Alan Launer

Alan Launer was associated with Stanford professor Paul Ehrlich's research group, the Center for Conservation Biology, in the late 1970s to early 1980s and again from 1988 to 2006. While with that research group, Dr. Launer worked on multiple projects generally focused on the population biology and conservation of butterflies and plants across the western United States. Since the mid-1990s Alan has worked with Stanford University on designing and implementing the University’s conservation planning efforts, including being part of the team that developed the Stanford Habitat Conservation Plan. His current research activities focus primarily on the conservation biology of organisms inhabiting human-modified landscapes, particularly with respect to conservation planning on the 8,180 acres of Stanford’s main campus. Other topics of field research include: the ecology and conservation of biotic diversity restricted to the serpentine soil-based grasslands of the San Francisco Bay area; land use and conservation planning for the coastal grasslands and scrub of central California; and land use planning and endangered species preservation in the north Livermore Valley (Alameda County, CA).

Dr. Launer taught a course on conservation biology at Stanford with the then Center for Conservation Biology Director Carol Boggs for nearly 20 years, continues to guest lecture in a variety of courses, and advises undergraduate and graduate students on research projects.