Josh earned a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Brandeis University, a M.Sc. in Zoology while a Fulbright Scholar at James Cook University in Australia, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University. Prior to his current position at Archbold, Josh helped reestablish scientific capacity in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique following the country's devastating civil war, while researching how war affects wildlife Africa-wide. He was also a biologist in the US Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters leading Species Status Assessments under the Endangered Species Act. 

-Lead the scientific arm of the statewide campaign to conserve the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

-Oversee invasive species and fire management on Archbold Biological Station and Reserve.

-Coordinate Archbold collaboration with regional conservation cooperatives including the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape and Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Working Group.

-Represent of conservation interests to county and regional community groups.

-Build capacity and strategy to deploy and track impacts of Archbold science for conservation.

-Research in landscape ecology and conservation science.


Josh is the Director of Conservation at Archbold where his overarching focus is to build the use of science in conservation of biodiversity and large landscapes. He leads develop and implementation of Archbold’s conservation strategy, collaborations with agencies, landowners, NGOs, and researchers from the immediate Archbold neighborhood to the statewide Florida Wildlife Corridor and beyond, and oversees land management on the Station and Reserve. 

Joshua Daskin, Ph.D.

Director of Conservation

Archbold's Conservation Strategy defines the four pillars that guide our work:  Saving the rarest of the rare species and ecosystems; Sustaining grasslands; Connecting large landscapes and wildlife corridors; and  Addressing climate change. Each Archbold program has built conceptual maps of how they and their partners advance one or more pillar's goals, and has identified metrics we track to understand progress towards our goals.

Conceptual modeling of research, education, and outreach activities and annual tracking of metrics to plan how we impact conservation targets

Data and Analysis Types

Archbold Biological Station, Avon Park Air Force Range, Buck Island Ranch, Lake Wales Ridge, Headwaters of the Everglades Watershed, Florida Wildlife Corridor

Primary Location(s)

Years Active

Project Details

Archbold staff have been closely engaged in conservation activities on Archbold properties, in the surrounding community, and through engagement regionally, nationally, and internationally. However, much of this work has been opportunistic (e.g., providing requested data or expertise to neighboring management agencies). In 2021, Archbold established a conservation program, committing to proactive, deliberate conservation engagement. The Conservation Strategy.

Measuring conservation impact

Major Findings & Impact

Project Details

Related People

Featured Publications

Funders