Biodiversity and Ecosystem Processes in Human-Modified Tropical Forests
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Plant Sciences
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbance and land-use change in the tropics is leading to irrevocable changes in biodiversity and substantial shifts in ecosystem biogeochemistry. Yet, we still have a poor understanding of how human-driven changes in biodiversity feed back to alter biogeochemical processes. This knowledge gap substantially restricts our ability to model and predict the response of tropical ecosystems to current and future environmental change. There are a number of critical challenges to our understanding of how changes in biodiversity may alter ecosystem processes in the tropics; namely: (i) how the high taxonomic diversity of the tropics is linked to ecosystem functioning, (ii) how changes in the interactions among trophic levels and taxonomic groups following disturbance impacts upon functional diversity and biogeochemistry, and (iii) how plot-level measurements can be used to scale to whole landscapes. We have formed a consortium to address these critical challenges to launch a large-scale, replicated, and fully integrated study that brings together a multi-disciplinary team with the skills and expertise to study the necessary taxonomic and trophic groups, different biogeochemical processes, and the complex interactions amongst them.
To understand and quantify the effects of land-use change on the activity of focal biodiversity groups and how this impacts biogeochemistry, we will: (i) analyse pre-existing data on distributions of focal biodiversity groups; (ii) sample the landscape-scale treatments at the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project site (treatments include forest degradation, fragmentation, oil palm conversion) and key auxiliary sites (Maliau Basin - old growth on infertile soils, Lambir Hills - old growth on fertile soils, Sabah Biodiversity Experiment - rehabilitated forest, INFAPRO-FACE - rehabilitated forest); and (iii) implement new experiments that manipulate key components of biodiversity and pathways of belowground carbon flux.
The manipulations will focus on trees and lianas, mycorrhizal fungi, termites and ants, because these organisms are the likely agents of change for biogeochemical cycling in human-modified tropical forests. We will use a combination of cutting-edge techniques to test how these target groups of organisms interact each other to affect biogeochemical cycling. We will additionally collate and analyse archived data on other taxa, including vertebrates of conservation concern. The key unifying concept is the recognition that so-called 'functional traits' play a key role in linking taxonomic diversity to ecosystem function. We will focus on identifying key functional traits associated with plants, and how they vary in abundance along the disturbance gradient at SAFE. In particular, we propose that leaf functional traits (e.g. physical and chemical recalcitrance, nitrogen content, etc.) play a pivotal role in determining key ecosystem processes and also strongly influence atmospheric composition. Critically, cutting-edge airborne remote sensing techniques suggest it is possible to map leaf functional traits, chemistry and physiology at landscape-scales, and so we will use these novel airborne methods to quantify landscape-scale patterns of forest degradation, canopy structure, biogeochemical cycling and tree distributions. Process-based mathematical models will then be linked to the remote sensing imagery and ground-based measurements of functional diversity and biogeochemical cycling to upscale our findings over disturbance gradients.
To understand and quantify the effects of land-use change on the activity of focal biodiversity groups and how this impacts biogeochemistry, we will: (i) analyse pre-existing data on distributions of focal biodiversity groups; (ii) sample the landscape-scale treatments at the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project site (treatments include forest degradation, fragmentation, oil palm conversion) and key auxiliary sites (Maliau Basin - old growth on infertile soils, Lambir Hills - old growth on fertile soils, Sabah Biodiversity Experiment - rehabilitated forest, INFAPRO-FACE - rehabilitated forest); and (iii) implement new experiments that manipulate key components of biodiversity and pathways of belowground carbon flux.
