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Protected areas (PAs) play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. 1,2 However, ineffective management can lead to biodiversity loss and carbon emissions from deforestation. 3,4,5,6 To address this issue and explore viable solutions, we assessed the impact of PA establishment on avoided deforestation in 80 Southeast Asian PAs using the synthetic control approach. 7,8 Our results show that 36 PAs successfully prevented 78,910 ha of deforestation. However, the remaining 44 PAs lost 72,497 ha of forest, impacting the habitat of 226 threatened bird and mammal species. Effective management of these reserves could have potentially avoided up to 2.07 MtCO 2 e yr−1 in carbon emissions. We estimate that at least $17 million USD per year in additional funding is required to better manage these 44 ineffective PAs and reduce future emissions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that carbon markets have the potential to generate these funds by reducing carbon emissions from deforestation within protected areas. Our findings emphasize that improving PA management is an essential nature-based solution for conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change. • We used synthetic control approach to determine protected area (PA) effectiveness • 45% of the analyzed PAs were effective in reducing forest loss • Managing PAs more effectively can double biodiversity and climatic benefits • Carbon markets can generate funds required for enhancing PA management Sreekar et al. show that only 45% of the recently established protected areas (PAs) in Southeast Asia effectively reduce carbon emissions and prevent species loss. They estimate that an additional $17 million USD per year is needed to improve PA management, with carbon markets offering potential solutions to bridge this funding gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 50 years, intensive agriculture has replaced large tracts of rainforests. Such changes in land use are driving niche-based ecological processes that determine local community assembly. However, little is known about the relative importance of these anthropogenic niche-based processes, in comparison to climatic niche-based processes and spatial processes such as dispersal limitation. In this study, we use a variation partitioning approach to determine the relative importance of land-use change (ranked value of forest loss), climatic variation (temperature and precipitation), and distance between transects, on bird beta diversity at two different spatial scales within the Western Ghats–Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot. Our results show that the drivers of local community assembly are scale dependent. At the larger spatial scale, distance was more important than climate and land use for bird species composition, suggesting that dispersal limitation over the Palk Strait, which separates the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, is the main driver of local community assembly. At the smaller scale, climate was more important than land use, suggesting the importance of climatic niches. Therefore, to conserve all species in a biodiversity hotspot, it is important to consider geographic barriers and climatic variation along with land-use change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We analyze the work habits of conservation biologists contributing to Biological Conservation. [•] Conservation scientists conduct substantial amount of work on weekends and after office time. [•] There are geographical differences in the tendency to work on weekends or after office time. [•] Over time there has been a gradual increase in the tendency to conduct work on weekends. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Indonesia and Norway have entered into a landmark deal that will pay Indonesia up to US$1 billion for forest-conservation activities aimed at slowing rampant deforestation and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. A recent Presidential Instruction in Indonesia outlines a key deliverable of this “Partnership”—a two-year suspension on new concessions for clearing or logging of peat and old-growth forest. Here, we discuss the implications of this instruction for carbon and biodiversity protection. The protection of highly threatened deep peatlands represents a clear victory. However, by focusing solely on old-growth forests, the instruction excludes over 46million ha of selectively logged rainforests, which often have high carbon storage and biodiversity. This leaves the logged forests, most of which are in accessible lowland areas, highly vulnerable to re-logging and conversion for oil palm and pulpwood plantations. The instruction also could allow large areas of peatlands and old-growth forest to be converted to sugarcane—one of the world’s most rapidly expanding biofuel crops. While the Partnership could potentially help reform land-use planning and reduce illegal deforestation in Indonesia, we argue that Indonesia must also strive to protect vulnerable logged forests, which comprise a large part of the country’s high-carbon, high-biodiversity lands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Navjot Sodhi and we often discussed how growing global demands for food are placing increasing pressures on tropical forests. Although more consumers are demanding for ‘greener’ products associated with sustainable production, green consumerism and improved production practices per se might not adequately curtail destruction of forests and biodiversity. Instead, we argue that consumers in emerging and developed countries need to avoid wasteful and excessive consumption. We demonstrate how reasonable recalibration of consumer aspirations and changes in consumption levels in China, India, the European Union and United States might substantially alleviate environmental impacts associated with oilseed production in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Argentina. We do so through a scenario analysis that projects oilseed demands and expansion from current levels to 2100 under three alternative consumption trends. We show that pursuing a business-as-usual course of consumption would impose severe pressures in producer countries to clear land for oil-palm and soybean agriculture (up to an additional ∼12million hectares by 2040), which could