Human-modified Tropical Forest Programme Management
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Aberdeen
Department Name: Inst of Biological and Environmental Sci
Abstract
ROLE OF THE PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT TEAM (PMT): The PMT will coordinate Programme-level activities and facilitate communication, collaboration and integration among the consortia. Specifically, the PMT will be responsible for:
- Monitoring research progress
- Budget monitoring
- Facilitating communication, collaboration and integration among the consortia
- Facilitating data management for the Programme
- Planning impact and knowledge exchange activities
- Logistics support
Key Programme management activities are described below.
PROGRAMME COORDINATION AND DATA MANAGEMENT: To assist the PMT in fulfilling their responsibilities, the PMT will appoint a Programme Coordinator to help them in research and budget monitoring, report writing, and managing communication across the Programme (e.g. organising annual meetings, website development and maintenance, etc.). The HMTF Programme will also appoint a Programme Data Manager who will: (1) Assist in development of data nomenclature, archiving and metadata protocols; (2) Ensure well documented data collection and data encoding; (3) Support importing of new data into the existing databases; (4) Facilitate compatibility of data between the various databases, including suggesting modifications of existing databases and nomenclature; (5) Ensure and develop comprehensive metadata and data set descriptions through frequent liaison with all investigators; (6) Report to the PMT and NERC, on data management needs and progress. The outline Data Management Plan for the HMTF Programme is presented in Appendix B.
PROGRAMME COMMUNICATION: Communication within consortia, among consortia and with external actors will be facilitated by the development of a HMTF Programme website, with separate portals for each of the consortia. Among-consortia communication will be further facilitated by a meetings budget that includes funds for bringing Brazilian and Malaysian partners together with the UK-based researchers.
IMPACT AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE: The PMT will also coordinate the impact and knowledge exchangee activities of the three consortia. Specifically, the PMT will: (1) provide KE support during the initial stage of fieldwork, when projects are establishing field sites and liaising with multiple stakeholders including private landholders and reserve managers; and (2) support the dissemination of results, in particular providing detailed feedback to key stakeholders, including landholders, relevant industries, and local and national government departments. Programme funds will support these activities in Malaysia and Brazil through non-academic Knowledge Exchange officers who will be tasked with preparing dissemination materials and meeting with stakeholders. These will be hired on short-term contracts, providing the PMT with crucial KE support when and where it is most needed. Delivery of the impact plans put forward by the individual consortia will be devolved to the KE officers who will lead a unified, cross-consortia approach to delivering impact.
LOGISTICS SUPPORT: The HMTF Programme will provide funds for logistics in Malaysia and Brazil. Malaysian funds have been allocated to support SAFE/SEARRP and the costs of the NERC-ARSF. For Brazil, funds will be allocated to support transport costs, offsetting unforeseen budget reductions by FAPESP in this area.
- Monitoring research progress
- Budget monitoring
- Facilitating communication, collaboration and integration among the consortia
- Facilitating data management for the Programme
- Planning impact and knowledge exchange activities
- Logistics support
Key Programme management activities are described below.
PROGRAMME COORDINATION AND DATA MANAGEMENT: To assist the PMT in fulfilling their responsibilities, the PMT will appoint a Programme Coordinator to help them in research and budget monitoring, report writing, and managing communication across the Programme (e.g. organising annual meetings, website development and maintenance, etc.). The HMTF Programme will also appoint a Programme Data Manager who will: (1) Assist in development of data nomenclature, archiving and metadata protocols; (2) Ensure well documented data collection and data encoding; (3) Support importing of new data into the existing databases; (4) Facilitate compatibility of data between the various databases, including suggesting modifications of existing databases and nomenclature; (5) Ensure and develop comprehensive metadata and data set descriptions through frequent liaison with all investigators; (6) Report to the PMT and NERC, on data management needs and progress. The outline Data Management Plan for the HMTF Programme is presented in Appendix B.
PROGRAMME COMMUNICATION: Communication within consortia, among consortia and with external actors will be facilitated by the development of a HMTF Programme website, with separate portals for each of the consortia. Among-consortia communication will be further facilitated by a meetings budget that includes funds for bringing Brazilian and Malaysian partners together with the UK-based researchers.
IMPACT AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE: The PMT will also coordinate the impact and knowledge exchangee activities of the three consortia. Specifically, the PMT will: (1) provide KE support during the initial stage of fieldwork, when projects are establishing field sites and liaising with multiple stakeholders including private landholders and reserve managers; and (2) support the dissemination of results, in particular providing detailed feedback to key stakeholders, including landholders, relevant industries, and local and national government departments. Programme funds will support these activities in Malaysia and Brazil through non-academic Knowledge Exchange officers who will be tasked with preparing dissemination materials and meeting with stakeholders. These will be hired on short-term contracts, providing the PMT with crucial KE support when and where it is most needed. Delivery of the impact plans put forward by the individual consortia will be devolved to the KE officers who will lead a unified, cross-consortia approach to delivering impact.
LOGISTICS SUPPORT: The HMTF Programme will provide funds for logistics in Malaysia and Brazil. Malaysian funds have been allocated to support SAFE/SEARRP and the costs of the NERC-ARSF. For Brazil, funds will be allocated to support transport costs, offsetting unforeseen budget reductions by FAPESP in this area.
