Towards a theory of substance and form: a contextual analysis of Kiau Dusun plant knowledge in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

The debate over the substance and form of indigenous plant knowledge is often characterised by a divide between cultural (Harris, 1988) and biological (Boster, 1987) explanations that have proven to be theoretically weak. A holistic approach is needed to account for the interactive influence of a variety of variables on the development of indigenous plant knowledge (Boyd and Richerson, 1985). Efforts such as the Human Ecosystems approach advocate a processual study of how indigenous knowledge is influenced by dynamic circumstances found in a variety of social, cultural, biological and physical environments (Wyndham, 2002). I explore the contextual nature of Kiau Dusun plant knowledge in three ways: first, variations in the knowledge about different kinds of plants; second, variations in the knowledge that different people have about plants; and third, variations in the expression of plant knowledge in relation to circumstances in normative reality. I argue that Kiau Dusun plant knowledge reflects how the Kiau Dusun fit within the wider and localised frameworks of their human and natural ecologies. Free listing exercises and semistructured interviews along a plant trail resulted in quantitative data that, combined with surveys and participant observation, reveal intriguing patterns of how Kiau Dusun plant knowledge is fragmented. There is a growing body of declarative plant knowledge that no longer has a viable form of sustained practical application. Results also suggest that enacted plant knowledge concentrates mainly on plants that are directly relevant to the daily routine, in addition to innovative ways of interacting with the plant world such as tourism. Focus is given to the complex historical processes that continue to shape Kiau Dusun interactions and conceptualisations of the plant world, such that a salient body of Kiau Dusun plant knowledge reflects an ongoing and proactive negotiation about the relevance of plants in contemporary Kiau Dusun contexts

Testing the effectiveness of the Forest Integrity Assessment: a field-based tool for estimating the condition of tropical forest

1. Global targets to halt biodiversity losses and mitigate climate change will require protecting rainforest beyond current protected area networks, necessitating responsible forest stewardship from a diverse range of companies, communities and private individuals. Robust assessments of forest condition are critical for successful forest management, but many existing techniques are highly technical, time-consuming, expensive, or require specialist knowledge. 2. To make assessment of tropical forests accessible to a wide range of actors, many of whom may be limited by resources or expertise, the High Conservation Value Resource Network (HCVRN), with the SE Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), developed a South East Asian version of the Forest Integrity Assessment (FIA) tool as a rapid (< 1 hour) method of assessing forest condition in the field, where non-experts respond to 50 questions about characteristics of the local environment while walking a site transect. Here, we examined the effectiveness of this survey tool by conducting ~ 1,000 assessments of forest condition at 16 tropical rainforest sites with varying levels of disturbance in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. 3. We found good agreement (R-squared range: 0.50 – 0.78) between FIA survey scores and independent measures of forest condition, including biodiversity, vegetation structure, aboveground carbon, and other key metrics of ecosystem function, indicating that the tool performed well. Although there was variation among assessor responses when surveying the same forest sites, assessors were consistent in their ranking of those sites, and prior forest knowledge had a minimal effect on the FIA scores. Revisions or further training for questions where assessors disagree, for example on the presence of fauna at a site, could improve consistency. 4. We conclude that the FIA survey tool is a robust method of assessing forest condition, providing a rapid and accessible means of forest conservation assessment. The FIA tool could be incorporated into management practices in a wide range of forest conservation schemes, from sustainability standards, to community forestry and restoration initiatives. The tool will enable more organisations and individuals to understand the conservation value of the forests they manage, and to identify areas for targeted improvements

Incorporating connectivity into conservation planning for the optimal representation of multiple species and ecosystem services

Funding was provided by the Rainforest Trust foundation. Support was also provided by the Sabah Forest Department, Forest Research Centre, the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, the U.N. Development Programme, the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (FRGS0414-STWN-1/2015), PACOS Trust, BC Initiative, the Natural Environment Research Council UK (grant NE/R009597/1), and the Universities of Aberdeen, Montana, and York. We are grateful to the numerous researchers that collected the data used in our analyses, as well as the local communities and government staff who manage forested areas across Sabah.Peer reviewedPostprin

