David Mark Richardson (born 16 June 1958) is a South African ecologist, particularly known for his work on invasive species,[1] especially invasive trees and shrubs.
He received his BSc degree in Forestry from Stellenbosch University in 1981 and his PhD in Botany from the University of Cape Town in 1989.
He worked as Associate Professor of Botany and deputy director of the Institute for Plant Conservation at the University of Cape Town from 1992 to 2004.
He joined the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University as Professor of Ecology and served as Deputy-Director (Science Strategy) at the Centre for Invasion Biology between 2004 and 2012.
In 2012 he was appointed Director of the Centre for Invasion Biology, and in 2014 he was promoted to Distinguished Professor.