Planned Impact
The Programme will engage with stakeholders (e.g. academics, policy makers, forestry and agribusiness industries, the conservation sector) by:
- Hosting workshops that involve scientists, policy makers and industry
- Producing management and policy relevant publications
- Working directly with sustainability working groups
- Giving public lectures and holding university short courses
- Depositing biological samples in regional and national archives
- Holding wider public outreach events
- Producing short films and engaging directly with the press
WORKSHOPS: The Programme will host workshops to facilitate knowledge exchange among scientists, policy makers and industry, funded through the Programme meeting budget. Programme members will also attend policy and industry events (workshops, conferences) to present our findings and policy recommendations.
MANAGEMENT AND POLICY RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS: Despite the relevance of many academic publications, policy makers and industry stakeholders rarely read or have knowledge of the academic literature. To address this problem, we will provide regular journal reports and policy briefings to policy makers, industry and industry journals with a focus on the practical outcomes of our research. These activities will be funded by consortia impact budgets.
FEEDBACK TO SUSTAINABILITY WORKING GROUPS: Members of the Programme are participants in sustainability working groups and will provide policy-relevant findings to them. For example, members of the Programme are active in the Royal Society South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP), which has a key advisory role on the RSPO, making it an ideal channel by which results from this project can be fed through to policy makers.
PUBLIC LECTURES, SHORT COURSES AND ACADEMIC EXCHANGE: We plan to give public lectures and run a series of short courses in association with our Malaysian and Brazilian Project Partners. These sessions will be associated with existing university courses (for example, field courses currently run by local academic institutions, or overseas field courses led by UK HEIs), and will showcase methods to monitor biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Where possible, we will also promote international, cross-institutional exchanges for PhD students and post-docs in Malaysia and Brazil through relevant budgets within individual consortia and our Programme-level meeting fund.
BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL: In accordance with local policies, all primary biological specimens will be deposited at existing collections in Malaysia and Brazil. These will provide a valuable resource for future ecological work in the region.
OUTREACH EVENTS: Project participants will organize a series of research "open days", where local people and key stakeholders can accompany and observe research in the field on Brazil and Malaysia. Key focus groups will include: (a) teachers and students from local educational institutions, (b) local syndicates and workers unions, and (c) local landholders and relevant private business. At the end of the project, we will also run a stand in association with the Royal Society's Summer Exhibition, which showcases cutting-edge science and technology research. More generally, results of the work will be integrated with other outreach events run regularly as part of public engagement activities to showcase research at institutions involved in this Programme.
FILMS AND MEDIA ENGAGEMENT: Project participants across the different consortia will also undertake radio and television interviews, stimulated through press releases and by developing relationships with local media networks. ECOFOR's impact plan will support the development of a series of short films to promote awareness of the scientific research in development and policy contexts, where necessary using highly respected film companies to assist with film production (e.g. Viva! Pictures http://www.taniacypriano.com/).
- Hosting workshops that involve scientists, policy makers and industry
- Producing management and policy relevant publications
- Working directly with sustainability working groups
- Giving public lectures and holding university short courses
- Depositing biological samples in regional and national archives
- Holding wider public outreach events
- Producing short films and engaging directly with the press
WORKSHOPS: The Programme will host workshops to facilitate knowledge exchange among scientists, policy makers and industry, funded through the Programme meeting budget. Programme members will also attend policy and industry events (workshops, conferences) to present our findings and policy recommendations.
MANAGEMENT AND POLICY RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS: Despite the relevance of many academic publications, policy makers and industry stakeholders rarely read or have knowledge of the academic literature. To address this problem, we will provide regular journal reports and policy briefings to policy makers, industry and industry journals with a focus on the practical outcomes of our research. These activities will be funded by consortia impact budgets.
FEEDBACK TO SUSTAINABILITY WORKING GROUPS: Members of the Programme are participants in sustainability working groups and will provide policy-relevant findings to them. For example, members of the Programme are active in the Royal Society South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP), which has a key advisory role on the RSPO, making it an ideal channel by which results from this project can be fed through to policy makers.
PUBLIC LECTURES, SHORT COURSES AND ACADEMIC EXCHANGE: We plan to give public lectures and run a series of short courses in association with our Malaysian and Brazilian Project Partners. These sessions will be associated with existing university courses (for example, field courses currently run by local academic institutions, or overseas field courses led by UK HEIs), and will showcase methods to monitor biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Where possible, we will also promote international, cross-institutional exchanges for PhD students and post-docs in Malaysia and Brazil through relevant budgets within individual consortia and our Programme-level meeting fund.
BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL: In accordance with local policies, all primary biological specimens will be deposited at existing collections in Malaysia and Brazil. These will provide a valuable resource for future ecological work in the region.
OUTREACH EVENTS: Project participants will organize a series of research "open days", where local people and key stakeholders can accompany and observe research in the field on Brazil and Malaysia. Key focus groups will include: (a) teachers and students from local educational institutions, (b) local syndicates and workers unions, and (c) local landholders and relevant private business. At the end of the project, we will also run a stand in association with the Royal Society's Summer Exhibition, which showcases cutting-edge science and technology research. More generally, results of the work will be integrated with other outreach events run regularly as part of public engagement activities to showcase research at institutions involved in this Programme.
FILMS AND MEDIA ENGAGEMENT: Project participants across the different consortia will also undertake radio and television interviews, stimulated through press releases and by developing relationships with local media networks. ECOFOR's impact plan will support the development of a series of short films to promote awareness of the scientific research in development and policy contexts, where necessary using highly respected film companies to assist with film production (e.g. Viva! Pictures http://www.taniacypriano.com/).
People |
ORCID iD |
| Yit Arn Teh (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Aguirre-Gutiérrez J
(2022)
Functional susceptibility of tropical forests to climate change
in Nature Ecology & Evolution
Aguirre-Gutiérrez J
(2021)
Pantropical modelling of canopy functional traits using Sentinel-2 remote sensing data
in Remote Sensing of Environment
Ashton LA
(2019)
Termites mitigate the effects of drought in tropical rainforest.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Barlow J
(2018)
The future of hyperdiverse tropical ecosystems
in Nature
Blonder B
(2020)
Linking functional traits to multiscale statistics of leaf venation networks.
in The New phytologist
Blonder B
(2018)
Extreme and Highly Heterogeneous Microclimates in Selectively Logged Tropical Forests
in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Blonder B
(2019)
Leaf venation networks of Bornean trees: images and hand-traced segmentations.
in Ecology
Bloom A
(2020)
Lagged effects regulate the inter-annual variability of the tropical carbon balance
in Biogeosciences
Bolas C
(2020)
iDirac: a field-portable instrument for long-term autonomous measurements of isoprene and selected VOCs
in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Bonebrake TC
(2019)
Integrating Proximal and Horizon Threats to Biodiversity for Conservation.
in Trends in ecology & evolution
| Title | ECOFOR calendars |
| Description | ECOFOR researchers have produced small-size calendars which they have distributed to the Amazonian landowners and other stakeholders they have been working with. Each page of the calendar features a photo themed around one of our research areas as well as a line of text with interesting facts about the Amazon and its ecosystemic functions. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | Knowledge exchange; public engagement. |
| Title | HMTF Educational films |
| Description | Short educational films have been produced across the HMTF programme. LOMBOK has produced a short introductory overview about their project and has worked with members of the BALI consortium and SEARRP to produce a joint film specifically focusing on the Malaysian part of the HMTF programme to showcase our research and objects. Educational videos on biogeochemical cycling, mammals, invertebrate dispersal, leeches, dung beetles and birds have been developed. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | Public engagement and knowledge exchange. |
| Title | HMTF film |
| Description | A short film specifically focusing on the Malaysian part of the Human Modified Tropical Forests Programme (i.e. incorporating the work of the BALI, LOMBOK and SAFE projects) has been developed and is now available on the HMTF website (www.hmtf.info). |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | The video has helped to showcase our research and objectives to the general public and to raise awareness. |
| URL | http://www.hmtf.info |
| Description | Consortia within the HMTF programme have continued to generate media coverage in local news and TV/Radio through HMTF science. This has included an article in Nature's research highlights entitled "Ants dominate rainforest clean-up". The research shows that more than half of scavenging on forest floors is done by insects. This work was published in the Journal of Animal Ecology and later covered by the mainstream media (e.g. Daily Mail). Another article featuring Prof. Jos Barlow about a new platform on rainforest degradation called "The Silent Forest" was published in The Guardian. The platform maps forest disturbance such as fire, logging, hunting and fragmentation, and was developed as a result of a long term effort of scientists in Brazil and Europe, many of whom are part of the ECOFOR project. The news about the platform further reached Brazilian public following a radio interview with ECOFOR post-doc, Erika Berenguer, which was broadcasted by numerous radio stations across Brazil. An additional blog led by Jos Barlow focused on the importance of considering local people in tropical forest development and was reprinted in the Independent. Carlos Joly published a position article in the section Tendencies and Debate of Folha de São Paulo, one of the most important Brazilian national newspaper, focusing on the judgement of the Brazilian Forest Code by the Highest Brazilian Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal). More recently, members of the programme also published in high impact journals such as Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.aau9565), Nature (10.1038/s41586-018-0301-1) and Nature Climate Change (10.1038/s41558-018-0225-7), which was covered more widely by the popular science press, such as National Geography and Mongabay. HMTF researchers and members of the programme management group are contributing to international policy-making activities, informed by the research of the HMTF Programme. Yit Arn Teh, Jennifer Lucey and Laura Kruitbos have been discussing impact and dissemination materials with the REDD+ team at Sabah Forestry. The aim is to support Measurement, Reporting, Verification (MRV) activities for REDD+ by developing policy briefs, training and simple tools for state wide carbon stock assessment and monitoring, much of which requires capacity building in Sabah. Eleanor Slade, Sarah Luke and Matt Struebig are leading a major review of riparian reserves in tropical agriculture and are working closely with the Department for Irrigation and Damage (DID) and the Sabah State Government on a policy document to inform their review of riparian areas. They have held several meetings and presented the scientific knowledge base available on riparian reserves to the DID, to help inform their revised guidelines. Follow up meetings were held in 2017 and 2018 to discuss transferring the academic findings to policy outputs and review documents, which resulted in the preparation of policy briefs and peer-reviewed publications. A simplified Riparian Guidelines document for the RSPO has been prepared to advise oil palm companies and managers on how to manage riparian areas. Researchers across the programme have participated in a number of public outreach activities. Journalist, Guilherme Ferragut, has been helping to elaborate materials focusing on studies carried out by ECOFOR masters and doctoral students. The idea is to divulgate the texts in newspapers and news portals of the municipalities where they are working. To help with the dissemination, a website (www.ecoformataatlantica.wordpress.com) and Facebook page (facebook.com/ECOFORMataAtlantica) have been created, where the articles published in newspapers and videos with exclusive content are being published weekly and so that the researchers have the opportunity to speak more about their research. Following last year's success, BALI members set up another 'tropical forests' themed stall at the University of Aberdeen public Open Day, 9th September 2017, to showcase our work and to talk to visitors about our research. We displayed photos from our trips as well as tropical seeds, insects and animal specimens. University of Aberdeen Researchers and members of the BALI project also held an exhibit at the NERC Unearthed event at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, 17th - 20th November 2017. The theme of our stall focused on soil health and food security in tropical regions. We wanted to show how what we eat affects the world and how our research may tackle these issues. The day was hugely successful and we are planning to set up our exhibit again for Climate Week Fun Day at Hazelhead Park, Aberdeen, 24th March. Data manager, Finella Blair, has outlined NERC's data management policy to each consortium and the HMTF programme has a customised database to track over 150 consortium members, potential datasets and their metadata. 285 potential data sets have been identified across the programme. The HMTF data management database can now identify datasets with environmental data across the three consortia, increasing the opportunity for collaboration between research groups and modellers. A resource web page, outlining data management best practice resources, institutional guidelines and NERC/EIDC information has been developed and is now available on the HMTF website (http://hmtf.info/). We continue to upload blogs, newsfeeds, photos and videos of our researchers in the field on our consortia websites (www.hmtf.info) in order to disseminate information to the public as widely as possible. The website also lists our numerous engagement activities with industry, academia and the wider public.The HMTF programme management meetings held every 2 months involving PI's from BALI, ECOFOR and LOMBOK. |
| Exploitation Route | By supporting the dissemination of project results. In particular, providing detailed feedback to key stakeholders, including landholders, relevant industries, and local and national government departments. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://nerc-hmtf.info |
| Description | PUBLIC POLICY Consortia within the HMTF programme have engaged in and contributed to regional and local policy-making activities. For example, members of the HMTF programme contributed to a 3-day workshop on oil palm sustainability, 2-4 November 2016 coordinated by the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (ITBC-UMS) and LOMBOK. In attendance were researchers from Oxford University, the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), as well as oil palm stakeholders in Malaysia participated. In addition, Eleanor Slade, Sarah Luke and Matt Struebig are leading a major review of riparian reserves in tropical agriculture and are working closely with the Malaysian Department for Irrigation and Damage (DID) and Sabah State Government on a policy document to inform their review of riparian areas. They have held several meetings and presented the scientific knowledge base available on riparian reserves in Malaysia, to help inform their revised guidelines. This included a presentation to the whole DID in Sabah (~30 engineers and policy makers) in February 2017, about the key findings of their research. This was followed up by a second meeting in May 2018. These knowledge exchange activities have produced a simplified Riparian Guidelines document for the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO); a policy brief on riparian corridors in oil palm landscapes written by members of the LOMBOK team with relevant stakeholders and Malaysia statutory agencies; and a peer-reviewed publication in the BES Journal of Applied Ecology (https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.13280) . Members of the BALI consortium have also contributed to the development of sustainable management strategies for the oil palm industry. For example, PIs Burslem and Teh provided expert opinions, input, and advice on a technical report for the RSPO which helps define best-practice guidelines for conserving carbon in oil palm landscapes and mitigating climate change. The final report is entitled "The High Carbon Stock Science Study: Independent Report from the Technical Committee." In addition, PIs Burslem, Teh and Coomes have worked with the Sabah State Department of Forestry to further their development of their REDD+ preparedness, holding several discussions and workshops in 8/2017 and 6/2018.Relevant stakeholders participated in these REDD+ workshops, including policy makers, land managers, representatives of statutory agencies, conservation-based NGOs, industry representatives and academicians. In addition, members of the ECOFOR project have produced a series of 5 policy briefs to inform the general public about their findings. These were first presented at the RAS (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel) symposium in December 2016. These policy briefs compile data from 7 years of research in the state of Pará, combining socio-economic and environmental data and address research on wildfires, the impacts of forest degradation, streams and rivers, efficient environmental regularisation and ways to sustainable landscapes. http://simposioamazoniasustentavel.org/. Jos Barlow participated in a workshop in Brasilia on "Fire Regime Changes in Amazonia: Understanding and managing fire risk". The workshop presentations showed the alarming event of the 2015-16 wildfires, which affected over 38,000 km2 of forest (including c. 2.5ha of ECOFOR plots around Santarem). Presentations from IBAMA and ICMBio highlighted the need to change fire use regulations in Brazil, and the difficulties of preventing wildfires with increasingly scarce federal resources and the decentralisation of environmental management and regulation. PUBLIC OUTREACH Researchers across the programme have participated in a number of public outreach events, including presentations to the general public, primary and secondary schools, and training (capacity building) events within their host countries. For example, BALI team members were involved in a Nature Live Public Lecture at the Natural History Museum, open day events throughout the UK (e.g. Doors Open Day in Aberdeen, NERC UnEarthed in Edinburgh), guest lectures at primary and secondary schools in Malaysia and elsewhere, and training of local research assistants and volunteers on invertebrate identification and dung beetle sampling (BALI and LOMBOK). ECOFOR organised a "Tesouros do Vale do Paraiba" event held in Sao Luiz do Paraitinga consisting of over 200 people, including school children, community leaders and tourists. A workshop on orchid identification skills at the Picinguaba Nucleus of the Serra do Mar State Park (PESM), Ubatuba, Brazil, was given to 17 PESM staff, who can use these skills to improve local diversity knowledge. Preliminary results have been presented at the "7th International Canopy Conference" held at the University of Roehampton in London and "Exposición orquídeas 2016", at the Bogotá Botanic garden, Colombia. Edicson Parra Sanchez, the HMTF knowledge exchange consultant working for the ECOFOR project, produced and disseminated a booklet to landowners in the Atlantic Forest http://ecofor.hmtf.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Booklet_ECOFOR.pdf. To share these results with the general public, Edicson also organized an event in São Luiz do Paraitinga called "Feira ecológica: tesouros escondidos do vale do Paraiba - Ecological fair: hidden treasures of the Paraiba valley", which was attended by a varied public including representatives of the local NGOs, community leaders and schoolchildren. MULTIMEDIA Short educational films have been produced across the programme. LOMBOK has produced a short introductory overview about their project and has worked with members of the BALI consortium and SEARRP to produce a joint film specifically focusing on the Malaysian part of the HMTF programme to showcase our research and objectives. Educational videos on biogeochemical cycling, mammals, invertebrate dispersal, leeches, dung beetles, and birds are also being developed. The films are geared towards the general public and will be displayed on the HMTF consortia websites and disseminated via social networks (www.hmtf.info). Journalist, Guilherme Ferragut, has been helping to elaborate materials focusing on studies carried out by ECOFOR masters and doctoral students. The idea is to divulgate the texts in newspapers and news portals of the municipalities where they are working. To help with the dissemination, a website and Facebook page has been created, where the articles published in newspapers and videos with exclusive content are being published weekly and so that the researchers have the opportunity to speak more about their research (available at www.ecoformataatlantica.wordpress.com and facebook.com/ECOFORMataAtlantica . |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Education,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | Implementation of UNFCCC REDD+ protocols in Sabah |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Members of the BALI consortia hosted a training workshop for forestry department staff, NGOs, industry consultants and other stakeholders to further develop the capacity of the state of Sabah to implement UNFCCC REDD+ protocols. This included a wider discussion about REDD+ strategy, links between biodiversity and C, and a discussion of how to process remote sensing imagery and interpret the remote sensing products. This workshop further enhanced stakeholders' skills in handling remote sensing data and enabled relevant stakeholders to make more informed decisions about how to implement REDD+ protocols. |
| Description | Knowledge exchange and stakeholder consultation meeting, Tawau, Sabah |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Oil palm sustainability workshop, November 2016 |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Review of riparian reserves in tropical agriculture |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Advice from members of the HMTF Programme has enabled the development of stronger, evidence-based policies and practices in Malaysia for the sustainable environmental management of riparian zones in forestry and oil palm landscapes. |
| Description | Review of riparian reserves in tropical agriculture |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Eleanor Slade, Sarah Luke and Matt Struebig are leading a major review of riparian reserves in tropical agriculture and are working closely with the Department for Irrigation and Damage (DID) and Sabah State Government on a policy document to inform their review of riparian areas. They have held several meetings and presented the scientific knowledge base available on riparian reserves in Malaysia, to help inform their revised guidelines. This included a presentation to the whole DID in Sabah (~30 engineers and policy makers) in February 2017, about the key findings of their research. A follow up meeting was held in May 2017 to discuss transferring the academic findings to policy outputs and review documents, which are now being drafted. A simplified Riparian Guidelines document for the RSPO has been prepared to advise oil palm companies and managers on how to manage riparian areas. |
| Description | Training of local research assistants the methodology of dung beetle sampling and invertebrate identification |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Ecosystem Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics of Tropical Peatland: A Comprehensive Assessment of Carbon Dynamics of Forest Conversion to Oil Palm Plantation (PHASE II) |
| Amount | RM7,500,000 (MYR) |
| Organisation | Malaysian Palm Oil Board |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | HMTF top-up grant |
| Amount | £56,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | |
| Description | NERC Do riparian zones conserve biodiversity and ecofunctioing in oil palm-dominated landscapes |
| Amount | £607,678 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | |
| Title | Human Modified Tropical Forests Programme Data Management |
| Description | Database for archiving of metadata across the HMTF programme. As of February 2017, Primary meta datasets have been identified. In total, there are approx. 82 for LOMBOK, 69 for ECOFOR and 134 for BALI |
| Type Of Material | Data handling & control |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Central storage of metadata documents for (i) Tracking by DM of metadata information completeness (ii) Ease of metadata update by researchers (iii) Increasing awareness of available datasets between research projects The HMTF data management database can now identify datasets with environmental data across the three consortia, increasing the opportunity for collaboration between research groups and modellers. The second phase of the programme where DOI's are needed to support papers for journals (i.e. datasets needing to be uploaded to EIDC) has started. The HMTF programme website has been updated with relevant information and links to support researchers through this (available at www.hmtf.info/data/). |
| URL | http://hmtf.info/data |
| Description | ITBC, Universiti Malaysia Sabah |
| Organisation | Malaysian University of Sabah |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Research for the BIODIVERSITY AND LAND-USE IMPACTS ON TROPICAL ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION (BALI) project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Use of facilities and expertise including support for research permit applications to the Sabah Biodiversity Council. |
| Impact | Still active |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ITBC), Malaysia |
| Organisation | Malaysian University of Sabah |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise and training of researchers in the field and laboratory. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Laboratory facilities and research expertise including support for research permit applications to the Sabah Biodiversity Council. |
