International attention has recently focused on finding ways to increase carbon storage in tropic... more International attention has recently focused on finding ways to increase carbon storage in tropical forests under the aegis of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation & Forest Degradation (i.e. REDD+). Implicit in many of these discussions has been an assumption that national level payments for ecosystem services will be the most effective policy. Although there have been extensive studies of the causes of deforestation and reforestation in the tropics, none of these studies have focused on the effect of national-level policies on forest cover change. In order to evaluate the impact of these policies, members of the Social Ecological Systems Meta-analysis Database team are developing a systematic study of national level forest policies. In this paper we present initial findings, including the development of a systematic sampling frame which will allow us to produce generalizable results, as well as reports from an initial sample of 4 country case studies selected from Central America....
The common palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus is a small carnivore occurring in a broad array ... more The common palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus is a small carnivore occurring in a broad array of habitats on Borneo, including logged and unlogged forest, cultivated land, and the outskirts of villages and towns. It is assigned incomplete legal protection in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. In addition, the recent, rapidly expanding increase in capture for use in civet coffee production, especially in Indonesia, might adversely affect its population. We used 67 (Balanced Model) and 113 (Spatial Filtering Model) occurrence records within a MaxEnt niche distribution modelling approach to predict its current possible distribution on Borneo. A large proportion of Borneo is predicted to be suitable habitat, including human-modified areas such as plantations. Predicted suitability was lower in coastal regions. Despite its high adaptability to habitat change, conservation actions for this species might be needed because it is widely caught for the production of civet coffee and killed a...
Domain Indicator Unit Min. 25th Median 75th Max Weighted Mean Weighted SD Weighted by Environment... more Domain Indicator Unit Min. 25th Median 75th Max Weighted Mean Weighted SD Weighted by Environment, production, and natural resources Greenhouse gas emissions Food systems greenhouse gas emissions kt CO2eq (AR5)
The banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a small, little-known civet with a geographical range com... more The banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a small, little-known civet with a geographical range comprising Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatra and some associated islands), Malaysia, Brunei, peninsular Myanmar and peninsular Thailand. Habitat loss and degradation are the main threats to the species leading to its classification as globally Vulnerable by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The banded civet uses degraded habitat to some extent, but its exact ecological requirements and the extent of its dependence on primary forest are unknown. We analysed 65 (Balanced Model) and 104 (Spatial Filtering Model) location records of the banded civet to predict habitat suitability on Borneo. The resulting model predicted the majority of Borneo to be suitable habitat; although in general, the low-lying coastal areas, swamp forests and high-altitude areas were predicted to be unsuitable. Given this large area of predicted suitable habitat and the high overlap of habitat suitability and protect...
Little is known about the ecology of the rare marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata on Borneo. In addi... more Little is known about the ecology of the rare marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata on Borneo. In addition, the little information that is available on the species often comes from incidental sightings. Here we use the MaxEnt algorithm to produce a habitat suitability map for this species based on a compilation of existing data. We collected 105 marbled cat occurrence records for Borneo, of which 27 (Balanced Model) or 69 (Spatial Filtering Model) were used to estimate potential habitat suitability. The resulting relative habitat suitability map showed key conservation areas in Borneo. According to these results it appears that the most suitable habitats for marbled cat are lowland forests, but these forests are most threatened by deforestation and other anthropogenic activities. It is imperative to develop appropriate conservation strategies for the marbled cat on Borneo, including long-term research and monitoring, reduction of human disturbances in lowland forests, increased data-shar...
The first comprehensive survey of gibbons (Hylobates spp.) across Indonesian Borneo was carried o... more The first comprehensive survey of gibbons (Hylobates spp.) across Indonesian Borneo was carried out over 3 years to (1) determine whether densities of gibbon species are correlated with vegetation characteristics, and if so, whether the same characteristics are correlated with density across all forest types; and (2) determine population densities in the survey areas and identify threats to the areas. To achieve this, a total of 8 forest blocks were surveyed, involving 53 independent survey locations and repeat surveys in 3 forest blocks. Our data show that gibbons are ubiquitous where there is forest; however, the quality of forest affects population density, forest block size affects longevity of populations, and populations are susceptible to the 'compression effect', i.e. populations occupy smaller fragments at unsustainably high densities. We show the effects of forest disturbance (logging, fire, fragmentation) on gibbon distribution and density and highlight issues for long-term conservation. We discuss the use of minimum cross-sectional area, habitat variables and presence of top foods to determine population density and to identify a threshold below which gibbons cannot persist. We discuss the conservation issues facing all Bornean gibbons, including natural hybrids (H. muelleri × H. albibarbis). The answers to these research questions will help mitigate threats to gibbons and their habitat, as well as identify key habitat for gibbon populations within and outside the protected area network.
The orangutan is the world's largest arboreal mammal, and images of the red ape moving throug... more The orangutan is the world's largest arboreal mammal, and images of the red ape moving through the tropical forest canopy symbolise its typical arboreal behaviour. Records of terrestrial behaviour are scarce and often associated with habitat disturbance. We conducted a large-scale species-level analysis of ground-based camera-trapping data to evaluate the extent to which Bornean orangutans Pongo pygmaeus come down from the trees to travel terrestrially, and whether they are indeed forced to the ground primarily by anthropogenic forest disturbances. Although the degree of forest disturbance and canopy gap size influenced terrestriality, orangutans were recorded on the ground as frequently in heavily degraded habitats as in primary forests. Furthermore, all age-sex classes were recorded on the ground (flanged males more often). This suggests that terrestrial locomotion is part of the Bornean orangutan's natural behavioural repertoire to a much greater extent than previously th...
Citation: Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T. ORCID: 00000002-1184-83... more Citation: Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T. ORCID: 00000002-1184-8344, Vermeulen, S., Garnett, T., Tilman, D., DeClerck, F., Wood, A., Jonell, M., Clark, M., Gordon, L. J., Fanzo, J., Hawkes, C. ORCID: 0000-0002-5091-878X, Zurayk, R., Rivera, J. A., De Vries, W., Majele Sibanda, L., Afshin, A., Chaudhary, A., Herrero, M., Agustina, R., Branca, F., Lartey, A., Fan, S., Crona, B., Fox, E., Bignet, V., Troell, M., Lindahl, T., Singh, S., Cornell, S. E., Srinath Reddy, K., Narain, S., Nishtar, S. and Murray, C. J. L. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet, 393(10170), pp. 447-492. doi: 10.1016/S01406736(18)31788-4
The banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a small, little-known civet with a geographical range com... more The banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a small, little-known civet with a geographical range comprising Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatra and some associated islands), Malaysia, Brunei, peninsular Myanmar and peninsular Thailand. Habitat loss and degradation are the main threats to the species leading to its classification as globally Vulnerable by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The banded civet uses degraded habitat to some extent, but its exact ecological requirements and the extent of its dependence on primary forest are unknown. We analysed 65 (Balanced Model) and 104 (Spatial Filtering Model) location records of the banded civet to predict habitat suitability on Borneo. The resulting model predicted the majority of Borneo to be suitable habitat; although in general, the low-lying coastal areas, swamp forests and high-altitude areas were predicted to be unsuitable. Given this large area of predicted suitable habitat and the high overlap of habitat suitability and protect...
The leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis is one of the smallest cat species found on Borneo and i... more The leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis is one of the smallest cat species found on Borneo and is the most widely distributed wild cat species in Asia. It is listed on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Least Concern. The leopard cat is known to tolerate habitat disturbance and to occur in a range of vegetation types including primary and secondary forests, plantations and orchards. However, the extent to which the leopard cat can tolerate habitat disturbance and utilise non-forest areas is still unknown. In this paper, we collected 373 leopard cat location records across Borneo; of these, 228 records were obtained between 2001 and 2011. We analysed 63 (Balanced Model) and 102 (Spatial Filtering Model) records to model habitat suitability. The models predicted more than two-thirds of Borneo to be suitable habitat for the leopard cat. Almost the entire area of Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and East Kalimantan were predicted to be suitable. The south of Central Kalimantan and the ma...
International attention has recently focused on finding ways to increase carbon storage in tropic... more International attention has recently focused on finding ways to increase carbon storage in tropical forests under the aegis of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation & Forest Degradation (i.e. REDD+). Implicit in many of these discussions has been an assumption that national level payments for ecosystem services will be the most effective policy. Although there have been extensive studies of the causes of deforestation and reforestation in the tropics, none of these studies have focused on the effect of national-level policies on forest cover change. In order to evaluate the impact of these policies, members of the Social Ecological Systems Meta-analysis Database team are developing a systematic study of national level forest policies. In this paper we present initial findings, including the development of a systematic sampling frame which will allow us to produce generalizable results, as well as reports from an initial sample of 4 country case studies selected from Central America....
The common palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus is a small carnivore occurring in a broad array ... more The common palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus is a small carnivore occurring in a broad array of habitats on Borneo, including logged and unlogged forest, cultivated land, and the outskirts of villages and towns. It is assigned incomplete legal protection in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. In addition, the recent, rapidly expanding increase in capture for use in civet coffee production, especially in Indonesia, might adversely affect its population. We used 67 (Balanced Model) and 113 (Spatial Filtering Model) occurrence records within a MaxEnt niche distribution modelling approach to predict its current possible distribution on Borneo. A large proportion of Borneo is predicted to be suitable habitat, including human-modified areas such as plantations. Predicted suitability was lower in coastal regions. Despite its high adaptability to habitat change, conservation actions for this species might be needed because it is widely caught for the production of civet coffee and killed a...
Domain Indicator Unit Min. 25th Median 75th Max Weighted Mean Weighted SD Weighted by Environment... more Domain Indicator Unit Min. 25th Median 75th Max Weighted Mean Weighted SD Weighted by Environment, production, and natural resources Greenhouse gas emissions Food systems greenhouse gas emissions kt CO2eq (AR5)
The banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a small, little-known civet with a geographical range com... more The banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a small, little-known civet with a geographical range comprising Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatra and some associated islands), Malaysia, Brunei, peninsular Myanmar and peninsular Thailand. Habitat loss and degradation are the main threats to the species leading to its classification as globally Vulnerable by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The banded civet uses degraded habitat to some extent, but its exact ecological requirements and the extent of its dependence on primary forest are unknown. We analysed 65 (Balanced Model) and 104 (Spatial Filtering Model) location records of the banded civet to predict habitat suitability on Borneo. The resulting model predicted the majority of Borneo to be suitable habitat; although in general, the low-lying coastal areas, swamp forests and high-altitude areas were predicted to be unsuitable. Given this large area of predicted suitable habitat and the high overlap of habitat suitability and protect...
Little is known about the ecology of the rare marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata on Borneo. In addi... more Little is known about the ecology of the rare marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata on Borneo. In addition, the little information that is available on the species often comes from incidental sightings. Here we use the MaxEnt algorithm to produce a habitat suitability map for this species based on a compilation of existing data. We collected 105 marbled cat occurrence records for Borneo, of which 27 (Balanced Model) or 69 (Spatial Filtering Model) were used to estimate potential habitat suitability. The resulting relative habitat suitability map showed key conservation areas in Borneo. According to these results it appears that the most suitable habitats for marbled cat are lowland forests, but these forests are most threatened by deforestation and other anthropogenic activities. It is imperative to develop appropriate conservation strategies for the marbled cat on Borneo, including long-term research and monitoring, reduction of human disturbances in lowland forests, increased data-shar...
The first comprehensive survey of gibbons (Hylobates spp.) across Indonesian Borneo was carried o... more The first comprehensive survey of gibbons (Hylobates spp.) across Indonesian Borneo was carried out over 3 years to (1) determine whether densities of gibbon species are correlated with vegetation characteristics, and if so, whether the same characteristics are correlated with density across all forest types; and (2) determine population densities in the survey areas and identify threats to the areas. To achieve this, a total of 8 forest blocks were surveyed, involving 53 independent survey locations and repeat surveys in 3 forest blocks. Our data show that gibbons are ubiquitous where there is forest; however, the quality of forest affects population density, forest block size affects longevity of populations, and populations are susceptible to the 'compression effect', i.e. populations occupy smaller fragments at unsustainably high densities. We show the effects of forest disturbance (logging, fire, fragmentation) on gibbon distribution and density and highlight issues for long-term conservation. We discuss the use of minimum cross-sectional area, habitat variables and presence of top foods to determine population density and to identify a threshold below which gibbons cannot persist. We discuss the conservation issues facing all Bornean gibbons, including natural hybrids (H. muelleri × H. albibarbis). The answers to these research questions will help mitigate threats to gibbons and their habitat, as well as identify key habitat for gibbon populations within and outside the protected area network.
The orangutan is the world's largest arboreal mammal, and images of the red ape moving throug... more The orangutan is the world's largest arboreal mammal, and images of the red ape moving through the tropical forest canopy symbolise its typical arboreal behaviour. Records of terrestrial behaviour are scarce and often associated with habitat disturbance. We conducted a large-scale species-level analysis of ground-based camera-trapping data to evaluate the extent to which Bornean orangutans Pongo pygmaeus come down from the trees to travel terrestrially, and whether they are indeed forced to the ground primarily by anthropogenic forest disturbances. Although the degree of forest disturbance and canopy gap size influenced terrestriality, orangutans were recorded on the ground as frequently in heavily degraded habitats as in primary forests. Furthermore, all age-sex classes were recorded on the ground (flanged males more often). This suggests that terrestrial locomotion is part of the Bornean orangutan's natural behavioural repertoire to a much greater extent than previously th...
Citation: Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T. ORCID: 00000002-1184-83... more Citation: Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T. ORCID: 00000002-1184-8344, Vermeulen, S., Garnett, T., Tilman, D., DeClerck, F., Wood, A., Jonell, M., Clark, M., Gordon, L. J., Fanzo, J., Hawkes, C. ORCID: 0000-0002-5091-878X, Zurayk, R., Rivera, J. A., De Vries, W., Majele Sibanda, L., Afshin, A., Chaudhary, A., Herrero, M., Agustina, R., Branca, F., Lartey, A., Fan, S., Crona, B., Fox, E., Bignet, V., Troell, M., Lindahl, T., Singh, S., Cornell, S. E., Srinath Reddy, K., Narain, S., Nishtar, S. and Murray, C. J. L. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet, 393(10170), pp. 447-492. doi: 10.1016/S01406736(18)31788-4
The banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a small, little-known civet with a geographical range com... more The banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a small, little-known civet with a geographical range comprising Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatra and some associated islands), Malaysia, Brunei, peninsular Myanmar and peninsular Thailand. Habitat loss and degradation are the main threats to the species leading to its classification as globally Vulnerable by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The banded civet uses degraded habitat to some extent, but its exact ecological requirements and the extent of its dependence on primary forest are unknown. We analysed 65 (Balanced Model) and 104 (Spatial Filtering Model) location records of the banded civet to predict habitat suitability on Borneo. The resulting model predicted the majority of Borneo to be suitable habitat; although in general, the low-lying coastal areas, swamp forests and high-altitude areas were predicted to be unsuitable. Given this large area of predicted suitable habitat and the high overlap of habitat suitability and protect...
The leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis is one of the smallest cat species found on Borneo and i... more The leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis is one of the smallest cat species found on Borneo and is the most widely distributed wild cat species in Asia. It is listed on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Least Concern. The leopard cat is known to tolerate habitat disturbance and to occur in a range of vegetation types including primary and secondary forests, plantations and orchards. However, the extent to which the leopard cat can tolerate habitat disturbance and utilise non-forest areas is still unknown. In this paper, we collected 373 leopard cat location records across Borneo; of these, 228 records were obtained between 2001 and 2011. We analysed 63 (Balanced Model) and 102 (Spatial Filtering Model) records to model habitat suitability. The models predicted more than two-thirds of Borneo to be suitable habitat for the leopard cat. Almost the entire area of Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and East Kalimantan were predicted to be suitable. The south of Central Kalimantan and the ma...
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