Graduate students, relax! The hardest part (choosing a topic) has finally been done for you, as scientists from across the world have decided on the 100 most important research questions for Conservation Biology, and it’s been published. I think legal issues preclude me from actually posting all 100, but this is really a great paper.

• Ecosystem Function and Services
• Climate Change
• Technological Change
• Protected Areas
• Ecosystem Management and Restoration
• Terrestrial Ecosystems
• Marine Ecosystems
• Freshwater Ecosystems
• Species Management
• Organizational Systems and Processes
• Societal Context and Change
• Impacts of Conservation Interventions

Sutherland, W., et al. “One Hundred Questions of Importance to the Conservation of Global Biological Diversity,” Conservation Biology, In Press. (doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01212.x)