| Impact | 4 postgraduate studentships awarded to scholars through Universiti Malaysia Sabah, working in collaboration with the SAFE project and SEARRP. Research is underway. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | The South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Our scientists have been closely working with the Royal Society Southeast Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP) to recruit and train local research assistants and students in the laboratory and field. We are also working closely with the Assistant Director of SEARRP for Science and Knowledge Exchange, to help with dissemination of project results to relevant stakeholders. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Research assistance and operational support in the field including training. |
| Impact | Studentships and further funding applications. |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Aberdeen University Doors Open Day 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | University of Aberdeen opened its doors to members of the public, 9th September 2017. Following last year's success, BALI researchers set up another 'tropical forests' themed stall to help showcase our work and talk to visitors about our research. We displayed photos from our field trips as well as tropical seeds, insect and animal specimens. We had ~1400 visitors throughout the day including visitors to the Zoology Museum and Biodiversity Centre. Main impact: Knowledge exchange |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Convenor, Annual Conference of the European Society for Tropical Ecology 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Co-convener for the session Human-modified tropical forests - Impacts of forest degradation and biodiversity loss on tropical ecosystem functioning at the Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, Gottingen, Germany |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.soctropecol.eu |
| Description | Convenor, Annual Conference of the European Society for Tropical Ecology 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Convened a session on Human-modified tropical forests - Impacts of forest degradation and biodiversity loss on tropical ecosystem functioning. The aim of the session was to explore what is known about the linkages between forest degradation and biodiversity loss, and investigate the consequences of these concomitant phenomena for ecosystem processes and trace gas exchange. Knowledge gaps and means of addressing them, including inter-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary modes of problem solving were discussed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.soctropecol.eu |
| Description | ECOFOR / LBA event 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ECOFOR researchers presented their work at an event organised by their partner organisation, LBA, with the participation of several schools from three indigenous groups Takuara, Marituba and Bragança. The objective of the event was to promote a better understanding of indigenous culture and its importance as well as to recognize its place within Brazilian culture. The event was very well-attended and it was a great occasion to strengthen links with the local indigenous communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | ECOFOR dissemination work by journalist, Guilherme Ferragut |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Journalist, Guilherme Ferragut, has been helping to elaborate materials focusing on studies carried out by ECOFOR masters and doctoral students. The idea is to divulgate the texts in newspapers and news portals of the municipalities where they are working in the Amazon and Atlantic forest. To help with the dissemination, a website and Facebook page has been created, where the articles published in newspapers and videos with exclusive content are being published weekly and so that the researchers have the opportunity to speak more about their research (available at www.ecoformataatlantica.wordpress.com and facebook.com/ECOFORMataAtlantica . |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.ecoformataatlantica.wordpress.com |
| Description | ECOFOR newspaper article - Protection of Native Vegetation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Brazillian newspaper published an article authored by Prof. Carlos Joly (ECOFOR) and Jean Paul Metzger explaining to the general public what changes the new Law for Protection of Native Vegetation brings and their impacts on the environment in Brazil. According to the authors, the new law does contain some important and positive changes - such as the requirement for the private owners to register in the CAR (Cadastro Ambiental Rural), which allows mapping the boundaries of their land and any changes to the native vegetation on their land. However, the new law has made the rules too flexible. As a result, sensitive environmental areas such as riverbanks, water springs and hilltops will not be sufficiently protected, increasing the risks of floods or landslides. The article argues that in this sense the law can be seen as contradictory to the Article 225 of the Brazilian Constitution, which grants the rights to an essential environmental protection and healthy lifestyle. It is also deemed controversial as it grants amnesty to landowners (many of them large agricultural producers) who cleared the native vegetation illegally before July 2008, an area summing up to 41 hectares of land. The authors provided suggestions as to how the law could be improved. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Ecological fair: hidden treasures of the Paraiba valley |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Edicson Parra Sanchez, the HMTF knowledge exchange consultant working for the ECOFOR project, organized an event in São Luiz do Paraitinga called "Feira ecológica: tesouros escondidos do vale do Paraiba - Ecological fair: hidden treasures of the Paraiba valley", which was attended by a varied public including representatives of the local NGOs, community leaders and schoolchildren. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Educational film |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The BALI consortium has teamed up with the South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP) and the LOMBOK project to produce a joint film specifically focusing on the Malaysian part of the HMTF programme to showcase our research and objectives. The is geared towards the general public and will be displayed on the HMTF consortia websites and disseminated via social networks (www.hmtf.info). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Friends of Borneensis, 11-13th March 2016 |
