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Protected areas (PAs) are central to sustainability targets, yet few evaluations explore outcomes for both conservation and development, or the trade-offs involved. We applied counterfactual analyses to assess the extent to which PAs maintained forest cover and influenced well-being across 31,000 villages in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia. We examined multidimensional aspects of well-being, tracking education, health, living standards, infrastructure, environment, and social cohesion in treatment and control villages between 2005 and 2018. Overall, PAs were effective at maintaining forest cover compared to matched controls and were not detrimental to well-being. However, impacts were highly heterogeneous, varying by island, and strictness of protection. While health, living standards, and infrastructure aspects of well being improved, education access, environmental conditions and social cohesion declined. Our analysis reveals the contexts through which individual PAs succeed or fail in delivering multiple benefits, and provides insights to where further on-ground support is needed to achieve conservation and development objectives.

Indonesia is embarking on an ambitious relocation of its capital city to Kalimantan, Borneo, bringing with it major urban and road infrastructure. Yet, despite being one of the world's most biologically diverse regions, the potential implications of this development for wildlife have yet to be fully assessed. We explored the potential impacts of the capital relocation, and road expansion and upgrades to critical habitat for medium-large mammals (>1 kg) using camera trap data from 11 forested landscapes. We applied Bayesian multi-species occupancy models to predict community and species-level responses to anthropogenic and environmental factors. We extrapolated spatial patterns of occupancy and species diversity across the forests of Kalimantan and identified “critical habitats” as the top 20th percentile of occupancy and species richness values. We subsequently overlapped these critical habitat layers with infrastructure impact zones to estimate the area that could potentially be affected by direct or secondary impacts. At both the community and species-level, distance to primary roads had the strongest negative influence on habitat-use. Occupancy was also influenced by forest quality and multidimensional poverty conditions in adjacent villages, demonstrating the sensitivity of biodiversity to socio-ecological pressures. Less than 1 % of the critical habitat for the threatened mammal community lay within the direct impact zone (30 km radius) of the capital relocation. However, approximately 16 % was located within 200 km and could potentially be affected by uncontrolled secondary impacts such as urban sprawl and associated regional development. The often-overlooked secondary implications of upgrading existing roads could also intersect a large amount of critical habitat for lowland species. Mitigating far-reaching secondary impacts of infrastructure development should be fully incorporated into environmental impact assessments. This will provide Indonesia with an op

Conservation strategies are rarely systematically evaluated, which reduces transparency, hinders the cost-effective deployment of resources, and hides what works best in different contexts. Using data on the iconic and critically endangered orangutan (Pongo spp.), we developed a novel spatiotemporal framework for evaluating conservation investments. We show that around USD 1 billion was invested between 2000 and 2019 into orangutan conservation by governments, nongovernmental organizations, companies, and communities. Broken down by allocation to different conservation strategies, we find that habitat protection, patrolling, and public outreach had the greatest return on investment for maintaining orangutan populations. Given the variability in threats, land-use opportunity costs, and baseline remunerations in different regions, there were differential benefits per dollar invested across conservation activities and regions. We show that although challenging from a data and analysis perspective, it is possible to fully understand the relationships between conservation investments and outcomes and the external factors that influence these outcomes. Such analyses can provide improved guidance toward a more effective biodiversity conservation. Insights into the spatiotemporal interplays between the costs and benefits driving effectiveness can inform decisions about the most suitable orangutan conservation strategies for halting population declines. Although our study focuses on the three extant orangutan species of Sumatra and Borneo, our findings have broad application for evidence-based conservation science and practice worldwide.

