David L.A. Gaveau

David L.A. Gaveau

David L.A. Gaveau

  • Visiting Professor

Biography

David Gaveau is a landscape ecologist who conducts extensive research on deforestation and forest fires in Equatorial Asia and the Siberian Arctic. His research focuses on the drivers and impacts of deforestation and fires, with a particular emphasis on the use of satellites and geospatial analysis to understand patterns, trends and causes in forest loss and fire spread.  His work has been instrumental in highlighting the role of agriculture, especially oil palm plantations, as a major driver of deforestation in Equatorial Asia. He published over 60 scientific papers in high-impact journals on topics ranging from causes and consequences of deforestation and fires to commodity and agroforestry mapping and protected area effectiveness evaluations. He is ranked among the top three scientists in the field of Ecology and Evolution in Indonesia. He frequently engages in popular media to ensure his scientific findings are translated into a language the public and policymakers can access. His work has generated many media stories, that reached several million people.David builds the Nusantara Atlas platform that provides detailed real-time and historical information on land use, forest cover, and land cover change in Equatorial Asia. It aims to promote sustainable land use management and prevent deforestation in the country by informing policies, decision-making, and public opinion about the causes and consequences of tropical deforestation. The system verifies the legality of deforestation, helps buyers of commodities source responsibly, and evaluates the effectiveness of environmental policies.

He has extensive field experience in Indonesian protected areas. He has a broad research network and collaborative partnerships with NGOs and conservation scientists in Southeast Asia, the US, and Europe.

Academic & Professional Qualifications

  • Ph.D. Biodiversity Management, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent
  • MSC Applied Optics, Imperial College