exacerbate rates of deforestation and biodiversity loss in these tropical regions. On the other hand, if each person in the EU and US reduces his/her daily vegetable oil consumption by an average of 25g – roughly equivalent to forgoing one large serving of French Fries – the pressure to convert tropical forests for oilseed expansion could be reduced by up to ∼70%. Our analysis demonstrates how changes in consumer behavior in industrialized nations could substantially alleviate environmental impacts associated with agricultural production in the developing tropics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) provides financial compensation to land owners who avoid converting standing forests to other land uses. In this paper, we review the main opportunities and challenges for REDD+ implementation, including expectations for REDD+ to deliver on multiple environmental and societal cobenefits. We also highlight a recent case study, the Norway-Indonesia REDD+ agreement and discuss how it might be a harbinger of outcomes in other forest-rich nations seeking REDD+ funds. Looking forward, we critically examine the fundamental assumptions of REDD+ as a solution for the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gas emissions and tropical deforestation. We conclude that REDD+ is currently the most promising mechanism driving the conservation of tropical forests. Yet, to emerge as a true game changer, REDD+ must still demonstrate that it can access low transaction cost and high-volume carbon markets or funds, while also providing or complimenting a suite of nonmonetary incentives to encourage a developing nation's transition from forest losing to forest gaining, and align with, not undermine, a globally cohesive attempt to mitigate anthropogenic climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Species–area (SA) models have often been used to predict biodiversity loss resulting from habitat loss. This application of SA models hinges on two fundamental assumptions: the resultant landscape matrix is inhospitable to the taxa of interest; and edge effects do not factor into extinction risks. Despite growing consensus that these assumptions are unrealistic, the SA approach continues to be used in assessments of biodiversity decline and conservation planning. 2. We propose an overhaul of the SA approach by accounting for taxon-specific responses to landscape-specific matrix quality and deleterious effects of habitat edges. We pitted nine variants of an improved SA model (calibrated for edge and/or matrix) against two variants of the conventional model (calibrated with island or continental z values) to predict species extinction and endangerment in 15 tropical biodiversity hotspots. 3. The matrix-calibrated SA model received the highest Akaike’s Information Criterion weight (birds: 66·8%; mammals: 63·3%), which reflects the weight of evidence in support of it being the most parsimonious model given the set of candidate models and data considered. Additionally, the matrix-calibrated (MC) model produced species extinction predictions that were the most accurate and least biased. 4. The second best model (for both birds and mammals) was one that simultaneously corrected for matrix and edge effects. 5. The conventional SA model (particularly when calibrated with an island z value) performed worse than the matrix-calibrated and/or edge-corrected models. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that accounting for the landscape matrix per se is a sufficient and significant improvement to the SA approach in terms of assessing species extinction risks from land-use change. More importantly, given that the MC model was also the most parsimonious model (in that it requires only one additional model parameter than the conventional SA model), it could prove to be a cost-effective heuristic tool for conservation scientists and decision makers to accurately evaluate extinction risks resulting from land-use decisions. We argue that, henceforth, the MC model, which takes account of both the extent of deforestation and quality of the resultant matrix, should replace the conventional SA model for predicting biodiversity loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Southeast Asia experiences one of the highest rates of deforestation in the tropics due to agricultural expansion, logging, habitat fragmentation and urbanization, which are expected to result in species declines and extinctions. In particular, growing global demands for food, biofuel and other commodities are driving the rapid expansion of oil palm and paper-and-pulp industries at the expense of lowland dipterocarp forests, further jeopardizing Southeast Asian forest biotas. We synthesize recent findings on the effects of land-use changes on plants, invertebrates, vertebrates and ecosystem functioning/services in Southeast Asia. We find that species richness and abundance/density of forest-dependent taxa generally declined in disturbed compared to mature forests. Species with restricted ranges and those with habitat and foraging specialization were particularly vulnerable. Forest loss also disrupted vital ecosystem services (e.g. crop pollination). Long-term studies are needed to understand biotic sustainability in regenerating and degraded forests, particularly in the context of the synergistic or additive effects of multiple agents of biodiversity loss (e.g. invasive species and climate change). The preservation of large tracts of mature forests should remain the principal conservation strategy in the tropics. In addition, reforestation and reintroductions of native species, as well as improved connectivity among forest patches could enhance the conservation value of forest remnants in human-dominated landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of island biogeography theory to prediction of species extinctions resulting from habitat loss is based on the assumption that the transformed landscape matrix is completely inhospitable to the taxa considered, despite evidence demonstrating the nontrivial influence of matrix on populations within habitat remnants. The island biogeography paradigm therefore needs refining to account for specific responses of taxa to the area of habitat “islands” and to the quality of the surrounding matrix. We incorporated matrix effects into island theory by partitioning the slope ( value) of species–area