GHOST ROADS AND THE DESTRUCTION OF ASIA-PACIFIC TROPICAL FORESTS. Engert et al. (2024). Nature.
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Roads are expanding at the fastest pace in human history. This is the case especially in biodiversity-rich tropical nations, where roads can result in forest loss and fragmentation, wildfires, illicit land invasions and negative societal effects. Many roads are being constructed illegally or informally and do not appear on any existing road map; the toll of such ‘ghost roads’ on ecosystems is poorly understood. Here we use around 7,000 h of effort by trained volunteers to map ghost roads across the tropical Asia-Pacific region, sampling 1.42 million plots, each 1 km2 in area. Our intensive sampling revealed a total of 1.37 million km of roads in our plots—from 3.0 to 6.6 times more roads than were found in leading datasets of roads globally. Across our study area, road building almost always preceded local forest loss, and road density was by far the strongest correlate of deforestation out of 38 potential biophysical and socioeconomic covariates. The relationship between road density and forest loss was nonlinear, with deforestation peaking soon after roads penetrate a landscape and then declining as roads multiply and remaining accessible forests largely disappear. Notably, after controlling for lower road density inside protected areas, we found that protected areas had only modest additional effects on preventing forest loss, implying that their most vital conservation function is limiting roads and road-related environmental disruption. Collectively, our findings suggest that burgeoning, poorly studied ghost roads are among the gravest of all direct threats to tropical forests.
MAPPING REMOTE ROADS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SATELLITE IMAGERY. Sloan et al. (2024). Remote Sensing.
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Road building has long been under-mapped globally, arguably more than any other human activity threatening environmental integrity. Millions of kilometers of unmapped roads have challenged environmental governance and conservation in remote frontiers. Prior attempts to map roads at large scales have proven inefficient, incomplete, and unamenable to continuous road monitoring. Recent developments in automated road detection using artificial intelligence have been promising but have neglected the relatively irregular, sparse, rustic roadways characteristic of remote semi-natural areas. In response, we tested the accuracy of automated approaches to large-scale road mapping across remote rural and semi-forested areas of equatorial Asia-Pacific. Three machine learning models based on convolutional neural networks (UNet and two ResNet variants) were trained on road data derived from visual interpretations of freely available high-resolution satellite imagery. The models mapped roads with appreciable accuracies, with F1 scores of 72–81% and intersection over union scores of 43–58%. These results, as well as the purposeful simplicity and availability of our input data, support the possibility of concerted program of exhaustive, automated road mapping and monitoring across large, remote, tropical areas threatened by human encroachment.
ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF A DROUGHT EXPERIMENT ON THE REPRODUCTIVE PHENOLOGY AND ECOPHYSIOLOGY OF A WET TROPICAL RAINFOREST COMMUNITY. Vogado et al. (2023). Conservation Physiology.
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Climate change is expected to increase the intensity and occurrence of drought in tropical regions, potentially affecting the phenology and physiology of tree species. Phenological activity may respond to a drying and warming environment by advancing reproductive timing and/or diminishing the production of flowers and fruits. These changes have the potential to disrupt important ecological processes, with potentially wide-ranging effects on tropical forest function. Here, we analysed the monthly flowering and fruiting phenology of a tree community (337 individuals from 30 species) over 7 years in a lowland tropical rainforest in northeastern Australia and its response to a throughfall exclusion drought experiment (TFE) that was carried out from 2016 to 2018 (3 years), excluding approximately 30% of rainfall. We further examined the ecophysiological effects of the TFE on the elemental (C:N) and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) composition of leaves, and on the stable isotope composition (δ13C and δ18O) of stem wood of four tree species. At the community level, there was no detectable effect of the TFE on flowering activity overall, but there was a significant effect recorded on fruiting and varying responses from the selected species. The reproductive phenology and physiology of the four species examined in detail were largely resistant to impacts of the TFE treatment. One canopy species in the TFE significantly increased in fruiting and flowering activity, whereas one understory species decreased significantly in both. There was a significant interaction between the TFE treatment and season on leaf C:N for two species. Stable isotope responses were also variable among species, indicating species-specific responses to the TFE. Thus, we did not observe consistent patterns in physiological and phenological changes in the tree community within the 3 years of TFE treatment examined in this study.
THREATENED FAUNA PROTECTIONS COMPROMISED BY AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS IN AUSTRALIA. Engert, Pressey & Adams. (2023). Conservation Letters.
