Joy Zedler

Joy Buswell Zedler (born 1943) is an American ecologist and professor of botany at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW), holding the title of Aldo Leopold Chair of Restoration Ecology. In addition to restoration ecology, she specializes in the ecology of wetlands, rare species, interactions between native and introduced species, and adaptive management.

Career

After earning a PhD in botany at UW, Zedler in 1969 moved to San Diego, California, as her husband took a job at San Diego State University (SDSU). She became an SDSU faculty member and joined activist Mike McCoy in preventing the Tijuana River Estuary from being developed into a marina. She formed SDSU's Pacific Estuarine Research Laboratory.

She also in 1998 became director of research for the UW Arboretum. She served in this capacity for 18 years, launching studies into invasive species, including how native plants can defend their ecosystems. She was the co-author of a 2010s plan to restore the Mesopotamian Marshes.

Zedler has said that the most immediate impact of wetland destruction—in which "most losses are due to drainage for agriculture"—is a lower denitrification rate, which may raise the level of nitrates in water over the amount safe for children and pregnant women.

A fellow of the Society of Wetland Scientists and the Ecological Society of America, Zedler edits the journals Restoration Ecology and Ecosystem Health and Sustainability. She is a former member of the board of directors of The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Wisconsin State Natural Areas Preservation Council. Zedler Marsh, part of Los Cerritos Wetlands, is named in her honor.

Selected publications

Journal articles

Books