relationships into two components: γ, a constant, and σ, a measure of taxon-specific responses to each component of a heterogeneous matrix. We used our matrix-calibrated model to predict extinction and endangerment of bird species resulting from land-use change in 20 biodiversity hotspots and compared these predictions with observed numbers of extinct and threatened bird species. We repeated this analysis with the conventional species–area model and the countryside species–area model, considering alternative z values of 0.35 (island) or 0.22 (continental). We evaluated the relative strength of support for each of the five candidate models with Akaike's information criterion (AIC). The matrix-calibrated model had the highest AIC weight (wi = 89.21%), which means the weight of evidence in support of this model was the optimal model given the set of candidate models and the data. In addition to being a valuable heuristic tool for assessing extinction risk, our matrix-calibrated model also allows quantitative assessment of biodiversity benefits (and trade-offs) of land-management options in human-dominated landscapes. Given that processes of secondary regeneration have become more widespread across tropical regions and are predicted to increase, our matrix-calibrated model will be increasingly appropriate for practical conservation in tropical landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil palm is one of the most extensively cultivated biodiesel feedstocks worldwide, and expansion of its cultivation poses a significant threat to ecosystems, biodiversity and potentially the global climate. We evaluate the prospects of land sparing and wildlife-friendly farming, two contrasting approaches for reducing the impacts of oil palm agriculture. We draw on concepts from both approaches to suggest more sustainable production systems and argue that landscapes under threat from oil palm expansion need to be designed in recognition of biodiversity, economic and livelihood needs. Specifically, we advocate agroforestry zones between high conservation value areas and intensive oil palm plantations to create a more heterogeneous landscape benefiting both biodiversity and rural communities. Similar principles could apply to biofuel systems elsewhere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The finitude of fossil fuels, concerns for energy security and the need to respond to climate change have led to growing worldwide interests in biofuels. Biofuels are viewed by many policy makers as a key to reducing reliance on foreign oil, lowering emissions of greenhouse gases and meeting rural development goals. However, political and public support for biofuels has recently been undermined due to environmental and food security concerns, and by reports questioning the rationale that biofuels substantially reduce carbon emissions. We discuss the promise of biofuels as a renewable energy source; critically evaluate the environmental and societal costs of biofuel use; and highlight on-going developments in biofuel feedstock selection and production technologies. We highlight net positive greenhouse gases emissions, threats to forests and biodiversity, food price increases, and competition for water resources as the key negative impacts of biofuel use. We also show that some of these environmental and societal costs may be ameliorated or reversed with the development and use of next generation biofuel feedstocks (e.g., waste biomass) and production technologies (e.g., pyrolysis). We conclude that certain types of biofuels do represent potential sources of alternative energy, but their use needs to be tempered with a comprehensive assessment of their environmental impacts. Together with increased energy conservation, efficiencies and technologies such as solar-power and wind turbines, biofuels should be included in a diverse portfolio of renewable energy sources to reduce our dependence on the planet’s finite supply of fossil fuels and to insure a sustainable future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Oil palm is one of the world's most rapidly expanding equatorial crops. The two largest oil palm-producing countries—Indonesia and Malaysia—are located in Southeast Asia, a region with numerous endemic, forest-dwelling species. Oil palm producers have asserted that forests are not being cleared to grow oil palm. Our analysis of land-cover data compiled by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization suggests that during the period 1990–2005, 55%–59% of oil palm expansion in Malaysia, and at least 56% of that in Indonesia occurred at the expense of forests. Using data on bird and butterfly diversity in Malaysia's forests and croplands, we argue that conversion of either primary or secondary (logged) forests to oil palm may result in significant biodiversity losses, whereas conversion of pre-existing cropland (rubber) to oil palm results in fewer losses. To safeguard the biodiversity in oil palm-producing countries, more fine-scale and spatially explicit data on land-use change need to be collected and analyzed to determine the extent and nature of any further conversion of forests to oil palm; secondary forests should be protected against conversion to oil palm; and any future expansion of oil palm agriculture should be restricted to pre-existing cropland or degraded habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid losses and degradation of natural habitats in the tropics are driving catastrophic declines and extinctions of native biotas, including angiosperms. Determining the ecological and life-history correlates of extinction proneness in tropical plant species may help reveal the mechanisms underlying their responses to habitat disturbance, and assist in the pre-emptive identification of species at risk from extinction. We determined the predictors of extinction proneness in 1884 locally extinct ( n = 454) and extant ( n = 1430) terrestrial angiosperms (belonging to 43 orders, 133 families, and 689 genera) in the tropical island nation of Singapore (699.4 km2), which has lost 99.6% of its primary lowland evergreen rainforest since 1819. A wide variety of traits such as geographical distribution, pollination system, sexual system, habit, habitat, height, fruit/seed dispersal mechanism, and capacity for vegetative re-sprouting were used in the analysis. Despite controlling for