The manipulations will focus on trees and lianas, mycorrhizal fungi, termites and ants, because these organisms are the likely agents of change for biogeochemical cycling in human-modified tropical forests. We will use a combination of cutting-edge techniques to test how these target groups of organisms interact each other to affect biogeochemical cycling. We will additionally collate and analyse archived data on other taxa, including vertebrates of conservation concern. The key unifying concept is the recognition that so-called 'functional traits' play a key role in linking taxonomic diversity to ecosystem function. We will focus on identifying key functional traits associated with plants, and how they vary in abundance along the disturbance gradient at SAFE. In particular, we propose that leaf functional traits (e.g. physical and chemical recalcitrance, nitrogen content, etc.) play a pivotal role in determining key ecosystem processes and also strongly influence atmospheric composition. Critically, cutting-edge airborne remote sensing techniques suggest it is possible to map leaf functional traits, chemistry and physiology at landscape-scales, and so we will use these novel airborne methods to quantify landscape-scale patterns of forest degradation, canopy structure, biogeochemical cycling and tree distributions. Process-based mathematical models will then be linked to the remote sensing imagery and ground-based measurements of functional diversity and biogeochemical cycling to upscale our findings over disturbance gradients.
Planned Impact
This work will be of interest to a broad group of academics such as:
1. Ecological theoreticians, especially in the context of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning
Our manipulative experiments will enable interactions among key organisms to be tested under field conditions.
2. Biogeochemical modellers of forest ecosystems
We will amass a comprehensive dataset used to develop and link existing models of trace gas fluxces in tropical forests.
3. Plant ecophysiologists
We will collate an extensive dataset on plant traits across the SAFE disturbance gradient.
Our manipulate experiments will also use in situ stable isotope labelling to test how plant functional type affects pathways of belowground carbon flux.
4. Soil fungal ecologists, especially with an interst in mycorrhizae
Our manipulative experiments will provide extensive data on the contribution made by external fungal mycelium of both ectomycorrhizas, which associate with heavily-logged dipterocarps, and arbuscular mycorrhizas, which associate with understorey plants.
5. Soil scientists
We will obtain a range of data on soil processes such as nutrient mineralisation and nutrient status and other soil properties in response to experimental manipulations and land-use change.
6. Atmospheric chemists
We will provide unique data obtained at scales from the plot, ecosystem to landdscape. These data will enable us to link disturbance intensity to atmospheric chemistry.
7. Invertebrate ecologists
Our consortium will analyse how human modification has affected invertebrate communities in soil and litter, and the manipulations will test how these changes interact with other focal biodiversity groups.
8. Conservationists
We will investigate how the distribution and abundance of species of conservation concern are related to human modification of forests, and the key biogeochemical processes they undertake. The consortium will provide a rigorous understanding of how human modificationof forests affects a broad range of key ecosystem processes.
9. Technologists
We will use a range of cutting-edge technologies under challenging conditions that will contribute to their further development and refinement for future generations of scientists.
1. Ecological theoreticians, especially in the context of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning
Our manipulative experiments will enable interactions among key organisms to be tested under field conditions.
2. Biogeochemical modellers of forest ecosystems
We will amass a comprehensive dataset used to develop and link existing models of trace gas fluxces in tropical forests.
3. Plant ecophysiologists
We will collate an extensive dataset on plant traits across the SAFE disturbance gradient.
Our manipulate experiments will also use in situ stable isotope labelling to test how plant functional type affects pathways of belowground carbon flux.
4. Soil fungal ecologists, especially with an interst in mycorrhizae
Our manipulative experiments will provide extensive data on the contribution made by external fungal mycelium of both ectomycorrhizas, which associate with heavily-logged dipterocarps, and arbuscular mycorrhizas, which associate with understorey plants.
5. Soil scientists
We will obtain a range of data on soil processes such as nutrient mineralisation and nutrient status and other soil properties in response to experimental manipulations and land-use change.
6. Atmospheric chemists
We will provide unique data obtained at scales from the plot, ecosystem to landdscape. These data will enable us to link disturbance intensity to atmospheric chemistry.
7. Invertebrate ecologists
Our consortium will analyse how human modification has affected invertebrate communities in soil and litter, and the manipulations will test how these changes interact with other focal biodiversity groups.
8. Conservationists
We will investigate how the distribution and abundance of species of conservation concern are related to human modification of forests, and the key biogeochemical processes they undertake. The consortium will provide a rigorous understanding of how human modificationof forests affects a broad range of key ecosystem processes.
