e2221911120.

Barcenas-Garcia, A., Michalski, F., Morgan, W. H., Smith, R. K., Sutherland, W. J., Gibbs, J. P., & Norris, D. (2022). Impacts of dams on freshwater turtles: a global review to identify conservation solutions. Tropical Conservation Science, 15, 19400829221103709.

Morgan, W. H., Cornulier, T., & Lambin, X. (2019). Colonisation dynamics during range expansion is poorly predicted by dispersal in the core range. Ecography, 42(6), 1142-1151.

Full list of publications: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7594-6453