From Rainforest Discovery to Forest Futures: Adam Felton Appointed Professor in Conservation Ecology

“It’s really wonderful,” he says. “Academia is enabling me to pursue both my interest in wildlife and the scientific process itself.”

His research has spanned a wide range of forest ecosystems, from Australia to South America, with a consistent focus on how biodiversity responds to different forms of forest management. That work has sometimes led beyond expected research outcomes.

In Bolivia, for example, Felton and colleagues documented what would later be confirmed as a new species—the Madidi titi monkey. 

Rather than naming the species themselves, the team chose to auction the naming rights to support conservation in the national park where it was discovered. The winning bid came from an online casino, which attempted to name it the “GoldenPalace.com monkey.”

“It was a weird convergence of two otherwise completely disconnected worlds,” he says.

The name was ultimately rejected, but the funding contributed to protecting the species’ habitat.

Expanding the Scope of Research

For Felton, the professorship is less about changing direction and more about creating the conditions to work at a different scale.

“Most of all it should help me to broaden and streamline my research horizons,” he says.

A key part of that is focusing on longer-term projects. He is currently developing work on riparian forest restoration, alongside projects using advanced tracking techniques to study Sweden’s critically endangered white-backed woodpecker.

Across these efforts, the central question remains the same: how forests can be managed to support biodiversity under increasing environmental pressure.

“Forests are some of our staunchest natural allies… we really have to be doing everything we can to look after their health and vitality.”

Decisions That Shape Future Forests

That question becomes particularly pressing when looking ahead. Asked which decisions today will matter most for biodiversity 50 years from now, Felton describes a fundamental tension in forest management.

One pathway continues along intensification like monocultures, shorter rotations, and introduced tree species. The other moves towards greater ecological complexity, with more diverse and structurally varied forests.

“Presumably it will be a combination,” he says. “But to get more win-wins with forest biodiversity we will need more of the latter than the former.”

He also highlights the importance of protecting remaining older forests and investing in restoration, decisions that will shape forest ecosystems over decades.

Energy From the Field And the Classroom

Despite the scale of these challenges, Felton’s work remains closely tied to field experience. Time in the forest—and increasingly, time with students—continues to be a key source of energy.

“To be quiet in nature and listen to the woodpeckers… it’s completely revitalizing,” he says. “And increasingly, interacting and sharing such joys with our students, that’s such a privilege.”

After years in research, his curiosity remains intact.

“It seems to be a deep well that thankfully I’ve never found the bottom of.”