9. Technologists
We will use a range of cutting-edge technologies under challenging conditions that will contribute to their further development and refinement for future generations of scientists.
Organisations
- University of Cambridge (Lead Research Organisation)
- SMART Research Institute (Collaboration)
- Malaysian Palm Oil Board (Collaboration)
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) (Collaboration)
- SE Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (Collaboration)
- The National University of Malaysia (MUM) (Collaboration)
- Sabah Forestry Department (Collaboration)
Publications
Williams J
(2020)
3D Segmentation of Trees Through a Flexible Multiclass Graph Cut Algorithm
in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Ball J
(2023)
Accurate delineation of individual tree crowns in tropical forests from aerial RGB imagery using Mask R-CNN
in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation
Swinfield T
(2019)
Accurate Measurement of Tropical Forest Canopy Heights and Aboveground Carbon Using Structure From Motion
in Remote Sensing
Zellweger F
(2019)
Advances in Microclimate Ecology Arising from Remote Sensing.
in Trends in ecology & evolution
Zellweger F
(2019)
Advances in Microclimate Ecology Arising from Remote Sensing.
Description | * object-based approaches for carbon estimation from ALS is no better than simpler area-based regression approaches in the tropical forest of Malaysia. * ability to map oil palm carbon stocks demonstrated; * regression equations developed for measuring forest carbon from LiDAR * maps of leaf N&P show topographic position as well as logging disturbance are the key determinants * El Nino drought resulted in leaf loss, particularly close to edges and on ridgetops * both neutral and niche processes structure tree biodiversity across old-growth landscapes * Microclimate predictable from lidar imagery, allowing microclimate to be mapped and its consequences for organisms evaluated * structural information from lidar important in predicting the bird diversity of riparian strips in tropical regions. * structural information from lidar important in predicting leach occurrence and occurrence of mammals * analysis of gap sizes linked to decomposition processes |
Exploitation Route | provides a simple and consistent approach for monitoring carbon in tropical agricultural and forest systems provide a system for mapping microclimate and making better predictions about climate change. provides a better understanding of factors structuring forest diversity |
Sectors | Environment |
URL | https://coomeslab.org/ |
Description | Our high-resolution map of forest carbon stocks contributed to the planning process in Sabah, identifying regions that were of high conservation value |
First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
Sector | Environment |
Impact Types | Societal Economic |
Title | Data from: Riparian reserves help protect forest bird communities in oil palm dominated landscapes |
Description | 1. Conversion of forest to oil palm agriculture is a significant and continuing threat to tropical biodiversity. Despite this, little is known about the value of riparian reserves in oil palm and how these conservation set-asides might best be managed to maintain biodiversity. 2. We characterised bird communities of 28 sites in an oil palm-forest mosaic in Sabah, Malaysia using 6104 encounters from 840 point counts. Sites included oil palm riparian reserves of various vegetation quality and reserve widths, which were compared to oil palm streams without a riparian reserve as well as riparian and non-riparian control areas in continuous logged forest. 3. Riparian reserves, oil palm waterways, and control sites in riparian and non-riparian forest supported distinct avifaunal communities. Riparian reserve width, forest quality and amount of forest cover were the strongest predictors of bird species richness. For forest-dependent species, each of these predictors had stronger effect size when compared with all species. On average, reserves held 31% of all species and 30% of forest specialists, whereas riparian forest controls averaged 32% of all species, but 38% of forest species. 4. Riparian reserves with >40 m of natural vegetation on each bank supported similar bird diversity to riparian forest control habitats found in continuous forest. However, to support equivalent numbers of forest-dependent species and species of conservation concern, reserves would need to be at least 100 m wide on each bank. The highest numbers of species were found in riparian reserves with above-ground carbon densities exceeding 75 tC ha-1, highlighting the importance of forest quality, as well as width, in supporting riparian bird communities. 5. Synthesis and applications. If designed and protected appropriately, riparian reserves in oil palm estates support diverse bird communities, including many species of conservation concern. This can be achieved by designating large reserves (80-200 m total width), but to maximize species numbers forest disturbance should also be minimised prior to conversion as well as during plantation operations.13-Jun-2018 |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.kn251r8 |
Title | Data from: Seasonal drivers of understorey temperature buffering in temperate deciduous forests across Europe |
