Letter
Biodiversity Conservation
Friederike C. Bolam, Louise Mair, Marco Angelico, Thomas M. Brooks, Mark Burgman, Claudia Hermes, Michael Hoffmann, Rob W. Martin, Philip J. K. McGowan, Ana S. L. Rodrigues, Carlo Rondinini, James R. S. Westrip, Hannah Wheatley, Yuliana Bedolla-Guzman, Javier Calzada, Matthew F. Child, Peter A. Cranswick, Christopher R. Dickman, Birgit Fessl, Diana O. Fisher, Stephen T. Garnett, Jim J. Groombridge, Christopher N. Johnson, Rosalind J. Kennerley, Sarah R. B. King, John F. Lamoreux, Alexander C. Lees, Luc Lens, Simon P. Mahood, David P. Mallon, Erik Meijaard, Federico Mendez-Sanchez, Alexandre Reis Percequillo, Tracey J. Regan, Luis Miguel Renjifo, Malin C. Rivers, Nicolette S. Roach, Lizanne Roxburgh, Roger J. Safford, Paul Salaman, Tom Squires, Ella Vazquez-Dominguez, Piero Visconti, John C. Z. Woinarski, Richard P. Young, Stuart H. M. Butchart
Summary: Conservation actions have prevented multiple extinctions of bird and mammal species since 1993, but many species remain highly threatened and efforts need to be scaled up to prevent further extinctions in the future.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2021)
News Item
Biodiversity Conservation
Serge Wich, Erik Meijaard
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erik Meijaard, Safwanah Ni'matullah, Rona Dennis, Julie Sherman, Onrizal, Serge A. Wich
Summary: The Tapanuli Orangutan is the most threatened great ape species in the world. Historical records show that its historical distribution was much larger than it is now. The current population is at risk of extinction due to habitat fragmentation and unsustainable hunting.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthew Scott Luskin, Erik Meijaard, Selly Surya, Sheherazade, Chris Walzer, Matthew Linkie
Summary: The recent outbreak of African Swine Fever in Asia is posing a significant threat to endemic pig species and economic security, with over one hundred million domestic pigs already dead. Endangered Asian pig species are at risk, leading to cascading impacts on carnivores, plant communities, and livelihoods of millions of people. Management recommendations include urgent research, improved disease detection, monitoring, and proper carcass disposal.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Molly K. Grace, H. Resit Akcakaya, Elizabeth L. Bennett, Thomas M. Brooks, Anna Heath, Simon Hedges, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Michael Hoffmann, Axel Hochkirch, Richard Jenkins, David A. Keith, Barney Long, David P. Mallon, Erik Meijaard, E. J. Milner-Gulland, Jon Paul Rodriguez, P. J. Stephenson, Simon N. Stuart, Richard P. Young, Pablo Acebes, Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto, Silvia Alvarez-Clare, Raphali Rodlis Andriantsimanarilafy, Marina Arbetman, Claudio Azat, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Ruchi Badola, Luis M. D. Barcelos, Joao Pedro Barreiros, Sayanti Basak, Danielle J. Berger, Sabuj Bhattacharyya, Gilad Bino, Paulo A. Borges, Raoul K. Boughton, H. Jane Brockmann, Hannah L. Buckley, Ian J. Burfield, James Burton, Teresa Camacho-Badani, Luis Santiago Cano-Alonso, Ruth H. Carmichael, Christina Carrero, John P Carroll, Giorgos Catsadorakis, David G. Chapple, Guillaume Chapron, Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, Louw Claassens, Donatella Cogoni, Rochelle Constantine, Christie Anne Craig, Andrew A. Cunningham, Nishma Dahal, Jennifer C. Daltry, Goura Chandra Das, Niladri Dasgupta, Alexandra Davey, Katharine Davies, Pedro Develey, Vanitha Elangovan, David Fairclough, Mirko Di Febbraro, Giuseppe Fenu, Fernando Moreira Fernandes, Eduardo Pinheiro Fernandez, Brittany Finucci, Rita Foldesi, Catherine M. Foley, Matthew Ford, Michael R. J. Forstner, Nestor Garcia, Ricardo Garcia-Sandoval, Penny C. Gardner, Roberto Garibay-Orijel, Marites Gatan-Balbas, Irene Gauto, Mirza Ghazanfar Ullah Ghazi, Stephanie S. Godfrey, Matthew Gollock, Benito A. Gonzalez, Tandora D. Grant, Thomas Gray, Andrew J. Gregory, Roy H. A. van Grunsven, Marieka Gryzenhout, Noelle C. Guernsey, Garima Gupta, Christina Hagen, Christian A. Hagen, Madison B. Hall, Eric Hallerman, Kelly Hare, Tom Hart, Ruston Hartdegen, Yvette Harvey-Brown, Richard Hatfield, Tahneal Hawke, Claudia Hermes, Rod Hitchmough, Pablo Melo Hoffmann, Charlie Howarth, Michael A. Hudson, Syed Ainul Hussain, Charlie Huveneers, Helene Jacques, Dennis Jorgensen, Suyash Katdare, Lydia K. D. Katsis, Rahul Kaul, Boaz Kaunda-Arara, Lucy Keith-Diagne, Daniel T. Kraus, Thales Moreira de Lima, Ken Lindeman, Jean Linsky, Edward Louis, Anna Loy, Eimear Nic Lughadha, Jeffrey C. Mangel, Paul E. Marinari, Gabriel M. Martin, Gustavo Martinelli, Philip J. K. McGowan, Alistair McInnes, Eduardo Teles Barbosa Mendes, Michael J. Millard, Claire Mirande, Daniel Money, Joanne M. Monks, Carolina Laura Morales, Nazia Naoreen Mumu, Raquel Negrao, Anh Ha Nguyen, Md Nazmul Hasan Niloy, Grant Leslie Norbury, Cale Nordmeyer, Darren Norris, Mark O'Brien, Gabriela Akemi Oda, Simone Orsenigo, Mark Evan Outerbridge, Stesha Pasachnik, Juan Carlos Perez-Jimenez, Charlotte Pike, Fred Pilkington, Glenn Plumb, Rita de Cassia Quitete Portela, Ana Prohaska, Manuel G. Quintana, Eddie Fanantenana Rakotondrasoa, Dustin H. Ranglack, Hassan Rankou, Ajay Prakash Rawat, James Thomas Reardon, Marcelo Lopes Rheingantz, Stephen C. Richter, Malin C. Rivers, Luke Rollie Rogers, Patricia da Rosa, Paul Rose, Emily Royer, Catherine Ryan, Yvonne J. Sadovy de Mitcheson, Lily Salmon, Carlos Henrique Salvador, Michael J. Samways, Tatiana Sanjuan, Amanda Souza Dos Santos, Hiroshi Sasaki, Emmanuel Schutz, Heather Ann Scott, Robert Michael Scott, Fabrizio Serena, Surya P. Sharma, John A. Shuey, Carlos Julio Polo Silva, John P. Simaika, David R. Smith, Julia L. Y. Spaet, Shanjida Sultana, Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, Vikash Tatayah, Philip Thomas, Angela Tringali, Hoang Trinh-Dinh, Chongpi Tuboi, Aftab Alam Usmani, Aida M. Vasco-Palacios, Jean-Christophe Vie, Jo Virens, Alan Walker, Bryan Wallace, Lauren J. Waller, Hongfeng Wang, Oliver R. Wearn, Merlijn van Weerd, Simon Weigmann, Daniel Willcox, John Woinarski, Jean W. H. Yong, Stuart Young
Summary: In response to the need for evaluating species recovery and conservation impact, IUCN proposed the development of a Green List of Species in 2012, which was later refined into the IUCN Green Status of Species. A draft Green Status framework published in 2018 introduced standardized methods for assessing species recovery progress, resulting in proposed species recovery categories and the observation that 59% of tested species were largely or critically depleted. While there was a negative relationship between extinction risk and species recovery score, there was considerable variation, with some lower risk species further from recovery than higher risk species.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Dave J. Seaman, Maria Voigt, Greta Bocedi, Justin M. J. Travis, Stephen C. F. Palmer, Marc Ancrenaz, Serge Wich, Erik Meijaard, Henry Bernard, Nicolas J. Deere, Tatyana Humle, Matthew J. Struebig
Summary: Maximising natural forest cover through certification, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, can support stable orangutan populations and facilitate movement. However, minimizing mortality during dispersal and promoting peaceful co-existence between humans and apes are crucial for positive conservation outcomes.
Article
Ecology
Charles J. Marsh, Yanina V. Sica, Connor J. Burgin, Wendy A. Dorman, Robert C. Anderson, Isabel del Toro Mijares, Jessica G. Vigneron, Vijay Barve, Victoria L. Dombrowik, Michelle Duong, Robert Guralnick, Julie A. Hart, J. Krish Maypole, Kira McCall, Ajay Ranipeta, Anna Schuerkmann, Michael A. Torselli, Thomas Lacher, Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands, Wes Sechrest, Don E. Wilson, Agustin M. Abba, Luis F. Aguirre, Joaquin Arroyo-Cabrales, Diego Astua, Andrew M. Baker, Gill Braulik, Janet K. Braun, Jorge Brito, Peter E. Busher, Santiago F. Burneo, M. Alejandra Camacho, Paolo Cavallini, Elisandra de Almeida Chiquito, Joseph A. Cook, Tamas Cserkesz, Gabor Csorba, Erika Cuellar Soto, Valeria da Cunha Tavares, Tim R. B. Davenport, Thomas Demere, Christiane Denys, Christopher R. Dickman, Mark D. B. Eldridge, Eduardo Fernandez-Duque, Charles M. Francis, Greta Frankham, William L. Franklin, Thales Freitas, J. Anthony Friend, Elizabeth L. Gadsby, Guilherme S. T. Garbino, Philippe Gaubert, Norberto Giannini, Thomas Giarla, Jason S. Gilchrist, Jaime Gongora, Steven M. Goodman, Sharon Gursky-Doyen, Klaus Hacklander, Mark S. Hafner, Melissa Hawkins, Kristofer M. Helgen, Steven Heritage, Arlo Hinckley, Stefan Hintsche, Mary Holden, Kay E. Holekamp, Rodney L. Honeycutt, Brent A. Huffman, Tatyana Humle, Rainer Hutterer, Carlos Ibanez Ulargui, Stephen M. Jackson, Jan Janecka, Mary Janecka, Paula Jenkins, Rimvydas Juskaitis, Javier Juste, Roland Kays, C. William Kilpatrick, Tigga Kingston, John L. Koprowski, Boris Krystufek, Tyrone Lavery, Thomas E. Lee, Yuri L. R. Leite, Roberto Leonan M. Novaes, Burton K. Lim, Andrey Lissovsky, Raquel Lopez-Antonanzas, Adria Lopez-Baucells, Colin D. MacLeod, Fiona G. Maisels, Michael A. Mares, Helene Marsh, Stefano Mattioli, Erik Meijaard, Ara Monadjem, F. Blake Morton, Grace Musser, Tilo Nadler, Ryan W. Norris, Agustina Ojeda, Nicte Ordonez-Garza, Ulyses F. J. Pardinas, Bruce D. Patterson, Ana Pavan, Michael Pennay, Calebe Pereira, Joyce Prado, Helder L. Queiroz, Matthew Richardson, Erin P. Riley, Stephen J. Rossiter, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Dennisse Ruelas, Jorge Salazar-Bravo, Stephanie Schai-Braun, Cody J. Schank, Christoph Schwitzer, Lori K. Sheeran, Myron Shekelle, Georgy Shenbrot, Pipat Soisook, Sergio Solari, Richard Southgate, Mariella Superina, Andrew B. Taber, Mauricio Talebi, Peter Taylor, Thong Vu Dinh, Nelson Ting, Diego G. Tirira, Susan Tsang, Samuel T. Turvey, Raul Valdez, Victor Van Cakenberghe, Geraldine Veron, Janette Wallis, Rod Wells, Danielle Whittaker, Elizabeth A. Williamson, George Wittemyer, John Woinarski, Dietmar Zinner, Nathan S. Upham, Walter Jetz
Summary: This article introduces a database of global mammal species' native range maps, including various tools for integration with other data. These expert maps provide basic information for broad-scale research and conservation.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ralph Trancoso, Jozef Syktus, Alvaro Salazar, Marcus Thatcher, Nathan Toombs, Kenneth Koon-Ho Wong, Erik Meijaard, Douglas Sheil, Clive A. McAlpine
Summary: Tropical deforestation has a significant impact on fire weather risk by increasing temperature, wind speed, and potential evapotranspiration, while decreasing humidity, cloud cover, and precipitation. This highlights the key role of tropical forests in regulating regional climate processes and reducing fire weather risk.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erik Meijaard, Douglas Sheil, Julie Sherman, Liana Chua, Safwanah Ni'matullah, Kerrie Wilson, Marc Ancrenaz, Darmawan Liswanto, Serge A. Wich, Benoit Goossens, Hjalmar S. Kuehl, Maria Voigt, Yaya Rayadin, Yuyun Kurniawan, Agus Trianto, Dolly Priatna, Graham L. Banes, Emily Massingham, John Payne, Andrew J. Marshall
Summary: This study evaluates the impacts of the Half-Earth and Whole-Earth conservation visions on the conservation of Bornean orangutans. The findings suggest that the Half-Earth approach is comparatively easier to achieve and is projected to result in an orangutan population of around 87% of its current size by 2032. The Whole-Earth approach, on the other hand, may lead to greater forest loss and ape killing, resulting in a prediction of only 44% of the current orangutan population by 2032.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erik Meijaard, Ehsan Moqanaki