phylogeny (as approximated by family level classification), we found that only a small percentage of the variation in the extinction probability could be explained by these factors. Epiphytic, monoecious, and hermaphroditic species and those restricted to inland forests have higher probabilities of extinction. Species dependent on mammal pollinators also probably have higher extinction probabilities. More comparative studies that use species traits to identify extinction-prone plant species are needed to guide the enormous, but essential task of identifying species most in need of conservation action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Freshwater species and ecosystems are gravely imperiled, particularly within urban landscapes of tropical Asia. In one of the region’s most urbanized landscapes (i.e., Singapore), we determined: (1) the importance of six different habitats (i.e., catchment reservoirs, estuarine reservoirs, forest streams, rural streams, ponds and monsoon canals) for conserving the diversity of freshwater molluscs; (2) key environmental factors (e.g., pH) affecting molluscan distribution; (3) important biogeographical determinants (e.g., area) of molluscan richness within each habitat; and (4) the habitat affinities of introduced species. High sampling saturation was achieved at most study habitats with minimal sampling effort, suggesting that the utilization of molluscs as bioindicators can expedite freshwater conservation initiatives. Estuarine reservoirs (6.0±2.0) had the highest molluscan richness, vis-à-vis catchment reservoirs, forest streams, rural streams, ponds and monsoon canals (3.0±1.5; 0; 3.3±2.0; 1.8±0.5 and 3.5±0.5 respectively). Both reservoir types possessed species compositions distinct from other habitats and contained majority (76%) of the sampled species. Reservoirs therefore serve to conserve the bulk of local freshwater malacofauna, especially if they are maintained at near-neutral pH levels (i.e., ∼7.3) and contain large substrates (i.e., rocks). Area was the best predictor of molluscan richness across all habitats, implying that larger freshwater habitats require higher conservation priorities than smaller ones. Introduced (non-native) species (e.g., Pomacea canaliculata) had high affinities for reservoirs, which are in need of monitoring to curb population expansions. The interminable growth of human settlements urgently requires a reconciliatory approach, which includes the ecologically-sound design and management of modified habitats to complement reserves in sustaining native freshwater species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Unprecedented deforestation is currently underway in Southeast Asia. Since this trend is likely to continue, it is critical to determine the value of human-modified habitats (e.g., mixed-rural habitat) for conserving the regional native forest avifauna. The impacts of ongoing deforestation on the highly endemic avifauna (33%) of Sulawesi (Indonesia) are poorly understood. We sampled birds in primary and secondary forests in the Lore Lindu National Park in central Sulawesi, as well as the surrounding plantation and mixed-rural habitats. Species richness, species density and population density of forest birds showed a consistent decreasing trend in the following order: primary forests>secondary forests>mixed-rural habitat>plantations. Although primary forests contained the highest proportion (85%) of a total of 34 forest species recorded from our point count surveys, 40-yr old secondary forests and the mixed-rural habitat showed high conservation potential, containing 82% and 76% of the forest species, respectively. Plantations recorded only 32% of the forest bird species. Fifteen forest species had the highest abundance in primary forests, while two species had higher abundance outside primary forests. Our simulations revealed that all forest birds that were sensitive to native tree cover could be found in areas with at least 20% continuous native tree cover. Our study shows that although primary forests have the highest conservation value for forest avifauna, the potential of degraded habitats, such as secondary forests and the mixed-rural habitat, for conserving forest species can be enhanced with appropriate land use and management decisions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Widespread and rapid losses of natural habitats and biodiversity have made the identification of extinction-prone species a major challenge in conservation biology. We assessed the relative importance of biologically relevant species traits (e.g., body size, ecological specialization) obtained from published records to determine the extinction probability of butterflies in a highly disturbed tropical landscape (i.e., Singapore). We also developed a taxon-specific model to estimate the extinction proneness of butterflies in Southeast Asia. Logistic regression analyses showed that adult habitat specialization, larval host plant specificity, geographical distribution, sexual dichromatism, and congenor density were significant and independent determinants of butterfly extinctions in Singapore. Among these traits, specificity of larval host plant and adult habitat specialization were the best correlates of extinction risks. We used this phenomenological extinction-regression model to estimate the relative extinction proneness of 416 butterfly species in Southeast Asia. Our results illustrate the utility of available taxon-specific data for a localized area in estimating the extinction proneness of closely related species on a regional scale. When intensive field studies are not forthcoming, especially in regions suffering from rapid biodiversity losses (e.g., Southeast Asia), similar approaches could be used to estimate extinction threats for other taxonomic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southeast Asia has the highest relative rate of deforestation of any major tropical region, and could lose three quarters of its original forests by 2100 and up to 42% of its biodiversity. Here, we report on the current state of its biota and highlight the primary drivers of the threat of extinction now faced by much of the unique and rich fauna and flora of the region. Furthermore, the known impacts on the biodiversity of Southeast Asia are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, owing to the paucity of research