Description | Aim: Forest understory microclimates are often buffered against extreme heat or cold, with important implications for the organisms living in these environments. We quantified seasonal effects of understory microclimate predictors describing canopy structure, canopy composition and topography (i.e. local factors), as well as forest patch size and distance to coast (i.e. landscape factors). Location: Temperate forests in Europe Time period: 2017-2018 Major taxa studied: Woody plants Methods: We combined data from a microclimate sensor network with weather station records to calculate the difference - or offset - between temperatures measured inside and outside forests. We used regression analysis to study the effects of local and landscape factors on the seasonal offset of minimum, mean and maximum temperatures. Results: Maximum temperature during summer was on average cooler by 2.1 °C and minimum temperature during winter and spring were 0.4 °C and 0.9 °C warmer inside than outside forests. The local canopy cover was a strong non-linear driver of the maximum temperature offset during summer, and we found increased cooling beneath tree species that cast the deepest shade. Seasonal offsets of minimum temperature were mainly regulated by landscape and topographic features, such as the distance to coast and topographic position. Main conclusions: Forest organisms experience less severe temperature extremes than suggested by currently available macroclimate data, so climate-species relationships and species' responses to anthropogenic global warming cannot be modelled accurately in forests using macroclimate data alone. Changes in canopy cover and composition will strongly modulate warming of maximum temperatures in forest understories, with important implications for understanding responses of forest biodiversity and functioning to the combined threats of land-use change and climate change. Our predictive models are generally applicable across lowland temperate deciduous forests, providing ecologically important microclimate data for forest understories. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.cv1jg30 |
Title | Data from: Tree-centric mapping of forest carbon density from airborne laser scanning and hyperspectral data |
Description | Forests are a major component of the global carbon cycle, and accurate estimation of forest carbon stocks and fluxes is important in the context of anthropogenic global change. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) data sets are increasingly recognized as outstanding data sources for high-fidelity mapping of carbon stocks at regional scales. We develop a tree-centric approach to carbon mapping, based on identifying individual tree crowns (ITCs) and species from airborne remote sensing data, from which individual tree carbon stocks are calculated. We identify ITCs from the laser scanning point cloud using a region-growing algorithm and identifying species from airborne hyperspectral data by machine learning. For each detected tree, we predict stem diameter from its height and crown-width estimate. From that point on, we use well-established approaches developed for field-based inventories: above-ground biomasses of trees are estimated using published allometries and summed within plots to estimate carbon density. We show this approach is highly reliable: tests in the Italian Alps demonstrated a close relationship between field- and ALS-based estimates of carbon stocks (r2 = 0·98). Small trees are invisible from the air, and a correction factor is required to accommodate this effect. An advantage of the tree-centric approach over existing area-based methods is that it can produce maps at any scale and is fundamentally based on field-based inventory methods, making it intuitive and transparent. Airborne laser scanning, hyperspectral sensing and computational power are all advancing rapidly, making it increasingly feasible to use ITC approaches for effective mapping of forest carbon density also inside wider carbon mapping programs like REDD++. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.hf5rh |
Title | Microclimate dataset of the SAFE project landscape |
Description | Daily projections of mean and maximum temperature and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) across the SAFE landscape in Borneo, Malaysia. Data was used to model the number of yearly life-cycle completions (LCC/year) of the disease vector Aedes Albopictus in order to study the impact of deforestation for oil palm plantation on microclimate-driven vector suitability. Dataset contains stacked raster files with a 50-meter grid cell resolution (n = 145,214 grid cells, equivalent to approximately 363 km2). Microclimate data were projected using LiDAR-derived DEM, CHM and point cloud-derived metrics, combined with microclimatic data from dataloggers, as inputs (see associated doi for more information: Jucker et al (2018)). Date range: 2013-05-01 to 2015-03-01 Latitudinal extent: 4.5000 to 5.0700 Longitudinal extent: 116.7500 to 117.8200 |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/6477750 |
Description | Antarctic Circumnavigation Experiment |
Organisation | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) |
Department | Swiss Polar Institute |
Country | Switzerland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We provided an instrument to measure isoprene automatically during a circus-Antarctic cruise. This novel instrument was developed by us in the NERC BALI project and was operated byron-specialist staff. Over 60 days of measurements will be made in all in a region where few measurements have been previously made. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to the research ship was provided for 4-5 months. A wide range of instruments were also on board which are looking at new particle formation over the Southern Ocean |
Impact | No scientific outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Application of the Sabah statewide forest carbon map to UN REDD+ |
Organisation | Sabah Forestry Department |
Country | Malaysia |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | David Coomes to work with the Sabah REDD+ Office at SFD (and their collaborators in other Sabah government departments) to develop the Sabah carbon baseline. The aim is to help the REDD+ team make sense of a statewide carbon map produced by Gregory Asner's team at Carnegie, with a major contribution from NERC HMTF, and how this integrates with estimations they have been working on through their REDD+ work. David shall run a "training day" at SFD in Sandakan, likely on June 29th 2018, with strong potential for this to evolve into a larger capacity building initiative, principally with the Sabah REDD+ Office at SFD but also with other government stakeholders. |
