Lindsell, J.A., Lee, D.C., Powell, V.J., & Gemita, E. (2015). Availability of large seed-dispersers for restoration of degraded tropical forest. Tropical Conservation Science 8(1): 17-27. Available at Tropical Conservation Science.

Globally vulnerable Southern Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina). Image by Mike Prince, licensed under CC Commons BY-NC 2.0

Overview:

An estimated 63% of Southeast Asian forests are classed as disturbed and secondary as a result of human activity. Many of these forests remain important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services so there is much interest in their capacity for restoration. 

The role of larger animals as seed dispersers in natural regeneration is well attested, since they are often the only agent by which some trees can disperse effectively. This is especially important for late successional, shade-tolerant species that might otherwise be excluded from disturbed sites. However, many larger animals are sensitive to habitat degradation so may be lost from the very areas that require them. 

We investigated the persistence of a suite of large mammals that are known seed-dispersers and also threatened species, in a degraded site in lowland south-central Sumatra. We used camera traps and field observations to relate their distributions to prevailing vegetation conditions. 

Key findings:

• Although most species were more frequently detected in the more intact, least disturbed forested areas, most were able to at least occupy habitats with high levels of disturbance. 

Outcomes and impact:

• Severe habitat degradation does not necessarily lead to the immediate loss of large-bodied seed dispersers, so ensuring adequate protection for these species from external threats, such as hunting, must be built into management plans for restoration concessions. 

Lee, D.C., Powell, V.J., & Lindsell, J.A. (2019). Understanding landscape and plot-scale habitat utilisation by Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) in degraded lowland forest. Acta Oecologica 96: 1-9.

Overview:

Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is a forest-dependent species globally threatened by loss of suitable habitat and hunting. Understanding how sun bears utilise habitat in more degraded landscapes is increasingly important for the effective conservation of the species. 

We conducted surveys of bear sign alongside habitat classification to indicate how landscape and plot attributes affect sun bear habitat use along a gradient of logging disturbance in a lowland forest site of Sumatra. This research informs forest restoration strategies that benefit the conservation management of the species. 

Key findings:

• Sun bear habitat use appeared to be non-random and was significantly associated with gradients of increasing habitat intactness, from non-forest habitat to least disturbed forest. 
• Two environmental gradients explained the probability of bears utilising a given habitat, which increased with tree biomass and decreased with understorey cover. 
• At the plot level, tree family and species compositions were significantly different between areas where bears were recorded and where they were absent.
• For example, the abundance and use by bears of Olacaceae tree stems was higher in plots with bear sign. 

Outcomes and impact:

• Incorporating forest restoration strategies that enhance or increase more intact forest and the availability of key tree resources will benefit the conservation of sun bears and encourage natural forest regeneration in these degraded landscapes. 
• This emphasises the conservation value of degraded forest habitats for this species, while ensuring bear movement and connectivity within modified landscape matrices.

McKinney, T. (2019). Ecological and behavioural flexibility of mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) in response to anthropogenic habitat disturbance. Folia Primatologica 90(6): 456-469

Male mantled howler

Overview:

While howler monkeys are the most ecologically flexible of the atelines, they must still respond to issues arising from anthropogenic modifications, such as fragmentation or dietary changes. Mantled howlers living in a highly modified landscape (commensal group) at the Curú Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica was compared to howlers with limited human influence (control group). 

Key findings:

• The commensal group had a more frugivorous diet than the control group, due to crop-foraging of mango fruits.
• The commensal group maintained a larger home range than the control group, at 39 and 10 ha, respectively. 
• The commensal group had increased travel and feeding times, as well as reduced proximity to conspecifics.
• Aggressive or affiliative social behaviours did not change across groups.
  

Outcomes and impact:

• Increased home range, shift in diet, increased travel and foraging time and reduced group cohesion demonstrated by the species represent responses to the varied utility of available landscapes and the more widely dispersed resources in their range. 
• This contributes to our ecological understanding of howler monkeys, one of the most successful of Neotropical primates in modified landscapes.

English, H.M. & Caravaggi, A. (2020). Where’s wallaby? Using public records and media reports to describe the status of red‐necked wallabies in Britain. Ecology and Evolution 10(23): 12,949-12,959.

Overview:

Investigating the range and population dynamics of introduced species provides insight into species behaviour, habitat preferences, and their potential for becoming established populations. 

Using records from Local Environmental Records Centres (LERCs), the National Biodiversity Network (NBN), and popular media from 2008 to 2018, this research describes the current population status of red‐necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus). All records were mapped and compared to a historical distribution map (1940–2007), derived from published data. 

Key findings:

• Of 95 confirmed wallaby sightings from the study period, 64 came from media sources, 18 from LERCs, seven from the NBN, and six from the published literature. 
• The greatest density of wallaby sightings was in southern England, with the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty a particular hotspot.
• More sightings were recorded in August than in any other month. 

Outcomes and impact:

• Much of the species’ ecology and responses to British biota and anthropogenic pressures are unknown, and therefore, further research is warranted.
• The contemporary methods used here are widely applicable to other non‐native species, particularly those that the public are more likely to report and could be an important supplement to existing studies of conservation and management relevance.

Prosser, N.S., Gardner, P.C., Smith, J.A., Goon Ee Wern, J., Ambu, L.N. & Goossens, B. (2016). Body condition scoring of Bornean banteng in logged forests. BMC Zoology 1: Article number 8. 

Outline:

The Bornean banteng (Bos javanicus lowi) is an endangered subspecies that often inhabits logged forest; however very little is known about the effects of logging on their ecology, despite the differing effects this has on other ungulate species. A body condition scoring system was created for the Bornean banteng using camera trap photographs from forests in Sabah, Malaysia, with various past and present management combinations to establish if banteng nutrition suffered as a result of forest disturbance.