Each year an estimated US$20–30 million is spent by government and non-government organisations in efforts to conserve the Bornean orangutan. However, recent population analysis reveals that these efforts have been unable to reduce species decline. A major aim of the Indonesian National Action Plan for orangutan conservation is to “improve in-situ conservation as the principal activity ensuring the orangutan's survival in its native habitats”. This paper summarises and examines current investment in conservation activities and provides recommendations on the strategic allocation of funds for future conservation. The cost data of major conservation initiatives, including orangutan rescue and rehabilitation, habitat protection, habitat restoration and community education, was collated from non-government agency annual reports and primary literature. A recent population density and distribution model, and reports documenting the effectiveness of conservation strategies for the species were then used to calculate population trends in the presence and absence of interventions. Using an open-access cost-effectiveness resource allocator tool, we investigate expenditure and program performance. We then provide recommendations on how to strategically allocate conservation funding to future programs to ensure maximum effectiveness.

Industrial oil palm plantations in South East Asia have caused significant biodiversity losses and perverse social outcomes. To address concerns over plantation practices and in an attempt to improve sustainability through market mechanisms, civil society organisations and industry representatives developed the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004. The effectiveness of RSPO in improving the sustainability of the palm oil industry is frequently debated and to date, few quantitative analyses have been undertaken to assess how successful RSPO has been in delivering the social, economic and environmental sustainability outcomes it aims to address. With the palm oil industry continuing to expand in South East Asia and significant estates being planted in Africa and South America, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of RSPO plantations compared to non-certified plantations by assessing the relative performance of several key sustainability metrics compared to business as usual practices. Using Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) as a case study, a novel dataset of RSPO concessions was developed and causal analysis methodologies employed to evaluate the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the industry. No significant difference was found between certified and non-certified plantations for any of the sustainability metrics investigated, however positive economic trends including greater fresh fruit bunch yields were revealed. To achieve intended outcomes, RSPO principles and criteria are in need of substantial improvement and rigorous enforcement. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Interviews are a widely used methodology in conservation research. They are flexible, allowing in-depth analysis from a relatively small sample size and place the focus of research on the views of participants. While interviews are a popular method, several critiques have been raised in response to their use, including the lack of transparency in sampling strategy, choice of questions and mode of analysis. In this paper, we analyse the use of interviews in research aimed at making decisions for conservation. Through a structured review of 227 papers, we explore where, why and how interviews were used in the context of conservation decision making The review suggests that interviews are a widely used method for a broad range of purposes. These include gaining ecological and/or socio-economic information on specific conservation issues, understanding knowledge, values, beliefs or decision-making processes of stakeholders, and strengthening research design and output. The review, however, identifies a number of concerns. Researchers are not reporting fully on their interview methodology. Specifically, results indicate that researchers are: failing to provide a rationale as to why interviews are the most suitable method, not piloting the interviews (thus questions may be poorly designed), not outlining ethical considerations, not providing clear guides to analysis and not critically reviewing their use of interviews. Based on the results of the review, we provide a detailed checklist aimed at conservation researchers who wish to use interviews in their research (whether experienced in using the methodology or not), and journal editors and reviewers to ensure the robustness of interview methodology use. © 2018 The Authors. Methods in Ecology and Evolution © 2018 British Ecological Society

1. Interviews are a widely used methodology in conservation research. They are flexible, allowing in-depth analysis from a relatively small sample size and place the focus of research on the views of participants. While interviews are a popular method, several critiques have been raised in response to their use, including the lack of transparency in sampling strategy, choice of questions and mode of analysis. 2. In this paper, we analyse the use of interviews in research aimed at making decisions for conservation. Through a structured review of 227 papers, we explore where, why and how interviews were used in the context of conservation decision making. 3. The review suggests that interviews are a widely used method for a broad range of purposes. These include gaining ecological and/or socio-economic information on specific conservation issues, understanding knowledge, values, beliefs or decision-making processes of stakeholders, and strengthening research design and output. The review, however, identifies a number of concerns. Researchers are not reporting fully on their interview methodology. Specifically, results indicate that researchers are: failing to provide a rationale as to why interviews are the most suitable method, not piloting the interviews (thus questions may be poorly designed), not outlining ethical considerations, not providing clear guides to analysis and not critically reviewing their use of interviews. 4. Based on the results of the review, we provide a detailed checklist aimed at conservation researchers who wish to use interviews in their research (whether experienced in using the methodology or not), and journal editors and reviewers to ensure the robustness of interview methodology use.