Collaborator Contribution | We developed the carbon estimation model which enables LiDAR measurements of forest structure to be converted into carbon density estimates, and ultimately maps of carbon. These maps are vital for evaluating ecosystem services provided by forests and potentially pay for those ecosystem services via REDD+. The maps were produced by partners at the Carnegie Airborne Observatory. The CAO team have moved on to other things, leaving Sabah Forestry Department asking many questions without anyone on hand to answer them. My contribution is to invest time explaining the maps to the REDD+ team in Sabah. |
Impact | none as yet |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Donation agreement between the University of Cambridge and SMARTRI |
Organisation | SMART Research Institute |
Country | Indonesia |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Bilateral agreement between the University of Cambridge and Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Corporation Research Institute (SMARTRI), based in Riau Indonesia, for matched funding and in-kind support for a project investigating best management strategies for river margin restoration. This project is now in its fourth year and has strengthened the existing collaboration between SMARTRI and the University of Cambridge. We have established a large-scale experiment investigating river margin restoration strategies in existing oil palm landscapes. The project has significant input from Cambridge, including a full-time postdoc working on the project for three years, as well as a PhD student from 2018-2021 and two masters students in 2018. |
Collaborator Contribution | The agreement is between the University of Cambridge and Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Corporation Research Institute (SMARTRI), our project partners on this grant. SMARTRI has contributed a significant amount of staff time and direct funding to this project, including towards the Cambridge-based postdoc position, a full-time SMARTRI staff member working on the project, and covering the full costs of laboratory facilities and initiation of restoration practices in the field. |
Impact | All field plots established and data collected. Publication describing the project and methodology published (doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2019.00075). Ongoing training and support for SMARTRI staff from Indonesia working on the project. |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Palm oil plantation measurements |
Organisation | Malaysian Palm Oil Board |
Country | Malaysia |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We provided one of our new isoprene instruments which was used by UKM staff to make measurements for 6 weeks in a palm oil plantation operated by the MPOB |
Collaborator Contribution | UKM provided the personnel to operate the instrument and are leading on the interpretation. MPOB provided the site and local support. A paper on these results is being prepared with a lead author from UKM. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Palm oil plantation measurements |
Organisation | The National University of Malaysia (MUM) |
Country | Malaysia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We provided one of our new isoprene instruments which was used by UKM staff to make measurements for 6 weeks in a palm oil plantation operated by the MPOB |
Collaborator Contribution | UKM provided the personnel to operate the instrument and are leading on the interpretation. MPOB provided the site and local support. A paper on these results is being prepared with a lead author from UKM. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Planned agreement between the BEFTA Project and the Royal Society South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership |
Organisation | SE Asia Rainforest Research Partnership |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | The planned MOU with SEARRP was not developed - collaboration not active. |
Collaborator Contribution | The planned MOU with SEARRP was not developed - collaboration not active. |
Impact | No outputs - the planned MOU did not develop. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Blog desicribing the activities of a two-week study tour and related school outreach projects |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Blog describing the study tour and school outreach activities to disseminate the activities to a wider public audience - see https://fieldworkadventures.wordpress.com/ |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://fieldworkadventures.wordpress.com/ |
Description | Brief printed material to allow participants at the Heart of Borneo Conference in Kota Kinabalu and the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil annual meeting to learn more about the four El Nino Projects |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Brief postcards were produced that could be picked up by participants at both meetings. These were designed to be easily accessible and to give key results about the projects and where to find more information. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Day-long research symposium in Pekanbaru, Riau, focussed on the synergostic impacts of habitat and climate change. Delegates from across El Nino-funded projects in Southeast Asia presented to an audience of industry professionals, a representative from the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil, and academics from both Malaysian and Indonesian Universities |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A series of presentations on key findings related to El Nino Projects from funded projects from across the region. The day finished with a panel of experts and feedback from the audience that identified key future areas of research and future collaboration opportunities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Day-long training workshop run in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge in December 2017 on the use of novel imagery sources in museum outreach for partner El Nino project staff and museum professionals |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A day-long training workshop in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge including inputs from experts on the use of novel imagery sources in museum outreach and discussion between participants. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Development of a bespoke display in the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We have developed a small permanent display in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge illustrating the impacts of forest conversion to oil palm on biodiversity and the importance of more sustainable oil palm management. Since the Museum reopened in 2018, it has received over 100,000 visitors. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
Description | European Conference on Tropical Ecology, Brussels presentation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation by Sarah Luke: Managing oil palm plantations to maximise biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and yield. Helped to inform the wider tropical ecology community about our research project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.soctropecol-2017.eu/ |
Description | Guest talk to Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, biology undergraduates on tropical research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Guest lecture for 23 undergraduate students from Anglia Ruskin University on carrying out tropical research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Invited speaker at the Linnean Society, Talk about oil palm |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Invited speaker at the Linnean Society for talk about oil palm research. Multiple questions from audience and request to run a webinar on oil palm. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Invited talk at University of Copenhagen, discussing research to make oil palm plantations more sustainable. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 1. Brief description of the activity: Presentation for 15 staff and postgraduate students at the University of Copenhagen. Discussion of ways that oil palm ca be managed more sustainable. Sparked questions and discussion afterwards. 2. Relevant participant countries: Denmark 3. The names of organisations and sectors engaged in the activity: University of Copenhagen, 15 staff and postgraduate students, academic. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Oil palm: good crop/bad crop. Talk to Cambridge Local Group of the Wildlife Trust |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Online talk to Cambridge Local Group of the Wildlife Trust - a local wildlife interest group. Received good levels of engagement and multiple questions after the event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.wildlifebcn.org/events/2021-02-22-online-talk-good-crop-bad-crop-can-oil-palm-become-mor... |
Description | Oil palm: good crop/bad crop. Talk to volunteers at the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Online talk to engage volunteers at the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. Aim to give more information to volunteers working in the Museum, with Q&A afterwards. Positive feedback from volunteer coordinator and good number of questions from volunteers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Participation in the RSPO Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil RT17, Bangkok. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Participation in the RSPO Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil RT17, Bangkok, Thailand. Discussed project with key representatives from the RSPO Biodiversity and HCV Working Group. Meetings and discussion has sparked interest in more presentations and dissemination of information from the project to the RSPO working group. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://rt14.rspo.org/ |
Description | Presentation at International online seminar series - Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Mexico. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | 1. Brief description of the activity: Online presentation as part of organised seminar series, attended by 25 postgraduate students and staff. Title "Managing tropical ecosystems for insect biodiversity". Questions and discussion afterwards. 2. Relevant participant countries: Mexico 3. The names of organisations and sectors engaged in the activity: Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Mexico, 25 postgraduate students and staff, academic. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Presentation at NatSCA conference on 'Across the Continents' project |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation at NatSCA conference on 'Across the Continents' project by public engagement specialist from the Museum of Zoology, using public engagement work stemming from the grant as an example of best practice in engaging schools in research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Presentation at University of Hull "Managing ecosystems for insect diversity". |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 1. Brief description of the activity: Presentation at University of Hull as part of organised seminar series "Managing ecosystems for insect diversity". Approximately 30 people attended, with multiple questions and discussion after. 2. Relevant participant countries: UK only 3. The names of organisations and sectors engaged in the activity: University of Hull, 30 staff, academic. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Presentation at the European Conference on Tropical Ecology, Brussels |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation by PhD student, Amelia Hood: The role of ants and termites in supporting ecosystem functioning in oil palm plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia. Helped to inform the wider tropical ecology community about our research project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.soctropecol-2017.eu/ |