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Australia is a global leader in land clearing and biodiversity loss. The overwhelming majority of land clearing within Australia and, globally, is driven by agricultural conversion. The importance of agricultural lands also leads to the concentration of habitat protection in landscapes that do not support productive land uses, which might contribute to species conservation in marginal habitat. Using an integrated agricultural capability map and threatened vertebrate fauna range maps, we show that observed biases in protected area location have varied impacts at the species level. Specifically, threatened vertebrate fauna with habitat capable of supporting high-value productive lands received less protection and experienced greater habitat loss. Similarly, almost all species assessed received protection in the portions of their ranges less conducive to productive land uses. Finally, we identify regions of Australia at risk of future land clearing and the species likely to bear the brunt of the impacts. Our results demonstrate the importance of protecting land capable of supporting productive uses to conserve the most affected threatened species.
PROTECTED, CLEARED, OR AT RISK: THE FATE OF AUSTRALIAN PLANT SPECIES UNDER CONTINUED LAND USE CHANGE. Adams et al. (2023). Biological Conservation.
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Land clearing and protected area provision are two contrasting forces shaping the persistence of species in the landscape. Using Australia's flora as a case study, we characterize the three possible states of species persistence: protected, cleared, or at risk of future loss based on agricultural capability, using a comprehensive suite of plant distributions and traits. We test the assumption that plant species, assemblages, and growth forms are adequately preserved in protected areas in Australia, and contrast this result with historic and future loss driven by trajectories of continued land clearing. We find levels of protection and clearing are inversely related, with both bioregions and species with high levels of clearing having low protection. We find only one third of Australian bioregions meet international protection targets of 30 % of area in formal protection. Similarly, we find that 29 % of plant species have met representation protection targets (with 30 % of their range protected), while similar numbers (33 %) have clearing as the dominant land use across their ranges. Protection and clearing have also unevenly affected species with different growth forms, range sizes, and distributions across agricultural land capability. Narrow-ranged woody species (e.g., trees) are the most at-risk group in relation to clearing, whereas large-ranged non-woody species (e.g., graminoids, herbs) are afforded a high level of protection in reserved lands. We demonstrate that the Australian protected-area network, although theoretically underpinned by sound CAR principles (comprehensive, adequacy, representativeness), falls short in protecting both individual plant species and growth forms.
IN INDONESIA AND BEYOND NATURE CONSERVATION NEEDS INDEPENDENT SCIENCE. Laurance et al. (2023). Current Biology.
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Biodiversity conservation is a crisis discipline requiring frequent evaluation of potential interventions to reduce environmental threats. To have a chance of success, past conservation activities need to be assessed, to better understand how alternative approaches affect conservation outcomes. Yet, many governments and corporations have a vested interest in environmental debates, and promote information supporting their views, with some even suppressing relevant evidence. Worryingly, such actions may be undermining science as an independent guide to policymaking and conservation management.
ECONOMICS AND OPTICS INFLUENCE FUNDING FOR ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION IN A NATION-WIDE PROGRAM. Engert & Laurance. (2023). Environmental Research Letters.
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Australia is a world leader in habitat loss and species extinction, and for many species, ecological restoration will be necessary for continued persistence. Between 2014 and 2018, the Australian federal government allocated a substantial portion of funding for threatened species recovery to a nation-wide ecological restoration program called '20 Million Trees Land-care Program', which included a competitive grant round. By comparing successful and unsuccessful grant applications, we were able to identify factors associated with restoration funding allocation. We then assessed the Program's ability to provide benefits to threatened species by analyzing the overlap between restoration projects and threatened species habitat. We found that funding allocation under the 20 Million Trees Program was primarily driven by 'value for money' factors, specifically 'cost per tree' and number of trees planted. Additionally, projects were more likely to be funded if they mentioned threatened species in the description, but less likely to be funded if they actually overlapped with areas of high threatened species richness. Of the 1960 threatened species assessed, we found that only 9 received funding for restoration projects covering more than 1% of their range. Conversely, we found that utilizing alternative project selection schemes, such as alternative 'value for money' metrics or spatial planning methods, could have delivered better outcomes for some of the threatened species most impacted by habitat loss. Our results show that inopportune selection criteria for awarding of funding for ecological restoration can significantly reduce the benefits delivered by programs.
AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES: A NATIONAL SCALE LAND CAPABILITY MAP. Adams & Engert. (2022). Data in Brief.
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Ongoing land clearing is a key driver of biodiversity loss and climate change. Effective action to halt land clearing and land degradation ultimately relies on understanding patterns of land capability for production uses, in particular agriculture, as a key driver of land use. Here we describe a national agricultural land capability map for Australia, based on harmonized state agricultural land capability datasets and modelled pastoral capability. State-level agricultural land capability datasets capture regional variations in crop selection and suitability. Hence, we reclassified these datasets to fit a nationally consistent land capability ranking scheme. For regions in which agricultural capability data was not available, we modelled agricultural and pastoral capability and mapped this to the same ranking scheme. The national land capability dataset fills an immediate knowledge need for Australia. This dataset has wide potential for utilization, such as for retrospective analysis of land use policies and prospective regional planning initiatives to ensure forward looking policies and land use plans optimize land allocation.
MAJOR MINING ROAD COULD BE DEATH KNELL FOR SUMATRA'S LOWLAND RAINFORESTS. Engert et al. (2022). Biological Conservation.
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​In October of 2019, the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry gave approval for construction of an 88 km-long mining road through the Harapan Forest, an area with outstanding biodiversity values on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia (Diana, 2020). The road approval, granted to Indonesian mining firm PT Marga Bara Jaya, immediately prompted protests from scientists and conservation groups in Indonesia and internationally, as well as from indigenous communities residing within the forest (Diana, 2020; Engert et al., 2021). Construction of the road, which is yet to penetrate the Harapan Forest, is likely to cause significant loss of Sumatran lowland rainforest, a critically endangered ecoregion currently represented by only around 3 % of its original extent (Fig. 1) (Laumonier, 1997; Olson et al., 2001).
GROWTH FORM AND FUNCTIONAL TRAITS INFLUENCE THE SHOOT FLAMMABILITY OF TROPICAL RAINFOREST SPECIES. Potts et al. (2022). Forest Ecology and Management.
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Canopy fires are increasing globally with anthropogenic climate and land-use changes, even in fire-sensitive rainforest ecosystems. Identifying the ecological drivers that may be aiding canopy fires, such as species or growth form flammability, is crucial to recognising and mitigating fire risks. To address this, we quantified the shoot-flammability of 124 rainforest plant species using an experimental approach. We compared three flammability measures (burnt biomass, total burn time and maximum temperature reached) with plant functional traits across seven different growth forms (i.e., canopy, pioneer, and understory trees; pioneer, understory and invasive shrubs, and vines) and nine common plant families and other higher-level clades, such as conifers, hereafter abbreviated to families. From burning > 600 sun-exposed shoots, we found trees were higher in flammability than shrubs and vines, and the plant families: Sapindaceae, Proteaceae, Fabaceae, and Lauraceae, had especially high flammability, whereas Moraceae was very low. Of the functional traits examined, leaf dry matter content was consistently and significantly positively associated with species flammability. Invasive shrubs as a group were not particularly flammable, although there were exceptions, e.g., wild tobacco (Solanum mauritianum) was highly flammable. This study has two important implications for the management of fire in rainforests. First, we have demonstrated that many tropical rainforest trees may readily burn under severe fire conditions if fire were to reach the rainforest canopy. Second, a large proportion of the > 1 million rainforest trees planted in the Wet Tropics under restoration planting schemes are from our most flammable rainforest plant families, as these families are often recommended for their carbon sequestration potential. Hence, these plantings may be highly vulnerable to fire and if planted along the borders of primary forest they may carry fire into their canopies. Therefore, where fire risk is high, we recommend planting species with low flammability along borders of plantings and forests to act as ‘green firebreaks’ to reduce the risk of fire incursions.
COULD ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSERVATION SCIENCES BENEFIT FROM AN ANONYMIZED JOURNAL? Engert (2022). Conservation Letters.
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Retributions against environmentalists have been escalating in recent years around the globe. A record number of environmental defenders were murdered in 2021, breaking the record set by the previous year (Global Witness, 2021). Environmental scientists have also faced various legal and professional consequences for publishing data or perspectives contrary to those promoted by governments or industry (Dickman & Danks, 2012; Driscoll et al., 2021; Letnic, 2000). Despite the intensity of threats to environmentalists, and the potential for anonymous publishing to mitigate some of these threats (Calver, 2021; Letnic, 2000; Minerva, 2014), there are still no reputable options for anonymous or pseudonymous publishing in academic journals.
CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS REPRODUCTIVE PHENOLOGY IN LIANAS OF AUSTRALIA'S WET TROPICS. Vogado et al. (2022). Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
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Lianas are increasing in abundance in many tropical forests. This increase can alter forest structure and decrease both carbon storage and tree diversity via antagonistic relationships between lianas and their host trees. Climate change is postulated as an underlying driver of increasing liana abundances, via increases in dry-season length, forest-disturbance events, and atmospheric CO2 concentrations; all factors thought to favour lianas. However, the impact of climate change on liana reproductive phenology, an underlying determinant of liana abundance, has been little studied, particularly outside of Neotropical forests. Over a 15-year period (2000–2014), we examined the phenological patterns of a liana community in intact rainforests of the Wet Tropics bioregion of Australia; a World Heritage Area and hotspot of floral diversity. Specifically, we assessed (1) flowering and fruiting patterns of liana species; (2) potential climate drivers of flowering and fruiting activity; and (3) the influence of El Niño-related climatic disturbances on liana phenology. We found that flowering and fruiting of the studied liana species increased over time. Liana reproduction, moreover, rose in apparent response to higher temperatures and reduced rainfall. Finally, we found flowering and fruiting of the liana species increased following El Niño events. These results suggest that liana reproduction and abundance are likely to increase under predicted future climate regimes, with potentially important impacts on the survival, growth, and reproduction of resident trees and thus the overall health of Australian tropical rainforests.
SPRAWLING CITIES ARE RAPIDLY ENCROACHING ON EARTH'S BIODIVERSITY. Laurance & Engert (2022). PNAS.
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One of the most important demographic events of the past half-century is the dramatic growth of urban areas worldwide. Growing cities, like insatiable amoebas, tend to engulf and devour their surrounding lands, often at the expense of biodiversity (Fig. 1). In PNAS, Simkin et al. (1) project the regional and global impacts of urban expansion on more than 30,000 species of native mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians from 2015 to 2050. Their findings reveal that burgeoning cities are a far more serious driver of biodiversity decline than many realize, with environmental impacts comparable with those of planet-altering activities, such as agriculture and forestry.
REROUTING A MAJOR INDONESIAN MINING ROAD TO SPARE NATURE AND REDUCE DEVELOPMENT COSTS. Engert et al. (2021) Conservation Science and Practice.
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Road-infrastructure projects are expanding rapidly worldwide while penetrating into previously undisturbed forests. In Sumatra, Indonesia, a planned 88-km-long mining road for transporting coal would imperil the Harapan Forest, the island's largest surviving tract of lowland rainforest. Such roads often lead to increased forest encroachment and illegal logging, fires, poaching, and mining. To evaluate the potential impact of the proposed road, we first manually mapped all existing roads inside and around the Harapan Forest using remote-sensing imagery. We then calculated the expected increase in forest loss from three proposed mining-road routes using a metric based on travel-time mapping. Finally, we used least-cost path analyses to identify new routes for the road that would minimize forest disruption and road-construction costs. We found that road density inside and nearby the Harapan Forest is already 3–4 times higher than official data sources indicate. Based on our analyses, each of the three proposed mining-road routes would lead to 3,000–4,300 ha of additional forest loss from human encroachment plus another 424 ha lost from road construction itself. We propose new routes for the mining road that would result in up to 3,321 ha less forest loss with markedly lower construction costs than any other planned route. We recommend approaches such as ours, using least-cost-path analysis, to minimize the environmental and financial costs of major development projects.
THE EFFECTS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DROUGHT ON THE ECOPHYSIOLOGY AND FRUITING PHENOLOGY OF A TROPICAL RAINFOREST PALM. Vogado et al. (2020) Journal of Plant Ecology.
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Aims Anthropogenic climate change is predicted to increase mean temperatures and rainfall seasonality. How tropical rainforest species will respond to this climate change remains uncertain. Here, we analysed the effects of a 4-year experimental throughfall exclusion (TFE) on an Australian endemic palm (Normambya normanbyi) in the Daintree rainforest of North Queensland, Australia. We aimed to understand the impact of a simulated reduction in rainfall on the species’ physiological processes and fruiting phenology.
Methods We examined the fruiting phenology and ecophysiology of this locally abundant palm to determine the ecological responses of the species to drought. Soil water availability was reduced overall by ~30% under a TFE experiment, established in May 2015. We monitored monthly fruiting activity for 8 years in total (2009–2018), including 4 years prior to the onset of the TFE. In the most recent year of the study, we measured physiological parameters including photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and carbon stable isotopes (δ 13C, an integrated measure of water use efficiency) from young and mature leaves in both the dry and wet seasons.
Important Findings We determined that the monthly fruiting activity of all palms was primarily driven by photoperiod, mean solar radiation and mean temperature. However, individuals exposed to lower soil moisture in the TFE decreased significantly in fruiting activity, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance. We found that these measures of physiological performance were affected by the TFE, season and the interaction of the two. Recovery of fruiting activity in the TFE palms was observed in 2018, when there was an increase in shallow soil moisture compared with previous years in the treatment. Our findings suggest that palms, such as the N. normanbyi, will be sensitive to future climate change with long-term monitoring recommended to determine population-scale impacts.
FUNCTIONAL TRAIT REPRESENTATION DIFFERS BETWEEN RESTORATION PLANTINGS AND MATURE TROPICAL RAINFOREST. Engert et al. (2020) Forest Ecology and Management.
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The planting and attempted restoration of tropical forest landscapes is increasing rapidly across the globe. Two limiting aspects of large-scale forest restoration are the demand for appropriate quantities of seeds and seedlings of native species, and the ability to facilitate succession in planted sites. Species functional traits such as seed type, tree size, germination time, and wood density may influence the quantity of seedlings that can be produced for restoration, and the potential of these seedlings to persist and facilitate site succession. Therefore, it is important to understand the species composition and functional trait representation of restoration plantings. We explored the species composition and functional trait representation of 846 restoration plantings in the Australian Wet Tropics containing > 465,000 seedlings from 599 species, using seedling supply records from six nurseries over a six year period (2012–2017). Despite restoration plantings in the Australian Wet Tropics containing an impressive number of species, just 52 species contributed over half of all individual seedlings. We found that species with small animal-dispersed seeds and low wood density were more abundant, on average, and had greater representation in restoration plantings than in mature rainforest. Despite this, we did not find evidence that restoration plantings had a diminished capacity to grow tall or sequester carbon as there was no significant difference in the relative abundance of tall tree species or species with high wood density. Small seeded and fast growing species may be cheaper to produce in nurseries and may accelerate site succession as these characteristics are associated with pioneer and early successional species, however these traits are also associated with higher mortality rates. Understanding how functional trait representation influences the success of restoration plantings will require further insight into temporal aspects of site succession.
EMERGING CHALLENGES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND FOREST CONSERVATION IN SARAWAK, BORNEO. Alamgir et al. (2020) PLOS One.
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The forests of Borneo—the third largest island on the planet—sustain some of the highest biodiversity and carbon storage in the world. The forests also provide vital ecosystem services and livelihood support for millions of people in the region, including many indigenous communities. The Pan-Borneo Highway and several hydroelectric dams are planned or already under construction in Sarawak, a Malaysian state comprising part of the Borneo. This development seeks to enhance economic growth and regional connectivity, support community access to services, and promote industrial development. However, the implications of the development of highway and dams for forest integrity, biodiversity and ecosystem services remained largely unreported. We assessed these development projects using fine-scale biophysical and environmental data and found several environmental and socioeconomic risks associated with the projects. The highway and hydroelectric dam projects will impact 32 protected areas including numerous key habitats of threatened species such as the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), Sarawak surili (Presbytis chrysomelas), Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) and tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis). Under its slated development trajectory, the local and trans-national forest connectivity between Malaysian Borneo and Indonesian Borneo would also be substantially diminished. Nearly ~161 km of the Pan-Borneo Highway in Sarawak will traverse forested landscapes and ~55 km will traverse carbon-rich peatlands. The 13 hydroelectric dam projects will collectively impact ~1.7 million ha of forest in Sarawak. The consequences of planned highway and hydroelectric dams construction will increase the carbon footprint of development in the region. Moreover, many new road segments and hydroelectric dams would be built on steep slopes in high-rainfall zones and forested areas, increasing both construction and ongoing maintenance costs. The projects would also alter livelihood activities of downstream communities, risking their long-term sustainability. Overall, our findings identify major economic, social and environmental risks for several planned road segments in Sarawak—such as those between Telok Melano and Kuching; Sibu and Bintulu; and in the Lambir, Limbang and Lawas regions—and dam projects—such as Tutoh, Limbang, Lawas, Baram, Linau, Ulu Air and Baleh dams. Such projects need to be reviewed to ensure they reflect Borneo’s unique environmental and forest ecosystem values, the aspirations of local communities and long-term sustainability of the projects rather than being assessed solely on their short-term economic returns.
TRANS-NATIONAL CONSERVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE HEART OF BORNEO. Sloan et al. (2019) PLOS One.
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The Heart of Borneo initiative has promoted the integration of protected areas and sustainably-managed forests across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. Recently, however, member states of the Heart of Borneo have begun pursuing ambitious unilateral infrastructure-development schemes to accelerate economic growth, jeopardizing the underlying goal of trans-boundary integrated conservation. Focusing on Sabah, Malaysia, we highlight conflicts between its Pan-Borneo Highway scheme and the regional integration of protected areas, unprotected intact forests, and conservation-priority forests. Road developments in southern Sabah in particular would drastically reduce protected-area integration across the northern Heart of Borneo region. Such developments would separate two major clusters of protected areas that account for one-quarter of all protected areas within the Heart of Borneo complex. Sabah has proposed forest corridors and highway underpasses as means of retaining ecological connectivity in this context. Connectivity modelling identified numerous overlooked areas for connectivity rehabilitation among intact forest patches following planned road development. While such ‘linear-conservation planning’ might theoretically retain up to 85% of intact-forest connectivity and integrate half of the conservation-priority forests across Sabah, in reality it is very unlikely to achieve meaningful ecological integration. Moreover, such measure would be exceedingly costly if properly implemented–apparently beyond the operating budget of relevant Malaysian authorities. Unless critical road segments are cancelled, planned infrastructure will fragment important conservation landscapes with little recourse for mitigation. This likelihood reinforces earlier calls for the legal recognition of the Heart of Borneo region for conservation planning as well as for enhanced tri-lateral coordination of both conservation and development.
INFRASTRUCTURE EXPANSION CHALLENGES SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Alamgir et al. (2019) PLOS One.
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The island of New Guinea hosts the third largest expanse of tropical rainforest on the planet. Papua New Guinea—comprising the eastern half of the island—plans to nearly double its national road network (from 8,700 to 15,000 km) over the next three years, to spur economic growth. We assessed these plans using fine-scale biophysical and environmental data. We identified numerous environmental and socioeconomic risks associated with these projects, including the dissection of 54 critical biodiversity habitats and diminished forest connectivity across large expanses of the island. Key habitats of globally endangered species including Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi), Matchie’s tree kangaroo (D. matschiei), and several birds of paradise would also be bisected by roads and opened up to logging, hunting, and habitat conversion. Many planned roads would traverse rainforests and carbon-rich peatlands, contradicting Papua New Guinea’s international commitments to promote low-carbon development and forest conservation for climate-change mitigation. Planned roads would also create new deforestation hotspots via rapid expansion of logging, mining, and oil-palm plantations. Our study suggests that several planned road segments in steep and high-rainfall terrain would be extremely expensive in terms of construction and maintenance costs. This would create unanticipated economic challenges and public debt. The net environmental, social, and economic risks of several planned projects—such as the Epo-Kikori link, Madang-Baiyer link, Wau-Malalaua link, and some other planned projects in the Western and East Sepik Provinces—could easily outstrip their overall benefits. Such projects should be reconsidered under broader environmental, economic, and social grounds, rather than short-term economic considerations.
HIDDEN CHALLENGES FOR CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE TRANSPAPUAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR. Sloan et al. (2019) Environmental Science and Policy.
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The island of New Guinea harbours one of the world’s largest tracts of intact tropical forest, with 41% of its land area in Indonesian Papua (Papua and Papua Barat Provinces). Within Papua, the advent of a 4000-km ‘development corridor’ reflects a national agenda promoting primary-resource extraction and economic integration. Papua, a resource frontier containing vast forest and mineral resources, increasingly exhibits new conservation and development dynamics suggestive of the earlier frontier development phases of other Indonesian regions. Local environmental and social considerations have been discounted in the headlong rush to establish the corridor and secure access to natural resources. Peatland and forest conversion are increasingly extensive within the epicentres of economic development. Deforestation frontiers are emerging along parts of the expanding development corridor, including within the Lorentz World Heritage Site. Customary land rights for Papua’s indigenous people remain an afterthought to resource development, fomenting conditions contrary to conservation and sustainable development. A centralised development agenda within Indonesia underlies virtually all of these changes. We recommend specific actions to address the environmental, economic, and socio-political challenges of frontier development along the Papuan corridor.

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I am an ecologist with a focus on conservation science and spatial ecology.

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