Interviews are a widely used methodology in conservation research. They are flexible, allowing in-depth analysis from a relatively small sample size and place the focus of research on the views of participants. While interviews are a popular method, several critiques have been raised in response to their use, including the lack of transparency in sampling strategy, choice of questions and mode of analysis. In this paper, we analyse the use of interviews in research aimed at making decisions for conservation. Through a structured review of 227 papers, we explore where, why and how interviews were used in the context of conservation decision making The review suggests that interviews are a widely used method for a broad range of purposes. These include gaining ecological and/or socio-economic information on specific conservation issues, understanding knowledge, values, beliefs or decision-making processes of stakeholders, and strengthening research design and output. The review, however, identifies a number of concerns. Researchers are not reporting fully on their interview methodology. Specifically, results indicate that researchers are: failing to provide a rationale as to why interviews are the most suitable method, not piloting the interviews (thus questions may be poorly designed), not outlining ethical considerations, not providing clear guides to analysis and not critically reviewing their use of interviews. Based on the results of the review, we provide a detailed checklist aimed at conservation researchers who wish to use interviews in their research (whether experienced in using the methodology or not), and journal editors and reviewers to ensure the robustness of interview methodology use., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In conservation, Collaboration is thought to improve returns from investment and is frequently encouraged, however not all collaborations are equal and may therefore lack characteristics important for addressing collective action problems. Furthermore, partnerships that are advantageous for a collective may not necessarily be advantageous for an individual. This study investigated collaboration within the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) conservation sector - a system with reported inefficiencies and for which there has been a renewed call for collaborative partnerships. Collaborative partnerships were conceptualised as a social network and analysed using exponential random graph modelling. The prevalence of structural attributes associated with social processes considered to be important for solving collective action problems such as trust and innovation were investigated. Qualitative surveying techniques were used to measure the perceptions of collaboration held by individual actors within the network and the impact of organizational attributes on network formation and perceptions was assessed. Collaboration was found to be occurring within the conservation network and was positively perceived at the individual organisational level. At the collective level, the current collaborative network contains some structural characteristics important for addressing the collective-action problem of orangutan conservation, particularly through innovation and knowledge sharing. However efforts to develop trust between organisations may be needed. To improve returns on investment, future collaborative partnerships must be strategically implemented with individual roles and desired overall outcomes explicitly articulated. Increased operational transparency and improved performance evaluation will be critical for achieving improved collaborative efficiency. © 2017 The Authors

My thesis aimed to investigate the influence of selection on an animal invading a novel habitat and how subsequent differences in natural selection, sexual selection and genetic drift might influence phenotypic variation among populations. The Pacific leaping blenny on Guam (Alticus arnoldorum) provided a novel opportunity to address these aims as it has made one of the most extreme ecological transitions possible, it is a fish that lives its entire adult life on land. Furthermore, the presence of multiple populations of this fish around the island allowed the investigation of how differences in selection pressures and gene flow might generate or limit phenotypic variation between populations that otherwise occupy the same broad habitat type (intertidal rocks on land). First, I examined the influence of natural selection in the form of predation on colonising a novel environment (here, a shift onto land). The colouration of male and female blennies from five populations was examined along with the colour of their respective backgrounds. I found the body colour of all populations closely resembled the habitat on land. A subsequent predation experiment confirmed that this background matching functioned to reduce predation and was therefore adaptive. These results suggested that closely resembling the colour of habitat backgrounds has probably aided the Pacific leaping blenny in successfully colonising land. Second, I examined the relative influence of natural selection (predation), sexual selection and gene flow on phenotypic variation among populations on land. Results suggested that variation in natural selection and sexual selection had a predictable influence on phenotypic expression: sexual selection has promoted the exaggeration of ornaments, while natural selection has reduced the conspicuousness of these features. Most notably, this population divergence in ornamentation has occurred despite high gene flow. Overall, my thesis demonstrates how adopting an integ