Description | Presentation at the European Conference on Tropical Ecology, Brussels |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation by Edgar Turner: Managing for predators: the role of understory complexity in oil palm. Helped to inform the wider tropical ecology community about our research project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.soctropecol-2017.eu/ |
Description | Presentation at the European Conference on Tropical Ecology, Brussels |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation by Jake Snaddon: Soil biodiversity and ecosystem processes associated with habitat complexity, soil management and replanting in oil palm plantations. Helped to inform the wider tropical ecology community about our research project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.soctropecol-2017.eu |
Description | Presentation to Entomology and Agroforestry students, Univeristy Putra Malaysia on oil palm research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation to Entomology and Agroforestry students, Univeristy Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia on oil palm research. Multiple questions from audience and development of a new collaboration with researcher from UPM. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Presentation to Monash, Kuala Lumpur Campus, on oil palm research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation to undergraduate biology class at Monash, Kuala Lumpur Campus, Malaysia, on oil palm research. Positive feedback and questions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Presentation to adult group on rainforests and group research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation to local WI group on rainforests and group research - positive feedback from the audience and questions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Presentation to local interest group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation to local interest group, Cambridge Natural History Society. Edgar Turner presented a talk: The environmental impacts of oil palm: good crop/bad crop? Lots of interest and questions from audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Presentation to primary school |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Presentation to local primary school (St Matthew's Primary School) by Edgar Turner on Sumatran rainforests. Featured discussion about what it was like to work in Sumatra. Lots of questions and engagement by pupils and teachers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Presentation to school students visiting Clare College, Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Presentation to Year 12/13 students at Clare College, Cambridge by Edgar Turner on 'Tropical rainforest research'. Excellent level of engagement and lots of questions from students and teachers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Presentation to school teachers |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Invited talk to the NUCLEUS group of learned societies, Biology in the real world series, ASE conference, Reading. Edgar Turner, Sponsored by the Linnean Society, delivered an talk 'Biodiversity and tropical agriculture', which featured the project and sparked interest and questions from biology teachers present. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.ase.org.uk/ase-regions/anglia/events/2017/01/04/1732/ |
Description | Presention about research and insect conservation to Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke, Cambridge. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Invited talk. A general presentation about my research at the SAFE and BEFTA sites and the importance of insect conservation in maintaining healthy ecosystem functioning. Good engagement from the audience and questions about the research. Overview of the talk written up in group newsletter. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Rainforest talk to year 6 class visiting Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Interactive talk about rainforests and habitat change to thirty year six students visiting Clare College, Cambridge. The importance of biodiversity and maintaining healthy ecosystems highlighted. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Rainforest talk to year 6 class visiting Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Interactive presentation on rainforests to two groups of 30 year six students on rainforests and the importance of biodiversity and conservation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Research talk to undergraduate fieldcourse participants |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Research talk by postdoctoral researcher on project to undergraduate fieldcourse participants. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Resources produced for KS1 and KS2 schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Resources produced as part of grant used in KS1 and KS2 school sessions as part of ongoing Museum of Zoology public engagement activities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