Notable Publications

  1. Fosch, A., Ferraz de Arruda, G., Aleta, A. et al. Replanting unproductive palm oil with smallholder plantations can help achieve Sustainable Development Goals in Sumatra, Indonesia. Commun Earth Environ 4, 378 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01037-4
  2. Descals, A., Wich, S., Szantoi, Z., Struebig, M.J., Dennis, R., Hatton, Z., Ariffin, T., Unus, N., Gaveau, D.L., and Meijaard, E. (2023). High-resolution global map of closed-canopy coconut, Earth System Science Data Discussions, https://essd.copernicus.org/preprints/essd-2022-463/
  3. Descals, A., Gaveau, D.L.A, Verger, A., Sheil, D., Naito, D., and Peñuelas, J. (2022). Unprecedented fire activity above the Arctic Circle linked to rising temperatures. Science 378, 532-537. https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.abn9768
  4. Descals, A., Wich, S., Szantoi, Z., Struebig, M.J., Dennis, R., Hatton, Z., Ariffin, T., Unus, N., Gaveau, D.L.A, and Meijaard, E. (2023). High-resolution global map of closed-canopy coconut. Earth System Science Data Discussions, 1-30.
  5. Spencer, K.L., Deere, N.J., Aini, M., Avriandy, R., Campbell-Smith, G., Cheyne, S.M., Gaveau, D.L.A, Humle, T., Hutabarat, J., and Loken, B. (2023). Implications of large-scale infrastructure development for biodiversity in Indonesian Borneo. Science of the Total Environment 866, 161075.
  6. Sloan, S., Locatelli, B., Cattau, M., Gaveau, D.L.A., Tacconi, L., Andela, N. (2022). Extreme Burning Declined Across Indonesian Managed Lands but Extended into Core Peatlands, 2002-2019. Communications Earth&Environment 3 (1), 1-12. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00522-6
  7. Gaveau D.L.A, Locatelli B, Salim MA, Manurung T, Descals A, Angelsen A, et al. Slowing deforestation in Indonesia follows declining oil palm expansion and lower oil prices. Plos One. 2022.17(3): e0266178. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0266178
  8. Gaveau, D.L.A., Descals, A., Salim, M.A., Sheil, D., Sloan, S., 2021. Refined burned-area mapping protocol using Sentinel-2 data increases estimate of 2019 Indonesian burning. Earth Syst. Sci. Data 13, 5353-5368. https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/13/5353/2021/essd-13-5353-2021.html
  9. Gaveau, D.L.A, Santos, L., Locatelli, B., Salim, M.A., Husnayaen, H., Meijaard, E., Heatubun, C., Sheil, D., 2021. Forest loss in Indonesian New Guinea (2001–2019): Trends, drivers and outlook. Biological Conservation 261, 109225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109225
  10. Murdiyarso, D., Sasmito, S.D., Sillanpää, M., MacKenzie, R., Gaveau, D.L.A., 2021. Mangrove selective logging sustains biomass carbon recovery, soil carbon, and sediment. Scientific Reports 11, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91502-x
  11. Carmenta, R., Zabala, A., Trihadmojo, B., Gaveau, D.L.A., Salim, M.A., Phelps, J., 2021. Evaluating bundles of interventions to prevent peat-fires in Indonesia. Global Environmental Change 67, 102154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102154
  12. Voigt M, Pereira H M, Hjalmar S, Kühl, Ancrenaz M, Gaveau DLA, Meijaard E, Santika T, Sherman M, Wich S, Struebig M, Wolf M, Rosa IMD. Deforestation projections imply range-wide population decline for critically endangered Bornean orangutan (2020). https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2021/07/16/2021.07.16.4514...
  13. Meijaard E, Brooks T, Carlson K, Slade EM, Garcia Ulloa J, Gaveau DLA, Ser Huay Lee J, Santika T, Juffe-Bignoli D, Wich S, Ancrenaz M, Lian Pin Koh, Zamira N, Abrams JF, Prins H, Furumo P,
  14. Macfarlane N, Sheil D. The Environmental impacts of Oil Palm in context. Nature Plants. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00813-w
  15. Gaveau D.L.A, Locatelli B., Salim M.A., Yaen H., Pacheco P., Sheil D. (2019) Rise and fall of forest loss and industrial plantations in Borneo (2000–2017). Conservation Letters, e12622. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12622
  16. J. Miettinen, D. L.A Gaveau, S. C. Liew. (2019) Comparison of visual and automated oil palm mapping in Borneo. International Journal of Remote Sensing 40, 8174-8185. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2018.1479799
  17. Wooster M., Gaveau D., Salim M. et al. (2018) New tropical peatland gas and particulate emissions factors indicate 2015 Indonesian fires released far more particulate matter (but less methane) than current inventories imply. Remote Sensing 10, 495. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10040495
  18. M. Voigt et al., (2018) Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology 28, 761-769. e765 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053
