Showing papers by "Lian Pin Koh published in 2018"
TL;DR: The effectiveness of management decision-making is often dependent on the accuracy and timeliness of the relevant ecological data upon which decisions are based, meaning that improvements to data collection methods may herald improved ecological outcomes from management actions as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Human activities are creating environmental conditions that pose threats and present opportunities for wildlife. In turn, this creates challenges for conservation managers. Some species have benefited from anthropogenic actions. For example, many invasive species profit from human‐assisted dispersal (Banks, Paini, Bayliss, & Hodda, 2015; Hulme, 2009), and mesopredators may thrive following human‐driven loss of top predators (Ritchie & Johnson, 2009). However, in many cases, wildlife populations are undergoing alarming declines, and extinction rates are now as high as 100‐fold greater than the background extinction rate (Ceballos et al., 2015). Ecological monitoring is essential for understanding these population dynamics, and rigorous monitoring facilitates informed management. The effectiveness of management decision‐making is often dependent on the accuracy and timeliness of the relevant ecological data upon which decisions are based, meaning that improvements to data collection methods may herald improved ecological outcomes from management actions.
237 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors highlight recent ground-breaking and transformative technological advances for studying species and environments: bio-batteries, low power and long-range telemetry, the Internet of things, swarm theory, 3D printing, mapping molecular movement, and low power computers.
Abstract: Increasingly complex research questions and global challenges (e.g., climate change and biodiversity loss) are driving rapid development, refinement, and uses of technology in ecology. This trend is spawning a distinct sub‐discipline, here termed “technoecology.” We highlight recent ground‐breaking and transformative technological advances for studying species and environments: bio‐batteries, low‐power and long‐range telemetry, the Internet of things, swarm theory, 3D printing, mapping molecular movement, and low‐power computers. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize ecology by providing “next‐generation” ecological data, particularly when integrated with each other, and in doing so could be applied to address a diverse range of requirements (e.g., pest and wildlife management, informing environmental policy and decision making). Critical to technoecology's rate of advancement and uptake by ecologists and environmental managers will be fostering increased interdisciplinary collaboration. Ideally, such partnerships will span the conception, implementation, and enhancement phases of ideas, bridging the university, public, and private sectors.
70 citations
University of Adelaide1, Michigan State University2, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden3, Universiti Brunei Darussalam4, Forest Research Institute Malaysia5, University of Alberta6, University of Minnesota7, East China Normal University8, National Dong Hwa University9, Chinese Academy of Sciences10, National Taiwan University11, University of Peradeniya12, University of the Philippines Diliman13, Far Eastern University14, Sewanee: The University of the South15, Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency16, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute17, World Agroforestry Centre18
TL;DR: It is found that the observed β-diversity decreased with increasing latitude when sampling local tree communities at small spatial scale, but the observedβ-d diversity did not change with latitude when sampled at large spatial scales, and improving sample representativeness avoids the γ-dependence of β-Diversity.
Abstract: The relationship between β-diversity and latitude still remains to be a core question in ecology because of the lack of consensus between studies One hypothesis for the lack of consensus between s
27 citations
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds1, University of Montana2, Del Rosario University3, Stellenbosch University4, BirdLife International5, University of Almería6, Conservation International7, University of the Basque Country8, Zoological Society of London9, University of Twente10, Liverpool John Moores University11
TL;DR: Biodiversity is in crisis, with extinction rates orders of magnitude higher than background levels, and underfunded conservationists need to target their limited resources effectively.
Abstract: Biodiversity is in crisis, with extinction rates orders of magnitude higher than background levels ([ 1 ][1]). Underfunded conservationists need to target their limited resources effectively. Over the past decade, satellite remote sensing has revolutionized our ability to monitor biodiversity
17 citations
TL;DR: The integration of Bayesian analysis into existing great ape survey methods could be used to generate precise and reliable population estimates of Bornean orang-utans using the Marked Nest Count method.
Abstract: The integration of Bayesian analysis into existing great ape survey methods could be used to generate precise and reliable population estimates of Bornean orang-utans. We used the Marked Nest Count (MNC) method to count new orang-utan nests at seven previously undocumented study sites in Sarawak, Malaysia. Our survey teams marked new nests on the first survey and revisited the plots on two more occasions; after about 21 and 42 days respectively. We used the N-mixture models to integrate suitability, abundance and detection models which account for zero inflation and imperfect detection for the analysis. The result was a combined estimate of 355 orang-utans with the 95% highest density interval (HDI) of 135 to 602 individuals. We visually inspected the posterior distributions of our parameters and compared precisions between study sites. We subsequently assess the strength or reliability of the generated estimates using identifiability tests. Only three out of the seven estimates had <35% overlap to indicate strong reliability. We discussed the limitations and advantages of our study design, and made recommendations to improve the sampling scheme. Over the course of this research, two of the study sites were gazetted as extensions to the Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary for orang-utan conservation.
3 citations