Areas of expertise: aquatic ecology, habitat connectivity

Aaron Hall works to protect species in aquatic and riparian habitats. He is responsible for identifying species and habitats for which Defenders can have a positive impact, and finding scientifically sound and pragmatic solutions to these threats to biodiversity. He also provides expert knowledge on all things aquatic in support of other Defenders projects. 

A growing focus of Aaron’s work is utilizing beaver as a habitat restoration tool. By focusing on this keystone species he is able leverage beaver’s ecosystem engineering skills to create and enhance habitat for many at-risk species including freshwater fishes, amphibians and reptiles, shorebirds, aquatic insects and others. 

Aaron has a diverse background in field ecology and has worked with many species groups including amphibians, reptiles, plants, fishes, and aquatic insects. He has a growing list of publications in scientific journals in the fields of conservation and ecology. 

Aaron holds a BS and MS in Environmental Science from The Rochester Institute of Technology, and a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from The University of Toronto.