Sutherland's research interests largely involve predicting the consequences of environmental change. He is known for his research on integrating science and policy particularly in the field of
evidence-based conservation. Over the last three decades, his research has spanned several disciplines. Two of his key contributions have been the
horizon scanning exercises to identify future priority issues and the 100 important questions in various disciplines (ecology,[6] poverty prevention,[7] global agriculture and food[8] amongst others. He has also worked extensively on bird population ecology and the biodiversity impacts of agriculture.[9]
He has been cited 23,955 times and has an
i10-index of 277.[10]
Research career
Sutherland was awarded the
Natural Environment Research Council postdoctoral fellowship to join Wolfson College, Oxford in 1980–82.[11] After completing his post-doctoral research he joined the School of Environmental Sciences at the
University of East Anglia in 1983 and went on to hold a professorship in Biology from 1996–2006 in the School of Biological Sciences.[12] He was also a trustee of
Fauna & Flora International from 1998 to 2006, and the President of the
British Ecological Society from 2013-2015.[13]
He has authored three books: Transforming Conservation: A Practical Guide to Evidence and Decision Making,[18]The Conservation Handbook and From Individual Behaviour to Population Ecology. Additionally, he has also edited the following books: Managing Habitats for Conservation, Ecological Census Techniques, Behaviour and Conservation, Conservation Science and Action and Bird Ecology, Conservation: a Handbook of Techniques and Transforming Conservation- A Practical Guide to Evidence and Decision Making,[19][20] He has also co-authored the summaries on amphibian, bird, bee and farmland conservation,[21][22][23][24]
A gratis book scheme that he established has given away more than 5,000 books to 137 countries.[25]
^Pretty, Jules; Sutherland, William J.; Ashby, Jacqueline; Auburn, Jill; Baulcombe, David; et al. (2010). "The top 100 questions of importance to the future of global agriculture". International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. 8 (4): 219–236.
doi:
10.3763/ijas.2010.0534.
S2CID12208593.
^Sutherland, William (November 2022). Transforming Conservation: A Practical Guide to Evidence and Decision Making. Open Book Publishers.
ISBN9781800648562.
^Sutherland, William J. (6 December 2022). Sutherland, William J (ed.). Transforming Conservation: A Practical Guide to Evidence and Decision Making. Open Book Publishers.
doi:10.11647/obp.0321.
ISBN978-1-80064-856-2.
^Smith, R.K. & Sutherland, W.J. (2014). Amphibian Conservation: evidence for effectiveness of interventions. Pelagic Publishing
^Dicks, L. V., J. E. Ashpole, J. Danhardt, K. James, A. Jönsson, N. Randall, D. A. Showler, R. K. Smith, S. Turpie, D. Williams, and W. J. Sutherland. (2014). Farmland Conservation Synopsis. Pelagic Publishing
^Williams, D.,W., Opole, R.G., Showler, D.A., Dicks, L.V., Child, M.F., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J., & Sutherland, W.J. (2013). Bird Conservation. Evidence for the effects of interventions. Pelagic Publishing
^Dicks, L.J. Showler, D.A. & Sutherland, W.J. (2010) Bee conservation: evidence for the effectiveness of interventions. Pelagic Publishing