Dr. Oscar Morton's research broadly centres on the trade and use of species, exploring the reasons behind the selection of specific species for particular purposes, evaluating the impacts of such utilisation on species populations, and assessing the efficacy of global policies in ensuring sustainable use. The key underlying theme being that effective policy requires and robust evidence-based framework. Dr. Morton also maintains a broader interest in global conservation and its intersection with the consequences of land use changes on species communities, as well as how various threats can act synergistically to endanger species.

Dr. Morton's ongoing projects involve the examination of global policy effectiveness in validating captive breeding within international trade, the assessment of global quota utilisation and its effectiveness, and the investigation of whether the effective protection of key biodiversity areas (KBAs) results in disproportionate biodiversity benefits for species subjected to use and trade. Dr. Morton also collaborates with key NGO's including TRAFFIC to better understand illicit networks of global wildlife trade and how policy can best be targeted to disrupt this illegal trade.