  19. Koplitz S., Mickley L., Jacob D., Marlier ME, Defries, RS, Gaveau DLA, Locatelli, B, Reid, JS, Xian, P, Myers, SS (2018) Role of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation in the Transport of Smoke From Sumatra to the Malay Peninsula During Severe Non‐El Niño Haze Events. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 123, 6282-6294. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD028533
  20. Ellison D,…. Gaveau DLA……(23 authors) (2017) Trees, Forests and water: Cool insights for a hot world. Global Environmental Change 43 51-61 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.01.002
  21. Abram NK, Meijaard E, Wilson KA, Davis JT, Wells JA, Ancrenaz M. Budidharta S, Durrant A, Fakhruzzi A, Runting RK, Gaveau DLA, Mengersen K (2017) Oil palm–community conflict mapping in Indonesia: A case for better community liaison in planning for development initiatives. Applied Geography 78 33-44 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.10.005
  22. Olivero, J., Fa, J.E., Real, R., Márquez, A.L., Farfán, M.A., Vargas, J.M., Gaveau, D.L.A., Salim, M.A., Park, D., Suter, J., 2017. Recent loss of closed forests is associated with Ebola virus disease outbreaks. Scientific Reports 7, 14291.S. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14727-9
  23. Wijedasa L,……Gaveau DLA,…… (>100 authors) (2017) Denial of long‐term issues with agriculture on tropical peatlands will have devastating consequences. Global Change Biology https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13516
  24. Sloan S., Locatelli B., Wooster M., Gaveau D.L.A. (2017) Fire activity in Borneo driven by industrial land conversion and drought during El Nino periods, 1982-2010. Global Environmental Change 47, 95-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.10.001
  25. Gaveau, DLA, Sheil D, Husnayaen, Salim MA, Arjasakusuma S, Ancrenaz M, Pacheco P, Meijaard, E (2016). Rapid conversions and avoided deforestation: examining four decades of industrial plantation expansion in Borneo. Scientific Reports https://doi.org/10.1038/srep32017
  26. Gaveau, DLA, Pirard, R, A, Salim, Husnayaen, Carmenta, R (2016), Overlapping land claims limit the use of satellites to monitor no deforestation commitments and no-burning compliance, Conservation Letters. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12256
  27. Gaveau DLA, Wich SA, Marshall, AJ (2016) Are protected areas conserving primate habitat in Indonesia? An introduction to Primate Conservation, Oxfor University Press. https://doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198703389.003.0012
  28. Huijnen, V, Wooster M, Kaiser, JW, Gaveau DLA, Flemming J, Parrington, M, Inness, D, Murdiyarso, D, Main B, van Weele M (2016). Fire carbon emissions over maritime southeast asia in 2015 largest since 1997. Scientific Reports https://doi.org/10.1038/srep26886
  29. Parker RJ, Boesch H, Wooster MJ, Moore DP, Webb AJ, Gaveau DLA et al. 2016 Atmospheric CH4 and CO2 enhancements and biomass burning emission ratios derived fro satellite observations of the 2015 Indonesian fire plumes. Atmsopheric Chemistry and Physics 16 (15), 10111-10131 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-10111-2016
  30. Wich S, Singleton, I, Nowak, Sri Suci Utami Atmoko, Gonda Nisam, Sugesti Mhd Arif, Rudi H Putra, Rio Ardi, Gabriella Fredriksson, Graham Usher, David LA Gaveau, Hjalmar S Kühl. 2016 Land-cover changes predict steep declines for the sumatran orangutan (pongo abelii) (2016). Science Advances 2 (3), e1500789 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1500789
  31. Wells JA, Wilson KA, Abram NK, Nunn M, Gaveau DLA, RK Runting, Rising floodwaters: mapping impacts and perceptions of flooding in Indonesian Borneo (2016). Environmental Research Letters 11 (6), 064016
  32. Spracklen D, Reddingtion C, Gaveau DLA (2015). Industrial concessions, fires and air pollution in Equatorial Asia. Environmental Research Letters. 10 (9), 091001
  33. Abram, N.K., Meijaard, E., Wells, J.A., Ancrenaz, M., Pellier, A.S., Runting, R.K., Gaveau, D.L.A. et al. (2015). Mapping perceptions of species' threats and population trends to inform conservation efforts: the Bornean orangutan case study. Diversity and Distributions, 21, 487-499. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12286
  34. Bicknell, J.E., Gaveau, D.L.A, Davies, Z.G. & Struebig, M.J. (2015). Saving logged tropical forests: closing roads will bring immediate benefits: Peer-reviewed letter. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 13, 73-74.
  35. Struebig, M.J., Fischer, M., Gaveau, D.L.A, Meijaard, E., Wich, S.A., Gonner, C. et al. (2015). Anticipated climate and land‐cover changes reveal refuge areas for Borneo's orang‐utans. Global change biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12814
  36. Struebig, M.J., Wilting, A., Gaveau, D.L.A, Meijaard, E., Smith, R.J., Fischer, M. et al. (2015). Targeted Conservation to Safeguard a Biodiversity Hotspot from Climate and Land-Cover Change. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.11.067
  37. Marlier, M.E., DeFries, R.S., Kim, P.S., Gaveau, D.L.A, Koplitz, S.N., Jacob, D.J. et al. (2015). Regional air quality impacts of future fire emissions in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Environmental Research Letters, 10, 054010.
  38. Runting, R.K., Meijaard, E., Abram, N.K., Wells, J.A., Gaveau, D.L.A, Ancrenaz, M. et al. (2015). Alternative futures for Borneo show the value of integrating economic and conservation targets across borders. Nature communications, 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7819
  39. Clements, G.R., Lynam, A.J., Gaveau, DLA., Yap, W.L., Lhota, S., Goosem, M. et al. (2014). Where and How Are Roads Endangering Mammals in Southeast Asia's Forests? PloS one, 9, e115376. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115376
  40. Gaveau, DLA., Salim, M.A., Hergoualc'h, K., Locatelli, B., Sloan, S., Wooster, M. et al. (2014). Major atmospheric emissions from peat fires in Southeast Asia during non-drought years: evidence from the 2013 Sumatran fires. Scientific reports, 4. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep06112
  41. Gaveau, DLA., Sloan, S., Molidena, E., Yaen, H., Sheil, D., Abram, N.K. et al. (2014). Four decades of forest persistence, clearance and logging on Borneo. PloS one, 9, e101654. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101654
  42. Abram, N.K., Meijaard, E., Ancrenaz, M., Runting, R.K., Wells, J.A., Gaveau, D. et al. (2014). Spatially explicit perceptions of ecosystem services and land cover change in forested regions of Borneo. Ecosystem Services, 7, 116-127.
  43. Pellier, A.-S., Wells, J.A., Abram, N.K., Gaveau, D. & Meijaard, E. (2014). Through the Eyes of Children: Perceptions of Environmental Change in Tropical Forests. PloS one, 9, e103005.
  44. Sloan, S., Jenkins, C.N., Joppa, L.N., Gaveau, D.L. & Laurance, W.F. (2014). Remaining natural vegetation in the global biodiversity hotspots Biological Conservation, 177 : 12-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.05.027
  45. Gaveau DLA, Kshatriya M, Sheil D, Sloan S, Molidena E, et al. (2013) Reconciling Forest Conservation and Logging in Indonesian Borneo. PLoS ONE 8(8): e69887. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069887
  46. Meijaard, E., Abram, N.K., Wells, J.A., Pellier, A.-S., Ancrenaz, M., Gaveau, DLA et al. (2013). People’s Perceptions about the Importance of Forests on Borneo. PloS one, 8, e73008.
  47. Wich SA, Gaveau D, Abram N, Ancrenaz M, Baccini A, et al. (2012) Understanding the Impacts of Land-Use Policies on a Threatened Species: Is There a Future for the Bornean Orang-utan? PLoS ONE 7: e49142.
  48. Gaveau DLA, Curran L, Paoli G, Carlson K, Wells P, et al. (2012) Examining protected area effectiveness in Sumatra: importance of regulations governing unprotected lands. Conservation Letters 5: 142–148. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2011.00220.x
  49. Levang P, Sitorus S, Gaveau DLA, Sunderland T. 2012. Landless farmers, sly opportunists, and manipulated voters. The squatters of the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (Indonesia). Conservation and Society https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-4923.101838
  50. Carlson KM, Curran LM, Ratnasari D, Pittman A, Soares-Filho BS, Asner GP, Trigg S, Gaveau DLA. 2012. Committed carbon emisisons, deforestation and community land conversion from oilpalm plantation expansion in West Kalimantan. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1200452109
  51. Gaveau DLA, Wich S, Epting J, Juhn D, Kanninen M, Leader-Williams N 2009. The future of forests and orangutans (Pongo abelii) in Sumatra: predicting impact of oil palm plantations, road construction and emissions reduction. Environment Research Letters. 4 034013 11pp.
  52. Gaveau DLA, Epting J, Lyne O, Linkie M, Kumara I, Kanninen M, Leader-Williams N 2009. Evaluating whether protected areas reduce tropical deforestation in Sumatra. Journal of Biogeography. 36 2165-2175. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02147.x
  53. Gaveau DLA., Linkie M, Suyadi, Levang P, Leader-Williams N 2009. Three decades of deforestation in Southwest Sumatra: effects of law enforcement, coffee prices and rural poverty. Biological Conservation 142 597-605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.11.024
  54. Gaveau DLA, Setiabudi F, Wandono H 2007. Three decades of deforestation in Southwest Sumatra: have protected areas halted forest loss and logging, and promoted re-growth? Biological Conservation 134 (4) 495-504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.08.035