Description | School engagement visits to schools in Cambridge, UK and Kandis, Indonesia and the development of a school partnership between countries. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | We have developed and implemented a school outreach programme by working closely with an outreach professional from the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. This programme involved targeting primary schools near our study site in Riau, Indonesia, as well as schools in Cambridge and setting up a link between schools from these two countries. School visits in both countries have taken place and students will exchange pictures of local wildlife. At both sets of schools we also developed games to explain the importance of biodiversity and conservation to pupils. Researchers from El Nino funded projects in Malaysia, Indonesia and PNG were also trained and practiced delivering this material, so that school visits disseminating the importance of this work can be rolled out to more schools across the region. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Science Festival Talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A talk was given describing how mathematicians and biologists work together with remote sensing datasets. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/colons-conservation-applying-image-analysis-real-world-... |
Description | Sixth formers |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Day of presentations in Sainsbury Lab to encourage students to consider plant sciences as an option |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Talk about rainforests and oil palm research to volunteers at the Museum of Zoology Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk about rainforests and oil palm research to volunteers at the Museum of Zoology Cambridge. Multiple questions and positive feedback. Volunteers use information from talks from researchers in the Museum to engage with members of the public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Talk and panel discussion for World Wildlife Day "Forests and livelihoods: sustaining people and the planet" Cambridge University Nature Society. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | online talk and panel discussion for World Wildlife Day "Forests and livelihoods: sustaining people and the planet" organised by the Cambridge University Nature Society. Good level of engagement from audience with several questions related to the project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/1094053504354066 |
Description | Talk for Anglia Ruskin University undergraduate module - Tropical Ecology & Management, including details of wider project |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | 1. Brief description of the activity, outcomes and impacts. - Talk for ARU undergraduate module - Tropical Ecology & Management. - The talk focussed on the role of research and large-scale experiments in understanding tropical land-use change. - No known impacts, but several questions from attendees afterwards. 2. Participant countries involved NA 3. The names of organisations and sectors engaged in the activity University of Cambridge o Activity / workshop location - Cambridge, UK o Number of participants - 15 o Types of stakeholders engaged - undergraduate |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Talk for Anglia Ruskin University undergraduate module - Tropical Ecology & Management, including details of wider project |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | 1. Brief description of the activity: Invited presentation to 15 undergraduate students at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge about tropical research "Ecological Research in SE Asia". Extensive questions and discussion afterwards. Talk and ongoing work resulted in Lecturer at ARU and myself applying for a joint research studentship (not successful). 2. Relevant participant countries: UK only 3. The names of organisations and sectors engaged in the activity: Anglia Ruskin University, 15 undergraduate students, academic. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Talk for group of international students for Bettersky Travel - Winter Programme: Sustainability and Agroecology series, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | 1. Brief description of the activity: Talk to a group of 25 international students for Bettersky Travel - Winter Programme: Sustainability and Agroecology series, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Presentation discussed ways to manage tropical crops more sustainably. Multiple questions and discussion after. 2. Relevant participant countries: International 3. The names of organisations and sectors engaged in the activity: Bettersky Travel, 25 international students, academic. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Talk to Museum of Zoology volunteers about oil palm/group research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk to Museum volunteers about oil palm/group research by PhD student in the group. Good feedback from volunteers, who often use information from these talks to engage members of the public in the Museum. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Verrall Lecture, at the Natural History Museum, London for Royal Entomological Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk for Verrall Lecture, hosted yearly by the Royal Entomological Society, at the NHM, London. Audience included RES members and Fellows, both in-person and online. Lots of questions afterwards and article being written about the talk for Antenna (journal of the Royal Entomological Society). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.royensoc.co.uk/event/verrall-lecture-2023/ |
Description | Webinar on oil palm |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Webinar on oil palm for Institute of Environmental Sciences. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.the-ies.org/events/webinar-tropical-agriculture |
Description | effects of logging on forest nutrients - press release. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Press release associated with publication https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14903 was picked up by 10 news organisations (and the NERC news webpages!) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14903 |
Description | talk to undergraduate field course participants on remote sensing of Malaysian rainforests |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Describe much of the work completed in the HMTF programme |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |