New paper: Assessing Potential Data Sources for Landscape-Scale Terrestrial Biodiversity Indicators

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Context & Rationale: Global biodiversity mitigation strategies are increasingly implemented at landscape scales—typically defined as areas between 100 and 1000 km2—yet many nations lack the structured monitoring programs required to generate indicators at these decision-relevant resolutions. Existing frameworks often rely on site-specific data (e.g., 1 km2 grids) amalgamated into national trends, creating a “missing middle” that obscures the efficacy of local management interventions. In a study led by Tom Bradfer-Lawrence, researchers addressed this gap by evaluating the suitability of diverse data sources to construct indicators that reflect Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) specifically within the United Kingdom’s ecological and policy framework.

Methodology & Quantitative Findings: The research utilized a questionnaire-based expert assessment involving 70 monitoring specialists to evaluate seven primary data sources: structured and unstructured in-person surveys, camera traps, eDNA, drones, passive acoustics, and satellite remote sensing. Experts assessed these sources against the “4Rs”—Realistic (affordability), Regular (temporal frequency), Representative (taxonomic/spatial coverage), and Robust (consistency). Species occurrence was identified as the most readily yielded data type (n = 50), while species abundance (n = 7) and habitat condition (n = 3) proved more difficult to capture via current automated methods. Bayesian ordinal regression modeling predicted significant utility improvements by 2035; nearly all “4Rs” scores are expected to rise to a “Good” rating (8 out of 9) due to advancements in AI-driven data processing and reduced hardware costs.

Landscape Ecology & Spatial Analysis: The study highlights that effective indicators must match the spatial scale of modern land management, such as National Parks, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). Satellite remote sensing currently stands as the only source capable of providing the geographic density required for landscape-scale habitat indicators across a national extent. However, the research emphasizes the necessity of integrated modeling to combine the spatial breadth of remote sensing with the high temporal resolution of autonomous technologies like passive acoustics. Such multi-modal synthesis is critical for tracking habitat connectivity and nature recovery progress in complex, multi-use landscapes where traditional 1 km2 sampling lacks the requisite density.

Conservation Synthesis: These findings challenge the traditional reliance on top-down national indicators by demonstrating that a bottom-up, technology-integrated approach is scientifically viable for landscape-scale monitoring. In the context of the Anthropocene and international commitments like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s “30 by 30” target, the research suggests that autonomous sensors and citizen science data can fill critical evidence gaps. However, the synthesis warns that the transition to these indicators is hindered by technical and financial barriers rather than a lack of suitable data sources. To move beyond speculative management, a shift toward data-driven adaptive management is required, supported by substantial policy commitment and investment in analytical infrastructure.

Key Takeaway: Landscape-scale biodiversity indicators are achievable through the strategic integration of autonomous technologies and remote sensing, but realizing their potential requires overcoming significant analytical and financial barriers to move beyond species occurrence data toward robust, abundance-based measures of ecosystem health.

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Orangutans and oil palm

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Scientific Summary: Orangutan Coexistence in Second-Rotation Oil Palm Landscapes

Quantifying the Impact of Pongo pygmaeus Disturbance on Juvenile Elaeis guineensis and the Spatial Potential for Coexistence

I am catching up a bit on posts so this one is quite a few months after the paper has been published. I hope it it still useful.

As anthropogenic pressure continues to fragment tropical ecosystems, the critically endangered orangutan (Pongo spp.) has demonstrated unexpected ecological plasticity by navigating through and inhabiting multi-use agricultural mosaics. While the presence of great apes within oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) estates has historically been characterized as a source of human-wildlife conflict and economic liability, this study investigates the economic consequences of orangutan foraging during the crucial replanting phase. Understanding these interactions is vital for developing management strategies that transition industrial plantations from population sinks into functioning components of a meta-population landscape.

The research utilized a 12-month systematic assessment in Sabah, Malaysia, comparing a cohort of orangutan-disturbed juvenile palms against an undisturbed control group. Initial foraging—characterized by the extraction of young shoots and piths—resulted in a significant reduction in mean height and temporary increases in insect infestation rates (weevils and spindle bugs). However, longitudinal data indicates a robust recovery; the growth rate differential narrowed significantly over time, with linear modeling forecasting full height convergence within 24 months post-disturbance. Crucially, the study found no evidence of permanent physiological stress or long-term yield reduction following isolated foraging events.

Spatial analysis reveals a significant strategic opportunity for conservation, identifying 464,604 hectares of mature palms within the orangutan range currently slated for second-rotation replanting. The intersection of these industrial cycles with great ape habitats, particularly for dispersing males who venture deeper into the agricultural matrix, allows for the proactive redesign of landscapes. By integrating High Conservation Value (HCV) forest patches and “stepping stone” corridors during the replanting phase, managers can facilitate essential movement between isolated forest fragments. This spatial overlap underscores the necessity of moving beyond conflict mitigation toward a framework of structured coexistence.

This research refutes the industry perception of orangutans as primary economic liabilities during replanting, situating them instead as manageable components of a sustainable agro-industrial ecosystem. The findings suggest that with responsible monitoring and the maintenance of small forest patches (median size $13.5\text{ ha}$), oil palm plantations can support the survival of wild populations without compromising agricultural productivity. By aligning industrial replanting schedules with biodiversity conservation goals, the palm oil sector has a clear pathway to mitigate its role in the ongoing decline of orangutans.

Key Takeaway: Quantitative monitoring confirms that orangutan-induced disturbance on juvenile palms is a transient stressor with no long-term impact on plant development or productivity, supporting the feasibility of a coexistence model across the 464,604 hectares of oil palm habitat currently requiring replanting.

DOI/Reference: https://doi.org/10.56333/tp.2025.001

Conservation Technology book.

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It has been a while since I have been active on my website but I am trying to pick that up a bit more from now on and post more when I publish things or have something else to share. For now I wanted to share a book that came out relatively recently and that I edited with Alex Piel. It is on the topic I am very interested in at the moment: the use of technology in conservation. Ranging from camera traps, to drones, to AI. Contact me if you have any questions.

New temporary post for a machine learning project

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For a project on automated orangutan nest detection on drone images we are looking for a machine learning expert who is interested in conservation to be part of our drone and machine learning team at Liverpool John Moores University. Please see the details here.

Orangutan nest from a drone image

New paper on the global abundance of tree palms

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Robert Muscarella and Thaise Emilio led a large group of researchers to study the relative abundance of tree palms at a global scale. The paper was published in Global Ecology and Abundance.

Abstract

Aim

Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change.

Location

Tropical and subtropical moist forests.

Time period

Current.

Major taxa studied

Palms (Arecaceae).

Methods

We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure.

Results

On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work.

Conclusions

Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests.