Review
Environmental Sciences
Valentine Joy Reiss-Woolever, Sarah Helen Luke, Jake Stone, Gorm Eirik Shackelford, Edgar Clive Turner
Summary: Oil palm has evolved from a subsistence crop to a major global agricultural commodity, with concerns over its negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, communities, and farmers. Research indicates a growing need for sustainable management practices and interdisciplinary approaches to address these issues and inform future strategies for palm oil production.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Lorenzo Nespoli, Vasco Medici
Summary: This paper presents a computationally efficient algorithm for fitting multivariate boosted trees and proves that multivariate trees outperform univariate trees when there is prediction correlation. The algorithm also allows for arbitrary regularization of predictions to enforce properties like smoothness, consistency, and functional relations. Applications and numerical results related to forecasting and control are presented.
JOURNAL OF MACHINE LEARNING RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Yichen Zhou, Giles Hooker
Summary: This paper examines a novel gradient boosting framework for regression, which regularizes gradient boosted trees through subsampling and a modified shrinkage algorithm. The resulting algorithm, Boulevard, is shown to converge as the number of trees grows, and a central limit theorem is demonstrated for its limit, providing a characterization of uncertainty for predictions. Simulation study and real world examples support both the predictive accuracy of the model and its limiting behavior.
JOURNAL OF MACHINE LEARNING RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Jaime Andres Cifuentes-Espinosa, Laurene Feintrenie, Claudia Monzon-Alvarado, Birgit Schmook, M. Azahara Mesa-Jurado
Summary: The study applies a Social-Ecological System (SES) approach to examine the barriers and levers to sustainable development in a palm oil production system. It explores whether oil palm plantations will be renewed by growers and identifies the conditions for sustainable palm oil production in the future.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fernando Troya, Paulo N. Bernardino, Ben Somers
Summary: This study investigated the accuracy of palm plantation mapping and found that optical-based maps had higher accuracy but were more affected by inter-annual climate variability. Data fusion approaches improved accuracy and reduced differences between years, highlighting their importance for future studies.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luciene Sales Dagher Arce, Lucas Prado Osco, Mauro dos Santos de Arruda, Danielle Elis Garcia Furuya, Ana Paula Marques Ramos, Camila Aoki, Arnildo Pott, Sarah Fatholahi, Jonathan Li, Fabio Fernando de Araujo, Wesley Nunes Goncalves, Jose Marcato Junior
Summary: The use of deep learning approach successfully detected and geolocated the Buriti palm tree, showing improved accuracy compared to other methods and presenting potential applications for mapping individual tree species in dense forest environments.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yevgeniya Korol, Watit Khokthong, Delphine C. Zemp, Bambang Irawan, Holger Kreft, Dirk Hoelscher
Summary: In tropical landscapes dominated by oil palm monocultures, scattered trees were found to be abundant, mostly small-statured, suggesting that most of the trees are young and do not reach larger dimensions.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Julia Drewer, Melissa M. Leduning, Gemma Purser, James M. Cash, Justin Sentian, Ute M. Skiba
Summary: Regional estimates of VOC fluxes often overlook contributions from forest floor, including soil, litter, and understorey vegetation. This study found that monoterpene emissions from forest and oil palm plantation floor were mostly influenced by the amount of litter present, with emissions significantly lower than those from the canopy. While no seasonal trends were identified, occasional spikes of higher emissions from the forest floor indicate the need for further investigation into their underlying processes.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andres C. Rodriguez, Stefano D'Aronco, Konrad Schindler, Jan D. Wegner
Summary: The study proposes a new active deep learning method to estimate oil palm density from Sentinel-2 satellite images at large scale, generating complete maps for Malaysia and Indonesia. The method was used to compute oil palm density maps for 2017 and 2019, analyzing density variations between different states and comparing them to official estimates.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tingting Lu, Martin Brandt, Xiaoye Tong, Pierre Hiernaux, Louise Leroux, Babacar Ndao, Rasmus Fensholt
Summary: Multi-purpose Faidherbia albida trees play a vital role in agroforestry parklands in West Africa by providing resources and supporting crop irrigation. This study used satellite systems and computational methods to classify and identify Faidherbia albida trees. The researchers found that specific variables during the dry season were most important for accurate classification. Comparisons with a theoretical model showed significant differences in species distribution. The distribution maps provided by this study are crucial for managing farmlands in drylands and optimizing economic and ecological services.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Ali Ashrafian, Elahe Panahi, Sajjad Salehi, Maria Karoglou, Panagiotis G. Asteris
Summary: The high emission of greenhouse gases is a critical challenge for the cement production industry. To achieve sustainability, civil and environmental engineers need to consider future generations and develop safe and eco-friendly alternatives. Previous experimental studies have shown that using oil palm by-product in the production of sustainable lightweight structural concrete (SLSC) can have positive environmental and economic benefits. This study proposes a formula-based model and utilizes machine learning methods to evaluate the strength of SLSC. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the model and provide valuable insights for the strength prediction of SLSC.
Article
Geography, Physical
Juepeng Zheng, Haohuan Fu, Weijia Li, Wenzhao Wu, Le Yu, Shuai Yuan, Wai Yuk William Tao, Tan Kian Pang, Kasturi Devi Kanniah
Summary: The rapid expansion of oil palm plantations in tropical developing countries has both positive economic benefit and negative ecological impact. Accurate detection of oil palm trees is crucial for improving plantation planning, yield, and reducing manpower and fertilizer consumption. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) shows promise for monitoring individual oil palms, but challenges remain in achieving accuracy due to class imbalance and similarity. The Multi-class Oil Palm Detection approach (MOPAD) proposed in this paper utilizes advanced features and loss modules to achieve accurate detection and monitoring of individual oil palms, demonstrating excellent potential for efficient management.
ISPRS JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Nichar Gregory, Robert M. Ewers, Arthur Y. C. Chung, Lauren J. Cator
Summary: Changes in land-use and associated shifts in environmental conditions can affect the transmission and emergence of mosquito-borne diseases due to the sensitivity of mosquito traits to temperature. Predicting disease transmission is crucial for disease control and identifying hotspots.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rahebeh Abedi, Romulus Costache, Hossein Shafizadeh-Moghadam, Quoc Bao Pham
Summary: This article used different models to analyze the flash-flood susceptibility in the Basca Chiojdului River Basin in Romania, highlighting slope as the most important factor triggering flash floods and identifying the central part of the basin as more susceptible to flash flooding.
GEOCARTO INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Muhammad Yamin, Wan Ishak bin Wan Ismail, Samsuzana Abd Aziz, Muhamad Saufi bin Mohd Kassim, Farah Naz Akbar, Muhammad Ibrahim
Summary: This research study focuses on the design of a variable rate liquid fertilizer applicator that can measure soil NPK status and apply N, P, and K nutrients at separate variable rates around oil palm trees. The applicator utilizes a flow control and spray system to effectively distribute liquid fertilizer within a 25 m(2) area of the most effective roots. The design includes six 8006 flat fan nozzles to ensure adequate coverage, and the mechanical structure and fertilizer tank assembly have been analyzed to meet the necessary load requirements during field operation.
PRECISION AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Biodiversity Conservation
Sofia Lopez-Cubillos, Lina Munoz-Avila, Leslie A. Roberson, Andres F. Suarez-Castro, Jose Manuel Ochoa-Quintero, Renato Crouzeilles, Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao, Jonathan Rhodes, Wolfram Dressler, Maria Jose Martinez-Harms, Rebecca K. Runting
Summary: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is rich in biodiversity but faces threats from overexploitation of natural resources and internal social conflicts. The Escazu Agreement, signed by 33 LAC countries in 2018, aims to integrate human rights with environmental matters, enhance protection for environmental defenders, increase public participation in environmental decision-making, and foster cooperation among countries for biodiversity conservation. However, clear mechanisms for implementing the Agreement's ideals are currently lacking.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Valentin Popov, Payal Shah, Rebecca K. Runting, Jonathan R. Rhodes
Summary: Recent advances in systematic conservation planning utilize modern portfolio theory (MPT) to address climate change uncertainty challenges. However, lack of sufficient information can hinder optimal asset allocation. This study presents three statistical methods that overcome information deficits for fine-scale conservation planning, enabling efficient portfolio allocation strategies and enhancing conservation resource allocation efficiency.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jaramar Villarreal-Rosas, Jessie A. Wells, Laura J. Sonter, Hugh P. Possingham, Jonathan R. Rhodes
Summary: Land use change has led to significant declines in ecosystem services globally, impacting different beneficiaries unevenly. This study focused on the Brigalow Belt Bioregion in Australia to assess how land use change affects flood protection for urban residents, rural communities, and the food sector. Results showed net declines in flood protection for all sectors, with urban residents experiencing the greatest impact.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
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
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
Oncology
Paramita Dasgupta, Jessica K. Cameron, Susanna M. Cramb, Richard W. Trevithick, Joanne F. Aitken, Kerrie Mengersen, Peter D. Baade
Summary: Rare cancers in Australia exhibit spatial and geographical patterns with higher incidence and lower survival rates among males and individuals living in remote or disadvantaged areas. These rare cancers pose a significant health burden in Australia, particularly in rural and disadvantaged regions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Hongbo Xie, Kerrie Mengersen, Changan Di, Yongjian Zhang, Justin Lipman, Sabine Van Huffel
Summary: Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is a powerful tool for parameter estimation in robotics applications, particularly in extracting movement primitives from myoelectric signal (MES) for robust control of humanoid robots. However, MES is often affected by complex noise sources, and existing NMF methods simplify the noise distribution assumption and cannot automatically determine the rank of the latent matrices. To address these issues, this article presents a hybrid variational Bayesian Gaussian mixture and NMF (GMNMF) model with a finite Gaussian mixture model for fitting the mixed noise density function of MES, and applies an automatic relevant determination criterion to infer the number of movement primitives.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON HUMAN-MACHINE SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Statistics & Probability
Edgar Santos-Fernandez, Julie Vercelloni, Aiden Price, Grace Heron, Bryce Christensen, Erin E. E. Peterson, Kerrie Mengersen
Summary: Crowdsourcing methods are used to produce scientific information by non-experts, which is becoming increasingly important in many fields. However, concerns about the validity of these data often limit their usefulness. This paper focuses on the use of citizen science data in addressing complex challenges in environmental conservation and proposes a Bayesian model to analyze and account for participants' abilities. The model improves the accuracy of the classification tasks and shows the potential of citizen science in answering challenging ecological questions.
INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW
(2023)
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.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joshua J. J. Bon, Adam Bretherton, Katie Buchhorn, Susanna Cramb, Christopher Drovandi, Conor Hassan, Adrianne L. L. Jenner, Helen J. J. Mayfield, James M. M. McGree, Kerrie Mengersen, Aiden Price, Robert Salomone, Edgar Santos-Fernandez, Julie Vercelloni, Xiaoyu Wang
Summary: Bayesian approaches have become an essential part of statisticians and data scientists' toolkit, offering numerous benefits in areas such as intelligent data collection, new data sources, federated analysis, inference for implicit models, model transfer, and purposeful software products. This article is part of the theme issue "Bayesian inference: challenges, perspectives, and prospects".
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2023)
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
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Paramita Dasgupta, Jessica K. Cameron, Belinda Goodwin, Susanna M. Cramb, Kerrie Mengersen, Joanne F. Aitken, Peter D. Baade
Summary: This study examines the geographical variation in participation rates in Australia's bowel cancer screening program between 2015 and 2020. The study finds that participation rates were consistently lower in remote or disadvantaged areas, with spatial heterogeneity within these categories. The findings highlight the importance of considering the unique characteristics of specific geographical regions and their inhabitants when designing interventions to improve screening uptake.
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)