John Tuxill

John Tuxill is an Associate Professor at Western Washington University, specializing in ethnobotany and ethnoecology. His research focuses on how traditional knowledge systems contribute to sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation. He has conducted long-term fieldwork with Yucatec Maya farmers in Mexico, examining agricultural biodiversity and food systems. Additionally, he has research interests in western Amazonia, the Ecuadorian Andes, southwest China, and the Pacific Northwest. Tuxill holds a PhD in Environmental Studies from Yale University (2005) and an M.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1995).

His expertise spans agroecology, ecological restoration, and conservation biology. Before joining WWU, he worked at the Worldwatch Institute, authored publications on biodiversity conservation, and lived in Panama and Dominica. He speaks Spanish, Yucatec Maya, and multiple European languages. His recreational interests include gardening, fly-fishing, birding, and backcountry skiing.