Key findings:

• Banteng within forests that had a recent history of reduced-impact logging (RIL) had higher body condition scores than banteng within conventionally logged forest. 
• Conversely, when past logging was conducted using a conventional technique and the period of forest regeneration was relatively long; the banteng had higher body condition scores.

Outcomes and impact:

• The body condition scoring system is appropriate for monitoring long-term nutrition of the Bornean banteng and for evaluating the extent of the impact caused by present-day RIL methods
• The findings demonstrate the complex effects of logging approaches and history on banteng body condition, which is likely due to differences in regeneration between forests that have been previously logged using differing methods.

Dr Anthony Caravaggi is Lecturer in Conservation Biology and Course Leader for BSc (Hons) International Wildlife Biology. His research focuses on increasing our understanding of the various aspects of species-specific and community ecology. Dr Caravaggi uses field studies, remote-sensing and contemporary and historical data, along with R code and GIS software, to answer robust questions related to species distributions, community ecology, habitat selection, and anthropogenic impacts. Dr Caravaggi's work has implications for and informs conservation and management processes, policy, and commercial enterprises.

Dr Caravaggi is the Editor of the journal Milvus: The Journal of the Welsh Ornithological Society; Associate Editor of Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, a member of the British Ecological Society Welsh Policy Group and the University's Athena SWAN committee. Read more on his website.

Dr Amy Grass specialises in conservation genetics and evolutionary genomics. Dr Grass is a Fellow of the Linnaean Society of London.

She is a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA).

Dr David Lee is a wildlife ecologist and conservation biologist with academic and research interests that include the application of biodiversity survey and analytical techniques to evaluate avian and mammalian species and community responses in modified landscapes, particularly in tropical forest and UK upland ecosystems, and inform stakeholder-driven conservation and restoration management strategies.

He has developed and delivered multidisciplinary forest-based conservation research projects in Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan and Peru.

Current research

• Bird interactions along environmental gradients in Panay, the Philippines, including doves and hornbills;
• Evaluating biodiversity monitoring approaches to inform upland management and restoration, south Wales;
• Asian bear population ecology and conservation management, particularly in Indonesia and Pakistan; 
• Population ecology and conservation of the critically endangered Utila spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri) on Utila, Honduras; and
• Mechanisms for the stimulation of Diadema antillarum recovery on degraded Caribbean coral reefs.

Recent research

• Landscape suitability assessment for black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) in the Brecon Beacons National Park (BBNP);
• Spatial patterns of important upland birds and communities in the BBNP; and
• Biodiversity value of translocated quarry soils.
  

Dr Lee is a member of the IUCN SSC Hornbill, Galliformes, and Bear Specialist Groups. 

He is the University's Board Representative (Wildlife Ecology and Conservation) for the USW-Brecon Beacons National Park Strategic Partnership, and initiated with support from the National Research Network for Low Carbon Energy and Environment

He is a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA).

Harri, an alumnus of our BSc Natural History course, is a Technical Demonstrator who supports practical and technical aspects of biology research across several disciplines, including ecology, marine and freshwater biology, and biomedical sciences. 

Harri has research interests in woodland ecology and using technology enhanced learning to improve ecology practical skills for students and in non-governmental organisations.

Dr Tracie McKinney is a biological anthropologist with expertise in nonhuman primate responses to anthropogenic disturbance.

Tracie is particularly interested in how wild primates deal with human disturbance, including habitat alteration, ecotourism, provisioning, and crop-raiding. 

Dr McKinney's field research focuses on mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) and white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) in Costa Rica. 

She is a member of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group section for Human-Primate Interactions, working on primate tourism and primates in agroecosystems, and a member of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

She is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA).

Dr Rhian Newman is interested in the interactions between people and the environment, in particular how anthropogenic influences alter ecosystem functioning and individual species. 

Dr Newman's research looks to combine both behavioural and physiological responses when examining the species level impact of particular stressors.

Natalie’s PhD research  investigates the ecological consequences of Diadema antillarum (Long-spined Sea Urchin) dieback on degraded Caribbean coral reefs. Her work compares the functionality of reef systems in the presence/absence of this keystone herbivore, quantifying phase shifts and barriers to recovery, and classifying the genetic basis of different urchin populations. Her research is supported by Operation Wallacea. Natalie's supervisory team includes Drs David Lee and Dan Exton, Head of Research at Operation Wallacea.

Daisy’s PhD research is quantifying the ecology and conservation status of the critically endangered Utila Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri) in Honduras. Her work is providing robust population densities across environmental gradients, assessing spatial-temporal patterns in habitat use, and evaluating threats. This is informing targeted conservation efforts, including the efficacy of protected area management. Highlights include lead author of the 2018 IUCN Red List assessment. Links include the IUCN SSC Iguana Specialist Group, and the Kanahau Research and Conservation Facility, Utila. Daisy's research supervisors are Drs David Lee and Stesha Pasachnik, Conservation Program Officer at Fort Worth Zoo, Texas, and Co-chair of the IUCN SSC Iguana Specialist Group.

Lynsey is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Ecology studying her PhD part-time. Her research is focusing on macroinvertebrate communities of upland lentic ecosystems in the Brecon Beacons National Park. She is investigating spatio-temporal patterns in the composition of these communities relative to land management and restoration strategies, alongside evaluating the efficacy of different survey and monitoring methods. Her research is supported by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. Lynsey's research supervisors are Drs David Lee and Anthony Caravaggi.

Ian Beggs is completing a study of the breeding population of the Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) on Skokholm Island, off the Pembrokeshire coast. His research supervisors are Drs Jeremy Smith and David Lee.

Read more about Ian's Masters by Research degree.