Towards a theory of substance and form : a contextual analysis of Kiau Dusun plant knowledge in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

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Output maps from prioritization analyses

Zip file containing output maps depicting the final prioritized area in Sabah for range-restricted butterflies. Files include: (1) the prioritized area for all 77 butterfly species ('PrioritizedArea_AllSpecies.tif'); (2) the prioritized area for all 77 butterfly species with the inclusion of a boundary length modifier (BLM) ('PrioritizedArea_AllSpeciesBLM.tif'); (3) the prioritized area for the 15 butterfly species that are endemic to Borneo ('PrioritizedArea_EndemicSpecies.tif'); and (4) the prioritized area for the 15 endemic butterfly species with the inclusion of a BLM ('PrioritizedArea_EndemicSpecies.tif')

R code and data for prioritization analyses

Zip file containing prioritization R code and species distribution model output maps used as input layers in prioritization analyses. The 'InputMaps_1kmSabah' folder includes probability of occurrence maps for: (1) the 15 endemic butterfly species ('Endemic_15' sub-folder), and (2) the 62 Sundaland-restricted (but non-endemic) butterfly species ('NonEndemic_62' sub-folder) across Sabah. R code for prioritization analyses using the prioritizr package is provided in the 'Prioritization_butterflies.R' R script file

SDM output maps for 77 butterfly species

Zip file containing species distribution model (SDM) ensemble output maps for 77 range-restricted butterfly species on Borneo. Output maps include binary range maps ('BinaryRangeMaps' sub-folder) and probability of occurrence maps ('ProbabilityOccurrenceMaps' sub-folder) for the 77 butterfly species modelled. The 'BinaryMaps_Summed' and 'ProbabilityOccurrenceMaps_Summed' sub-folders contain maps depicting summed species ranges (i.e., species richness) and probability of occurrence (i.e., species occurrence) values, respectively, for: (1) all species (n=77), and (2) all species endemic to Borneo (n=15). Maps for each species are labelled with a unique number; see 'ButterflySpeciesNumbers.csv' for a list of butterfly numbers and corresponding species names

R code and data for running SDMs in biomod2

Zip file containing: (1) raw butterfly locality data used in the species distribution models (SDMs)('ButterflyDataBorneo_UniqueRecordsSITE1950s.csv'), (2) R script file for processing Worldclim climate variables ('WorldclimData_CorrelationScript.R'), and (3) R script file for running SDMs in biomod2 ('Biomod2SDMs_77Butterflies.R')

Enhancing the ecological value of oil palm agriculture through set-asides

Acknowledgements: We thank the numerous field assistants for help with fieldwork, and SAFE Project for extensive support; the Carnegie Airborne Observatory and Sabah Forestry Department for use of the above-ground carbon LiDAR data; R. Nathan, M. Y. Abdullah, V. Moduying, D. Aloysius, M. Ationg, J. Lucey and S. Lord for involvement in the oil palm producer consultations; and D. Orme for developing the code used to extract slope values from SRTM data. The research was supported by UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grants NE/K016407/1, NE/K016261/1 and NE/K016148/1 as part of the LOMBOK consortium of the Human Modified Tropical Forests (HMTF) programme.Agricultural expansion is the primary driver of ecological degradation across the tropics. Set-asides—uncultivated parts of agricultural landscapes, often on steep slopes and alongside rivers—may alleviate environmental impacts but can reduce the area cultivated. Here we model an approach to configuring set-asides aimed at optimizing ecological outcomes (biodiversity, above-ground carbon storage and nutrient cycling) without reducing net cultivation area. We compare set-asides in an oil palm landscape where all plantations adopt the same configuration (‘uniform’ approach) with a scenario where there can be variation in configuration among plantations (‘variable’ approach). We find that all set-aside configurations support substantial ecological values but that the best strategies involve set-asides, particularly alongside rivers, that are spatially targeted and variable among plantations. This ‘variable’ approach can increase ecological outcomes twofold over the ‘uniform’ approach without reducing net cultivation area. Our findings underscore the potential importance of well-planned set-asides for enhancing agricultural sustainability