Summary: Social media, including ResearchGate, are increasingly used by the science community to share research outputs and seek feedback, but their ability to measure research interest and impacts reliably is questioned. Despite this, our article on the Eurasian wild pig in Iran received a remarkably high level of interest on ResearchGate, with the number of reads being 1,500 times higher than the average for scientists from American and Asian universities. These reads were likely due to data-gathering processes unrelated to the research details. Regardless, we used this popularity to advocate for conservation research in an understudied region and species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paul Fergus, Carl Chalmers, Steven Longmore, Serge Wich, Carmen Warmenhove, Jonathan Swart, Thuto Ngongwane, Andre Burger, Jonathan Ledgard, Erik Meijaard
Summary: The biodiversity of our planet is at risk due to negative human actions, such as hunting, overfishing, pollution, and land conversion. Despite efforts and funding, global wildlife populations continue to decline. This paper proposes Interspecies Money, where animals own their own digital money to reward their guardians for conservation services. A trial in South Africa showed that using camera traps and deep learning, it is possible to achieve high accuracy in animal detection and transfer funds between animals and their guardians.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michela Pacifici, Andrea Cristiano, Maria Lumbierres, Mauro Lucherini, David Mallon, Erik Meijaard, Sergio Solari, Marcelo F. Tognelli, Jerrold L. Belant, Thomas M. Butynski, Drew Cronin, Jean-Pierre d'Huart, Daniele Da Re, Yvonne A. de Jong, Arjun Dheer, Li Fei, Sonia Gallina, John M. Goodrich, Abishek Harihar, Carlos A. Lopez Gonzalez, Sarah R. B. King, Rebecca L. Lewison, Fabiano R. de Melo, Constanza Napolitano, Dede Aulia Rahman, Phillip T. Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Carlo Rondinini, Gono Semiadi, Karen Strier, Mauricio Talebi, William Andrew Taylor, Christine Thiel-Bender, Nelson Ting, Ingrid Wiesel
Summary: This study investigates the impact of habitat degradation on terrestrial mammal species. By comparing historic and current distribution maps for 475 species, we found that 59% of them have less available habitat in their lost ranges, suggesting habitat loss contributed to range declines. Factors like land conversion to rangeland and high livestock density negatively affected habitat availability. Intrinsic traits such as reproductive timing, habitat breadth and medium body size also played a role. The study underscores the need for conservation efforts to mitigate human-induced habitat threats and identifies species that could potentially reclaim lost range if threats are addressed.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Emily Massingham, Erik Meijaard, Marc Ancrenaz, Dino Mika, Julie Sherman, Truly Santika, Lengga Pradipta, Hugh P. Possingham, Angela J. Dean
Summary: Despite decades of conservation management, many orangutan populations are still on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss and direct killings. This study conducted the first quantitative field research in over 10 years to assess the state of killing of orangutans in Kalimantan. The findings suggest that killing is still occurring and conservation projects have not significantly reduced this behavior. Addressing killing of orangutans and its underlying drivers is crucial for improving Bornean orangutan conservation practice.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emily J. Massingham, Kerrie A. Wilson, Erik Meijaard, Marc Ancrenaz, Truly Santika, Rachel Friedman, Hugh P. Possingham, Angela J. Dean
Summary: Public opinion can shape conservation policy-making and implementation, and social factors like wellbeing may influence public opinion about conservation issues. A survey of Indonesian and Malaysian residents revealed that diverse indicators of wellbeing were positively associated with public support for orangutan conservation. However, not all wellbeing indicators were related to conservation support. This study highlights the complexity of the relationship between wellbeing and public opinion and emphasizes the need to consider multidimensional aspects of wellbeing in diverse social and geographic settings.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Marc Ancrenaz, Felicity Oram, Nardiyono Nardiyono, Muhammad Silmi, Marcie E. M. Jopony, Maria Voigt, Dave J. Seaman, Julie Sherman, Isabelle Lackman, Carl Traeholt, Serge A. Wich, Truly Santika, Matthew J. Struebig, Erik Meijaard
Summary: The study found that orangutans are still present in small isolated forest fragments within agricultural landscapes like oil palm plantations, playing a crucial role in maintaining gene flow within the metapopulation. While translocations may be necessary in some cases, removing animals from dispersed metapopulations could impact their long-term viability. Efforts are needed to better understand the dynamics of orangutan metapopulations in forest-farmland mosaics and design efficient conservation strategies to protect the species.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)