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Binbin Li

Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Duke Kunshan University
DKU Faculty

Overview


Dr. Binbin Li is the Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at the Environmental Research Center at Duke Kunshan University. She holds a secondary appointment with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. She focuses on the synergy between biodiversity conservation and sustainable development under climate change. She has produced more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in the last six years and published in top journals, including Science, Science Advances, PNAS, Current Biology, Lancet and Conservation Biology. Her work has been widely reported by major media including BBC, CNN, China Daily and others. She has served as PI for more than 10 projects in recent years and secured more than 8.5 million RMB in funding. Dr. Li has been awarded EC50 by Explorers Club, one of the world’s most inspiring explorers. She has received the Outstanding Young Talent by National Natural Science Foundation of China, one of the top talent awards in China to recognize her leading role in scholarship. She serves as the co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) WCPA-protected planet specialist group, and serves on the IUCN Species Survival Commission, World Commission on Protected Areas and the Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover convened by Lancet and PPATS. Dr. Li also serves on the advisory board of State Forestry and Grassland Administration and Giant Panda National Park. She is the editor-in-chief of Integrative Conservation and associate editor of Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution. She also serves on the editorial board of Conservation Biology, Global Ecology and Conservation, Biodiversity Science and National Parks. Dr. Li is engaged in science communication and nature education. She has been awarded nature photographer of the Year in the Chinese National Geography China Wildlife Image and Video Competition in 2022. She is the founder of the China Anti-bird Collision Action Alliance, the largest citizen science project in China. She is also the board director of SilverLining Conservation Center, which aims to increase the capacity of storytelling for conservation practitioners and to change public behaviors using media instruments.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Duke Kunshan University · 2024 - Present DKU Faculty
Associate Professor in the Division of Environmental Natural Sciences · 2024 - Present Environmental Natural Science, Nicholas School of the Environment

Recent News Items


Published March 15, 2023
Duke Kunshan Professor Named Nature Photographer of the Year
Published March 10, 2020
The Wild Work of Tracking Giant Pandas
Published August 29, 2018
PROTECT KEY HABITATS, NOT JUST WILDERNESS, TO PRESERVE SPECIES

View All News Items

Recent Scholarly Works


Comparing potential biodiversity conflicts from renewable energy expansion in China at different centralization levels.

Journal article Nature ecology & evolution · June 2026 The rapid deployment of renewable energy creates urgent trade-offs with biodiversity conservation. The uneven distribution of renewable energy potential and biodiversity creates a critical governance challenge: at which administrative level should goal set ... Full text Cite

Integrating α and β diversity in conservation planning.

Journal article Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · March 2026 Conservation planning has long prioritized local species richness (α diversity) but has rarely explicitly integrated species turnover (β diversity) into actionable strategies. Areas with high species turnover lack recognition and protection despite their e ... Full text Cite

Do livestock feces repel giant pandas? A smelly study investigating behavioral responses in captivity

Journal article Journal of Mammalogy · August 1, 2025 Giant Panda (hereafter, panda) habitat in the Mountains of Southwest China is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot, and protecting its habitat promotes the conservation of other endemic and threatened flora and fauna. Livestock grazing is an emergin ... Full text Cite
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Education


Duke University · 2017 Ph.D.