David is an unaffiliated biologist living in Ontario, Canada. From 1973-1996 he was a professor in the Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. He was also executive director of the International Marine Mammal Association (IMMA), a not-for-profit organization concerned with the global conservation of marine mammals, from 1990-1999.

In 1999, he became science advisor to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a position he held until late 2013. His major interests remain in the areas of conservation biology (including sustainability issues and animal welfare), wildlife management, natural resources policy. The author of more than 100 papers and technical reports on various aspects of marine mammal biology, wildlife management, and conservation, he is also co-editor (with J. Beddington and R.J.H. Beverton) of Marine Mammals and Fisheries (George Allen & Unwin, 1985); co-author (with K.M. Kovacs) of Harps & Hoods: Ice-breeding Seals of the Northwest Atlantic (University of Waterloo Press, 1988); co-author (with W.M. Johnston) of The Mediterranean Monk Seal: Conservation Guidelines (IMMA, 1998), and Monk Seals in Antiquity (The Netherlands Commission for International Nature Protection, 1999); editor of Gaining Ground: In Pursuit of Ecological Sustainability (IFAW and the University of Limerick, 2006); and author/editor of Elephants & Ivory (IFAW 2013). His most recent publication was on the subject of conservation and animal welfare (with V. Papastavrou and R. Leaper; Marine Policy 2017). Throughout his career, Dr Lavigne has served on a number of international scientific committees convened by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the US government, the European Commission, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), among others. He has also appeared as an expert witness before government committees in Canada, the United States, and Belgium, and in the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.