data. The looming Southeast Asian biodiversity disaster demands immediate and definitive actions, yet such measures continue to be constrained by socioeconomic factors, including poverty and lack of infrastructure. Any realistic solution will need to involve a multidisciplinary strategy, including political, socioeconomic and scientific input, in which all major stakeholders (government, non-government, national and international organizations) must participate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim The primary objective of our study was to examine the factors affecting the distribution of vascular plants, springtails, butterflies and birds on small tropical islands to understand how different groups of organisms with distinct biological traits respond to biogeographical variables, such as island area. Location The Republic of Singapore (103°50′E, 1°20′N) located at the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia. Methods Seventeen islands were surveyed for vascular plants, springtails, butterflies and birds. Correlation analysis, simple linear and multiple regression analyses and the nestedness index were used to test the hypotheses that (1) area is the best predictor of species/genus richness at both the community and specific/generic levels; (2) there is no correlation between population density and island area; and (3) species/genera are distributed as nested subsets. Results Area was the most significant factor in determining the island distribution of springtails, butterflies and birds at both the community and specific/generic levels, although there were disparate responses to the biogeographical variables between the three taxonomic groups, as well as between common species within each group. Individual species displayed disparate responses to biogeographical variables, suggesting that patterns of distribution at the community level may not be a good indicator of the population dynamics of individual species/genera. Plant species richness did not show any correlation with any of the tested variables. Population densities of springtails, butterflies and birds were positively correlated with area, contradicting the assumption of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography that population density of island species is independent of area. Population densities of plants showed no correlation with any of the tested biogeographical variables. Vascular plant, springtail, butterfly and bird communities on the islands showed... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the opportunities and costs associated with biofuel production and use. It discusses the origins of biofuels from biological feedstocks, its benefits including reduced global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reduced dependency on foreign oil and rural development, and its environmental costs of land use change and losses of natural ecosystems and land . Societal costs are said to concern risks of malnutrition and food deprivation due to rising food prices.

To assess the coextinction of species (the loss of a species upon the loss of another), we present a probabilistic model, scaled with empirical data. The model examines the relationship between coextinction levels (proportion of species extinct) of affiliates and their hosts across a wide range of coevolved interspecific systems: pollinating Ficus wasps and Ficus, parasites and their hosts, butterflies and their larval host plants, and ant butterflies and their host ants. Applying a nomographic method based on mean host specificity (number of host species per affiliate species), we estimate that 6300 affiliate species are "coendangered" with host species currently listed as endangered. Current extinction estimates need to be recalibrated by taking species coextinctions into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an obituary for conservation ecologist Navjot S. Sodhi.

A letter to the editor is presented related to reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) in the previous issue.

Summary The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), colloquially referred to as ‘drones’, for biological field research is increasing [1–3] . Small, civilian UAVs are providing a viable, economical tool for ecology researchers and environmental managers. UAVs are particularly useful for wildlife observation and monitoring as they can produce systematic data of high spatial and temporal resolution [4] . However, this new technology could also have undesirable and unforeseen impacts on wildlife, the risks of which we currently have little understanding [5–7] . There is a need for a code of best practice in the use of UAVs to mitigate or alleviate these risks, which we begin to develop here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical forests are crucial in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem services, but at the same time, they are major sources of revenue and provide livelihoods for forest-dependent people. Hopes for the simultaneous achievement of conservation goals and poverty alleviation are therefore increasingly placed on forests used for timber extraction. Most timber exploitation is carried out unsustainably, which causes forest degradation. Two important mechanisms have emerged to promote sustainable forest management: certification and community-based forest management (CFM). We synthesize the published information about how forest certification and CFM perform in terms of environmental, social, and economic variables. With the caveat that very few published studies meet the standards for formal impact evaluation, we found that certification has substantial environmental benefits, typically achieved at a cost of reduced short-term financial profit, and accompanied by some improvement to the welfare of neighboring communities. We found that the economic and environmental benefits of CFM are understudied, but that the social impacts are controversial, with both positive and negative changes reported. We identify the trade-offs that likely caused these conflicting results and that, if addressed, would help both CFM and certification deliver the hoped-for benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article about the Ministry of Agriculture's approval on converting peatlands into oil-palm plantations in Indonesia which appeared in previous issue is presented.