| 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 | BALI researchers, Hannah Griffiths, Louise Ashton and Terhi Riutta and LOMBOK researchers Eleanor Slade and Sol Milne gave talks at the Friends Of Borneensis, an educational event for local secondary school pupils organised by the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 11-13 March 2016. During Friends of Borneensis, students learn different aspects of rainforest ecology and field-based ecological methods, including collecting insects, flying drones and tree climbing skills. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | HMTF programme management team meetings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | HMTF programme management team meetings held every 2 months. The objectives of these meetings are to 1) facilitate communication and integration among the consortia, 2) to share research progress and field issues across the programme, 3) Record activities within the programme by gathering individual consortium updates and 4) to exchange knowledge exchange ideas and activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2016 |
| URL | http://hmtf.info/contact/ |
| Description | Heart of Borneo and RT conference, 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | HMTF researchers attended the Heart of Borneo conference, October 2017 and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT15) conference in November 2017. LOMBOK researchers held a booth showcasing research on trade-offs between maximising oil palm yield and enhancing biodiversity at the RSPO. Dr Matt Struebig gave a presentation on how high carbon forests support high biodiversity and Dr Eleanor Slade gave one on the effectiveness of riparian reserves. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Human-modified Tropical Forests Science Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The HMTF Programme organised a science day at the University of Malaysia Sabah showcasing the research conducted so far by the Programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Implementation of UNFCCC REDD+ protocols in Sabah |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The BALI consortium organised a workshop focusing on implementation of UNFCCC REDD+ protocols in Sabah. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | International Conference of Heart of Borneo, 8-9 November 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | LOMBOK and BALI team members attended the International Conference of Heart of Borneo, 8th - 9th November, organised by the Sabah Forestry Department. Eleanor Slade helped organise a science-policy workshop with South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP) at the meeting and ran a break-out group on science-policy interface for riparian areas. Jake Bicknell led a break-out group for oil palm high conservation value areas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.heartofborneo.org |
| Description | Interview for NERC Planet Earth Magazine |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Paul Hallett and I were interview by Julia Horton in the lead-up to the NERC UnEarthed Event in Edinburgh (17-19 November 2017) on the topic of how our consumption of tropical food and food products impacts natural ecosystems, agricultural activity, and rural livelihoods in tropical countries. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.nerc.ac.uk/planetearth/stories/1879/ |
| Description | Introduction to the BALI consortium at the Science@SAFE 2014 meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on the Impacts of biodiversity loss and land-use change on biogeochemical cycling and trace gas fluxes across a forest degradation gradient in northern Borneo. The presentation gave an overview of BALI consortium activities and an update on current research progress. A HMTF programme management team meeting was also held at this event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.safeproject.net/workshop/schedule.php |
| Description | Knowledge exchange and stakeholder consultation meeting, Tawau Sabah. 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | A knowledge exchange and stakeholder consultation meeting hosted by HMTF LOMBOK researchers and SEARRP was held in Tawau, Sabah. Participants included oil palm plantation managers and directors of Benta Wawasan and Sabah Softwoods, as well as key stakeholders from Yayasan Sabah and the Sabah Forestry Department. An update on HMTF research activities in Sabah focusing on soil emissions, carbon stocks and biodiversity were presented. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | LOMBOK research blogs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | A new blog has been created by PhD students Dave Hemprich-Bennett and Tor Kemp from QML who are studying bats and the food webs associated with them (available on Twitter @hammerheadbat @tor_85). Further video diaries of LOMBOK researchers in the field have been published at www.lombok.hmtf.info . |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Meeting to discuss the new management plan for logging in the Floresta Nacional do Tapajos |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ECOFOR researchers participated at several meetings to discuss the new management plan for logging in the Floresta Nacional do Tapajós (Tapajos National Forest/FLONA), in which 10 of the ECOFOR plots are located. They also had a number of meetings with the indigenous leaders and visited 3 different indigenous tribes, bringing to them some of the results and explaining their research to the indigenous communities. The communities seemed very keen to continue to work with the project and authorized future sampling in the plots located in the FLONA. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | NERC UnEarthed, Edinburgh, 17-20 November 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | University of Aberdeen Researchers and members of the BALI project held an exhibit at the NERC Unearthed event at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, 17th - 20th November 2017. The theme of our stall focused on soil health and food security in tropical regions. We wanted to show how what we eat affects the world and how our research may tackle these issues. The day was hugely successful and we are planning to set up our exhibit again for Climate Week Fun Day at Hazelhead Park, Aberdeen, 24th March. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Nature Live talk to NHM visitors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presenting an overview of work to the general public |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Newspaper article on informing Sabahs riparian guidelines |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | LOMBOK scientists, Dr Sarah Luke and Dr Eleanor Slade were featured in the local newspaper for their successful work informing Sabah's riparian guidelines at the Sabah World Rivers Conference Day, 19th September 2017. The work is a result of a unique collaboration with the Sabah Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and SEARRP to inform riparian policy and guidelines based on current scientific knowledge. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Oil palm sustainability workshop, 2-4 November 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A 3-day workshop for early career researchers on oil palm sustainability was held 2-4 November 2016. The workshop was coordinated by the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (ITBC-UMS) and LOMBOK, led by Durell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at University of Kent (DICE-Kent). Researchers from Oxford University and the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), as well as oil palm stakeholders in Malaysia, participated. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Provide expert scientific input on the High Carbon Stock (HCS) Science Study by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | David Burslem and Yit And Teh provided were asked to advise and provide feedback on a report commissioned by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) called "HCS Science Study: Draft Synthesis Report". This document, prepared by an independent scientific panel and co-chaired by Jonathon Porritt, aimed to provide expert advice and guidance to the oil palm industry on how to sustainably manage oil palm plantations and the surrounding landscapes for carbon, with the wider goal of offsetting or mitigating carbon losses from plantation development. The input provided by Burslem and Teh led to the production of a final report ("High Carbon Stock Science Study: Independent Report from the Technical Committee"), which will be used to guide the planning and management practices of the oil palm industry, and support the RSPO in reaching its sustainability and climate change mitigation targets. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.simedarby.com/sustainability/clients/simedarby_sustainability/assets/contentMS/img/templa... |
| Description | REDD+ Support and Capacity Building Meeting 7-8 August 2017, Sabah Forestry Department |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Initial meeting with policy makers and practitioners in the Sabah Forestry Department and conservation-based NGOs to discuss how the HMTF Programme and BALI Consortium can support and help develop the skills and knowledge base in Sabah to conduct REDD+ activities |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | SEARRP Science Meeting, 20-21 April 2017, University of Cambridge |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | BALI and LOMBOK researchers attended and gave presentations at the SEARRP Science meeting, 20-21 April, University of Cambridge. The second day included breakout group discussions to identify core objectives and experimental ideas for a new forest restoration project in Aceh, Indonesia. The main impact/outcome of this event were requests and opportunoties to get further involved in the project and knowledge exchange. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | SEnSOR meeting, Royal Over-Seas League, London, May 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Members from BALI and LOMBOK attended a meeting with the Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Oil Palm Research (SEnSOR) project at the Royal Over-Seas League, London, 27 May 2016. The aim of the meeting was to discuss possible SEnSOR-linked research (new, existing, and expanded) that could be funded in order to test the impact of RSPO certification. BALI and LOMBOK each submitted 3 research proposals to the committee for consideration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | School visit to All Saints Secondary School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | School outreach activity at All Saints Secondary School, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. I was a guest speaker and gave a talk titled Ecosystems Services - How Rainforests Sustain Society and the Planet. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | The Silent Forest Platform |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A new platform on rainforest degradation called "The Silent Forest" has been developed as a result of a long term effort of scientists from different institutions in Brazil and Europe, many of whom are part of the ECOFOR project. The platform aims at mapping forest disturbance in a comprehensive way, including individual elements of disturbance such as fire, logging, hunting and fragmentation. The platform's website http://florestasilenciosa.ambiental.media/en/ contains a detailed map of the Brazilian Amazon, showing the black spots of forest degradation. Following an interview with Jos Barlow and the platform's coordinator Thiago Medaglia, the Guardian published an article about the platform. The map is an important step for forest conservation and has the potential to be used by policy makers when tackling forest degradation. The article can be accessed at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/20/brazil-amazon-forest-degradation-map. The news about the platform has further reached Brazilian public thanks to a radio interview with post doc, Erika Berenguer, which was broadcasted by numerous radio stations across Brazil. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | University Malaysia Sabah, Current Topics in Conservation module for undergraduate students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | BALI researchers Boris Bongalov and Terhi Riutta and LOMBOK researcher Eleanor Slade gave talks to undergraduate Conservation students at University Malaysia Sabah (UMS), in February and April 2016. This was part of a module entitled "Current Topics in Conservation" which aimed to provide students with examples of real-life research that applied to concepts they studied during the course of their degree. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | University of Aberdeen Doors Open Day 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | University of Aberdeen opened its doors to members of the public, 10th September 2016. We set up a 'tropical forests' themed stall to help showcase our work and talk to visitors about our research in Malaysia. We displayed photos from our trips as well as tropical seeds, insect and animal specimens. We had 453 visitors throughout the day including visitors to the Zoology museum and Biodiversity Centre. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Workshop on Fire Regime Changes in Amazonia: Understanding and managing fire risk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Jos Barlow from the ECOFOR consortium participated in a workshop in Brasilia on "Fire Regime Changes in Amazonia: Understanding and managing fire risk". The workshop presentations showed the alarming event of the 2015-16 wildfires, which affected over 38,000 km2 of forest (including c. 2.5ha of ECOFOR plots around Santarem). Presentations from IBAMA and ICMBio highlighted the need to change fire use regulations in Brazil, and the difficulties of preventing wildfires with increasingly scarce federal resources and the decentralisation of environmental management and regulation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Workshops at the Science@SAFE 2014 meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 3 workshops were held at the Science@SAFE meeting including 1) an overview of EarthCape platform, 2) Linking plot and satellite data 3) Soil trace gas flux measurements. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |