Southeast Asia

Annual Symposium of the Biodiversity Conservation Society of the Philippines

A talk on **Nature-based Climate Solutions** during the [Annual Symposium of the Biodiversity Conservation Society of the Philippines](https://sites.google.com/biodiversity.ph/30pbs/home?pli=1).

New project on assessing outcomes in certified community mangrove forests.

This month, we started a new research project that aims to track forest cover in certified community mangrove forests in Myanmar and provide information that may improve the process of certification and the policies supporting these forestland tenure activities. Specifically, the project aims to track mangrove forest change in 70 certified community forests of Myanmar, mainly in Ayeyarwady, Yangon, and Tanintharyi Regions. The research team will measure land cover change over time using annual Landsat time-series to quantify the amount of mangrove forest change since the late 1980s.

Mangrove Outcomes in Certified Community Forests in Myanmar.

Assessing outcomes in certified community mangrove forests in Myanmar.

Conservation beyond the existing protected area network is required to improve species and habitat representation in a global biodiversity hotspot

In this paper, we evaluated the representation of wildlife and forest types within protected areas. Current protected area network underrepresented wildlife species and forest types. Spatial prioritisation identified additional priority areas to meet representation targets. Modest expansion via area-based conservation strategies can enhance protected area effectiveness. Conservation efforts must prioritise involvement and leadership of local communities.

Two new papers coming soon.

I have two new papers coming out soon. First, about the drivers and mechanisms of forest change in the Himalayas led by a friend and colleague, Akash Verma, to be published in Global Environmental Change; and second, about the conservation required beyond the existing protected area network to improve species and habitat representation in a global biodiversity hotspot led by yours truly to be published in Biological Conservation. Watch this space!

Effects of climate change and land cover on the distributions of a critical tree family in the Philippines

In this paper, we modelled species distributions of dipterocarps in the Philippines, an important tree family that are key to maintaining structure and function of tropical forests in Southeast Asia, to understand potential impacts of deforestation and climate change on their current and future distributions.

Understanding New Deforestation Drivers of Rubber in Mainland Southeast Asia.

Investigating the new deforestation dynamics of rubber in mainland Southeast Asia.

Beyond Deforestation—Drivers and Predictions of Land Cover Change in Mainland Southeast Asia.

Developing improved spatially explicit predictive models of future land change trajectories in Southeast Asia.