Large‐scale reforestation can potentially bring both benefits and risks to the water cycle, which needs to be better quantified under future climates to inform reforestation decisions. We identified 477 water‐insecure basins worldwide accounting for 44.6% (380.2 Mha) of the global reforestation potential. As many of these basins are in the Asia‐Pacific, we used regional coupled land‐climate modeling for the period 2041–2070 to reveal that reforestation increases evapotranspiration and precipitation for most water‐insecure regions over the Asia‐Pacific. This resulted in a statistically significant increase in water yield (p <.05) for the Loess Plateau–North China Plain, Yangtze Plain, Southeast China, and Irrawaddy regions. Precipitation feedback was influenced by the degree of initial moisture limitation affecting soil moisture response and thus evapotranspiration, as well as precipitation advection from other reforested regions and moisture transport away from the local region. Reforestation also reduces the probability of extremely dry months in most of the water‐insecure regions. However, some regions experience nonsignificant declines in net water yield due to heightened evapotranspiration outstripping increases in precipitation, or declines in soil moisture and advected precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil palm agriculture threatens tropical forests and biodiversity. Previous studies focused on finding ways to reduce the impacts of oil palm on biodiversity and the environment. However, the actual uptake of sustainable practices depends in part on economic demand. We undertook the first investigation on consumer attitudes and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for deforestation-free sustainable palm oil. In a sample of 251 consumers in Singapore, we found little consumer bias against palm oil per se. However, consumers had strong negative opinions toward products that cause deforestation. On average, consumers stated a WTP of 8.2-9.9% more for common palm oil-containing products that are deforestation-free. Given the current premium for segregated certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO; 1.5-5%), there is an incentive for manufacturers to use CSPO. Educational campaigns by environmental organizations and prominent advertising of CSPO usage through sustainability labels can potentially improve the economic demand for sustainable practices in oil palm agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important topic in the scientific publication process is how well reviewers evaluate the quality of papers and how their recommendations influence editors’ decisions to accept or reject papers. Additionally, a particular concern for researchers from China and other countries with rapidly developing scientific communities is whether there are potential biases affecting their manuscripts in the review process. To address these topics, we examined 4575 manuscripts submitted to the journal Biological Conservation . For the 2093 papers sent out for review, reviewer recommendations strongly influenced the outcome of the review process. Reviewer recommendations of accept and minor revision were similar in their positive effects on editor decisions, while papers receiving at least one recommendation of reject (“the kiss of death”) were almost always rejected. Papers with more consistent reviews (e.g. both reviewers recommending a major revision) had a greater chance of acceptance than did papers with more variation (e.g. minor revision and reject). We found no evidence of editor bias against papers from China; however, reviewer recommendation for papers from China had a greater degree of agreement than did reviewers of papers from English-speaking countries (e.g. intra-class correlation of 0.25 vs. 0.55), due to reviewers of papers from China often agreeing that papers should be rejected or require major revision. Reviewers from China judged papers from China more harshly than did reviewers from other countries. Our results demonstrate that the review process is not a crapshoot; reviewers are providing useful information and editors are using this information to make reasonable decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

That the Himalaya contain the basins of major rivers, regulate regional climate, and harbor rich biodiversity and varied ecosystems is well known. The perennial waters and biodiversity are closely linked to the livelihoods of over a billion people. The Himalaya are stressed because of a burgeoning human population and the escalating pressures of deforestation; urbanization; hunting; overexploitation of forests; and, more recently, intensive dam building. The cumulative effects of these forces have led to biotic extinctions and an increased frequency of hazards threatening human lives, livelihoods, and property. However, there is largely no comprehensive account of these challenges facing the Himalaya. We review and discuss the importance of the Himalaya and the need for their conservation by exploring four broad themes: (1) geobiological history, (2) present-day biodiversity, (3) why the Himalaya are worth protecting, and (4) drivers of the Himalayan change. We suggest scientific policy interventions, a strengthening of institutions, and proactive institutional networking to reverse the trend. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary Primary tropical forests are lost at an alarming rate, and much of the remaining forest is being degraded by selective logging [ 1–5 ]. Yet, the impacts of logging on biodiversity remain poorly understood, in part due to the seemingly conflicting findings of case studies: about as many studies have reported increases in biodiversity after selective logging as have reported decreases [ 2, 6–11 ]. Consequently, meta-analytical studies that treat selective logging as a uniform land use tend to conclude that logging has negligible effects on biodiversity [ 2, 6, 12 ]. However, selectively logged forests might not all be the same [ 2, 13–15 ]. Through a pantropical meta-analysis and using an information-theoretic approach, we compared and tested alternative hypotheses for key predictors of the richness of tropical forest fauna in logged forest. We found that the species richness of invertebrates, amphibians, and mammals decreases as logging intensity increases and that this effect varies with taxonomic group and continental location. In particular, mammals and amphibians would suffer a halving of species richness at logging intensities of 38 m 3 ha −1 and 63 m 3 ha −1 , respectively. Birds exhibit an opposing trend as their total species richness increases with logging intensity. An analysis of forest bird species, however, suggests that this pattern is largely due to an influx of habitat generalists into heavily logged areas while forest specialist species decline. Our study provides a quantitative analysis of the nuanced responses of species along a gradient of logging intensity, which could help inform evidence-based sustainable logging practices from the perspective of biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-driven land-use changes increasingly threaten biodiversity, particularly in tropical forests where both species diversity and human pressures on natural environments are high. The rapid conversion of tropical forests for agriculture, timber production and other uses has generated vast, human-dominated landscapes with potentially dire consequences for tropical biodiversity. Today, few truly undisturbed tropical forests exist, whereas those degraded by repeated logging and fires, as well as secondary and plantation forests, are rapidly expanding. Here we provide a global assessment of the impact of disturbance and land conversion on biodiversity in tropical forests using a meta-analysis of 138 studies. We analysed 2,220 pairwise comparisons of biodiversity values in primary forests (with little or no human disturbance) and disturbed forests. We found that biodiversity values were substantially lower in degraded forests, but that this varied considerably by geographic region, taxonomic group, ecological metric and disturbance type. Even after partly accounting for confounding colonization and succession effects due to the composition of surrounding habitats, isolation and time since disturbance, we find that most forms of forest degradation have an overwhelmingly detrimental effect on tropical biodiversity. Our results clearly indicate that when it comes to maintaining tropical biodiversity, there is no substitute for primary forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term (>50 years) extinction patterns and processes in isolated tropical forest patches are poorly understood. Considering that forest fragments are rapidly becoming the common feature of most tropical landscapes, data on the long-term conservation value of such fragments are urgently needed. We report on avifaunal turnover in a tropical woodlot (Bogor Botanical Gardens; 86 ha; 54% native and 46% introduced plants; mean 83,649 visitors/month) that has been surveyed several times before and after its isolation in 1936. By 2004 the original avifaunal richness of this woodlot declined by 59% (97 to 40 species) and its forest-dependent avifauna declined by 60% (30 to 12 species). Large-bodied birds were particularly prone to extinction before 1987, but following this time none of the species traits we studied could be considered predictive of extinction proneness. All seven forest-dependent bird species that attempted to colonize this woodlot by 1987 perished thereafter. Our results show that area reduction, isolation, intense human use, and perverse management (e.g., understory removal) of this patch have probably negatively affected the long-term sustainability of its forest avifauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant phenology is closely related to light availability as diurnal and seasonal cycles are essential environmental cues for organizing bio-ecological processes. The natural cycles of light, however, have been dramatically disrupted by artificial light at night (ALAN) due to recent urbanization. The influence on plant phenology of ALAN and its spatial variation remain largely unknown. By analyzing satellite data on ALAN intensity across the United States, here, we showed that ALAN tended to advance the start date of the growing season (SOS), although the overall response of SOS to ALAN was relatively weak compared with other potential factors (e.g., preseason temperature). The phenological impact of ALAN showed a spatially divergent pattern, whereby ALAN mainly advanced SOS at climatically moderate regions within the United States (e.g., Virginia), while its effect was insignificant or even reversed at very cold (e.g., Minnesota) and hot regions (e.g., Florida). Such a divergent pattern was mainly attributable to its high sensitivity to chilling insufficiency, where the advancing effect on SOS was only triggered on the premise that chilling days exceeded a certain threshold. Other mechanisms may also play a part, such as the interplay among chilling, forcing and photoperiod and the difference in species life strategies. Besides, urban areas and natural ecosystems were found to suffer from similar magnitudes of influence from ALAN, albeit with a much higher baseline ALAN intensity in urban areas. Our findings shed new light on the phenological impact of ALAN and its relation to space and other environmental cues, which is beneficial to a better understanding and projection of phenology changes under a warming and urbanizing future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the linkage between biodiversity and human livelihood crisis. The article says that the recent Asian tsunami, El Nino-induced fires and zoonotic diseases exhibit that there is a linkage between human well-beingness and healthy ecosystems. The article says that the conflict between biodiversity and development of rural livelihoods encouraged debates between conservation biologists and social scientists. To attain practical solutions to biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, customary resource use and evolving government frameworks, a meeting was convened at Singapore to discuss over the biodiversity of the Malay Archipelago. The article suggests that issues relating to rural empowerment and resource governance should be urgently addressed.

In 2015, the Sarawak Government made a public pledge to stop illegal logging in the State, to create more national parks, and to move towards a zero-loss policy of orangutans and their habitats in Sarawak. Conservationists welcomed this policy in view that threat level for the Bornean orangutans under the IUCN Red List has been upgraded to Critically Endangered in 2016. The main threats to orangutan survival include habitat degradation and forest loss which is rapidly driven by large-scale development of unsustainable land-use change. The cultural taboo against orangutan hunting is slowly eroding with evidence of the species being killed in vulnerable areas. We discussed shortfalls of conservation responses in the past 60 years in Sarawak which included unknown rate of illegal orangutan killings, inadequate law enforcement, and incomprehensive community development strategies. The recommendations to address these shortfalls then include: a) inter-agency collaboration for orangutan population monitoring, b) technological application and intelligence networks to intensify enforcement strategies, c) alternative community livelihood development and self-enforcement, and d) increased public support for conservation policies. The implementation of the zero-loss policy is anticipated to emphasize the needs for orangutan protection amid rapid development plans around critical habitats. • Threats to Bornean orangutans are habitat degradation and forest loss, and hunting. • Sarawak Government responds: protected areas expansion, zero-orangutan loss policy. • Conservation shortfalls: inadequate enforcement, incomplete development strategies • Recommendations #1: technological application, alternative livelihood development • Recommendations #2: inter-agency collaboration, support for conservation policies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest canopies are dynamic interfaces between organisms and atmosphere, providing buffered microclimates and complex microhabitats. Canopies form vertically stratified ecosystems interconnected with other strata. Some forest biodiversity patterns and food webs have been documented and measurements of ecophysiology and biogeochemical cycling have allowed analyses of large-scale transfer of CO 2 , water, and trace gases between forests and the atmosphere. However, many knowledge gaps remain. With global research networks and databases, and new technologies and infrastructure, we envisage rapid advances in our understanding of the mechanisms that drive the spatial and temporal dynamics of forests and their canopies. Such understanding is vital for the successful management and conservation of global forests and the ecosystem services they provide to the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation of the Sumatran orangutans’ (Pongo abelii) habitat is threatened by change in land use/land cover (LULCC), due to the logging of its native primary forest habitat, and the primary forest conversion to oil palm, rubber tree, and coffee plantations. Frequent LULCC monitoring is vital to rapid conservation interventions. Due to the costs of high-resolution satellite imagery, researchers are forced to rely on cost-free sources (e.g. Landsat), those, however, provide images at a moderate-to-low resolution (e.g. 15–250 m), permitting identification only general LULC classes, and limit the detection of small-scale deforestation or degradation. Here, we combine Landsat imagery with very high-resolution imagery obtained from an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). ​The UAS imagery was used as ‘drone truthing’ data to train image classification algorithms. Our results show that UAS data can successfully be used to help discriminate similar land-cover/use classes (oil palm plantationvs. reforestationvs. logged forest) with consistently high identification of over 75% on the generated thematic map, where the oil palm detection rate was as high as 89%. Because UAS is employed increasingly in conservation proWjects, this approach can be used in a large variety of them to improve land-cover classification or aid-specific mapping needs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) aims to avoid forest conversion to alternative land-uses through financial incentives. Oil-palm has high opportunity costs, which according to current literature questions the financial competitiveness of REDD+ in tropical lowlands. To understand this more, we undertook regional fine-scale and coarse-scale analyses (through carbon mapping and economic modelling) to assess the financial viability of REDD+ in safeguarding unprotected forest (30,173 ha) in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain in Malaysian Borneo. Results estimate 4.7 million metric tons of carbon (MgC) in unprotected forest, with 64% allocated for oil-palm cultivations. Through fine-scale mapping and carbon accounting, we demonstrated that REDD+ can outcompete oil-palm in regions with low suitability, with low carbon prices and low carbon stock. In areas with medium oil-palm suitability, REDD+ could outcompete oil palm in areas with: very high carbon and lower carbon price; medium carbon price and average carbon stock; or, low carbon stock and high carbon price. Areas with high oil palm suitability, REDD+ could only outcompete with higher carbon price and higher carbon stock. In the coarse-scale model, oil-palm outcompeted REDD+ in all cases. For the fine-scale models at the landscape level, low carbon offset prices (US $3 MgCO2e) would enable REDD+ to outcompete oil-palm in 55% of the unprotected forests requiring US $27 million to secure these areas for 25 years. Higher carbon offset price (US $30 MgCO2e) would increase the competitiveness of REDD+ within the landscape but would still only capture between 69%-74% of the unprotected forest, requiring US $380–416 million in carbon financing. REDD+ has been identified as a strategy to mitigate climate change by many countries (including Malaysia). Although REDD+ in certain scenarios cannot outcompete oil palm, this research contributes to the global REDD+ debate by: highlighting REDD+ competitiveness in tropical floodplain landscapes; and, providing a robust approach for identifying and targeting limited REDD+ funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]