3 - 14 July 2017
Workshop on Bayesian data analysis with JAGS and R
@ KMUTT Bangkhunthien
The workshop, facilitated by the Biodiversity Conservation Society of Sarawak (BCSS), introduced the concepts underlying Bayesian approaches to data analysis, running standard analyses with the wiqid package in R. The modelling language used by the JAGS package makes it easy to write code for quite complex models, as the code closely follows the mathematical expressions we use to define the model. JAGS does not have a stand-alone GUI, but is closely integrated with R statistical software.
The workshop was attended by 22 participants including 2 from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden and Naresuan University; 1 from Mahidol University, Chiang Mai University, National University of Singapore, Wildteam Bangladesh, Suranaree University of Technology and Newcastkle University and 12 from the Conservation Ecology Group (KMUTT).
The Workshop was coordinated by Mike Meredith (BCSS and WCS), with the assistance of Ngumbang Juat (BCSS staff), Lukmann Haqeem bin Alen (WWF Malaysia) and Dusit Ngoprasert (CEG-KMUTT).
The workshop was attended by 22 participants including 2 from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden and Naresuan University; 1 from Mahidol University, Chiang Mai University, National University of Singapore, Wildteam Bangladesh, Suranaree University of Technology and Newcastkle University and 12 from the Conservation Ecology Group (KMUTT).
The Workshop was coordinated by Mike Meredith (BCSS and WCS), with the assistance of Ngumbang Juat (BCSS staff), Lukmann Haqeem bin Alen (WWF Malaysia) and Dusit Ngoprasert (CEG-KMUTT).
9 - 14 July 2017
12th Int'l Mammalogical Congress
@ Perth, Australia
The 12th International Mammalogical Congress of the International Federation of Mammalogists had this year the theme of “Advances in Mammalogy in a Changing World”. Two member of the CEG-KMUTT gave an oral presentation: Worata Klinsawat spoke in the symposia “(Phylogeography over multiple time scales - genetics of mammalian populations in a changing world” with a talk entitled “Phylogeography, demographic history and genetic connectivity of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the Tenasserim Range, Thailand" while June Tantipisanuh spoke at the Open session with a talk entitled “Status and distribution of two otter species in coastal areas of southern Thailand".
21 - 23 June 2017
BioD4: the 3rd national meeting on biodiversity management in Thailand
@ Udon Thani, Thailand
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Five CEG-KMUTT presentations were delivered during the meeting. One for George A. Gale “The launch of the Thai Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology: Why might joining this organization benefit Thailand’s biodiversity” as a plenary talk.
Andrew J. Pierce spoke on “Investigating the migration ecology of two Asian sparrow hawks along the East Asian Continental Flyway” as an invited session. In the end Worata Klinsawat with a talk on “Phylogeography, demographic history and genetic connectivity of Asian elephants in the Tenasserim Range, Thailand”; Daphawan Khamcha spoke on “Road induced edge effects on a bird community in a dry evergreen forest”; and Kitipat Phosri presented his work on “Status and distribution of two Otter species in Andaman Mangrove Forest in Southern Thailand” in the Biology and Conservation session |
20 - 29 June 2017
Training of field method for tropical forest research
@ Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Thailand
The training, co-organized by Newcastke University (UK) and by the CEG-KMUTT, was attended this year by 13 undergraduate students. The training was carried out at Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve where the students were introduced to the research undertaken by the Conservation Ecology Programme and how it fit in the overall conservation situation in SEAasia. The students then followed by a set of lectures on wildlife monitoring techniques for three days before starting their final group projects (proposal defense, data collection and analysis, results presentation).
8 - 10 June 2017
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29 May 2017
PhD defences
Congratulations to Vy Trai Nguyen for successfully defending his PhD!
Next steps for Vy is to go back to Vietnam to work for the Institute of Tropical Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology
Next steps for Vy is to go back to Vietnam to work for the Institute of Tropical Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology
25 - 27 May 2017
Young Conservation Scientists Conference
@ Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand
Five members from the CEG-KMUTT attended the first edition of the Young Conservation Scientist Conference which targeted early career scientists in order to instill the value of performing conservation action along scientific research.
During the conference George A. Gale gave a plenary talk as invited speaker “Using a quantified approach to perform successful conservation” and Ines Silva, PhD candidate, gave a talk in the animal session “Wildlife-vehicle collision mortality in a Thai biodiversity hotspot: implications for conservation”.
During the conference George A. Gale gave a plenary talk as invited speaker “Using a quantified approach to perform successful conservation” and Ines Silva, PhD candidate, gave a talk in the animal session “Wildlife-vehicle collision mortality in a Thai biodiversity hotspot: implications for conservation”.
25 - 28 March 2017
ATBC Asia Pacific Chapter Meeting 2017
@ Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, China
Two members of the CEG-KMUTT attended the meeting. Dusit Ngoprasert gave a talk entitled “A new hope: tigers in the World Heritage Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai Forest Complex” in the symposia “Mapping Asia's Biodiversity for Conservation Planning”. PhD student Ines Silva presented a poster on “Spatial patterns of snake mortalities along a highway in a biodiversity hotspot in Northeastern Thailand”
10 March 2017
MSc defences
Congratulations to Chanthasone Phommachanh for successfully defending his MSc!
Next steps for Chanthasone is to go back to Lao PDR and start working for the Saola Working Group
Next steps for Chanthasone is to go back to Lao PDR and start working for the Saola Working Group
15 - 16 December 2016
37th Thailand Wildlife Seminar
@ Kasetsart University, Thailand
Two CEG-KMUTT members presented their work at this annual milestone for Thai wildlife research. Just graduated Somying Tunhikorn presented her PhD work in a talk entitled “A current conservation status of Gray Peacock Pheasants in Thailand” and PhD student Nay Myo Shwe presented part of his PhD work with a talk on "An attempt to conservation for Vultures in Myanmar".
November 2016
PhD defences
Congratulations to Somying Thunhikorn and Niti Sukumal for successfully defending their PhD!
Next steps for Somying is to go back to work in the Research Division in the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation while Niti will apply for a post doc position
Next steps for Somying is to go back to work in the Research Division in the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation while Niti will apply for a post doc position
04 November 2016
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15 September 2016
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10 September 2016
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1 September 2016
Student Presentation "Chester Zoo Invited Seminar"
@ Chester Zoo, Chester, UK
PhD candidate Niti Sukumal presented his PhD results on “Landscape-scale conservation of Green Peafowl in Southeast Asia” at the Chester Zoo seminar. Niti is currently in the United Kingdom as a guest student for a three-month study visit funded by the Newton Fund.
Worrapan assisted by J. Kolowski in his Distance sampling exercise. Credit: R. Phoonjampa
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15 - 26 August 2016
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18 August 2016
Acceptance of research in peer-reviewed journal
Congratulations to Somying Thunhikorn, PhD student, for acceptance of two recent publications in the peer-reviewed journals:
Thunhikorn, S., Grainger, M.J., McGowan, P.J.K. and Savini, T. In press. "Methods used to survey avian species and their potential for surveying ground–dwelling birds in Asia." Forktail.
Thunhikorn, S., Grainger, M.J., McGowan, P.J.K. and Savini, T. In press. "Assessing the population status of Grey Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum) in Huai Kha Khaeng, a key conservation landscape in Southeast Asia." Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.
Congratulations to Niti Sukumal, PhD student, for acceptance of his newest publication in the peer-reviewed journal Bird Conservation International:
Sukumal, N., Dowell, S. and Savini, T. In press. "Micro-habitat selection and population recovery of the endangered Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus) in western Thailand: implications for conservation guidance." Bird Conservation International.
Thunhikorn, S., Grainger, M.J., McGowan, P.J.K. and Savini, T. In press. "Methods used to survey avian species and their potential for surveying ground–dwelling birds in Asia." Forktail.
Thunhikorn, S., Grainger, M.J., McGowan, P.J.K. and Savini, T. In press. "Assessing the population status of Grey Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum) in Huai Kha Khaeng, a key conservation landscape in Southeast Asia." Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.
Congratulations to Niti Sukumal, PhD student, for acceptance of his newest publication in the peer-reviewed journal Bird Conservation International:
Sukumal, N., Dowell, S. and Savini, T. In press. "Micro-habitat selection and population recovery of the endangered Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus) in western Thailand: implications for conservation guidance." Bird Conservation International.
27 July 2016
PhD defence
Congratulations to Wanlop Chutipong for successfully defnding his PhD!
Next steps for Wanlop are part-time faculty position with the Conservation Ecology Program lab while making plans to explore new research opportunities in Thailand and Indonesia.
Next steps for Wanlop are part-time faculty position with the Conservation Ecology Program lab while making plans to explore new research opportunities in Thailand and Indonesia.
25-29 July 2016
Special course: "Introduction to GIS with QGIS and R"
@ KMUTT Bangkhunthien
"Geographic information system (GIS) tools are essential today for understanding what is happening around us. A commonly used application is QGIS, which is free, open-source, cross-platform software that is constantly updated for greater performance.
QGIS works on Macs and Linux, but the facilitators only have experience with Windows.
This workshop is intended for those who want to learn the basics of GIS but do not have access to proprietary software."
Facilitor: Biodivesity Conservation Society of Sarawak (BCSS)
Website: http://bcss.org.my/statsWorkshops/GIS_outline.htm
Thanks a lot to our friends at BCSS for facilitating another exceedingly useful training!!
QGIS works on Macs and Linux, but the facilitators only have experience with Windows.
This workshop is intended for those who want to learn the basics of GIS but do not have access to proprietary software."
Facilitor: Biodivesity Conservation Society of Sarawak (BCSS)
Website: http://bcss.org.my/statsWorkshops/GIS_outline.htm
Thanks a lot to our friends at BCSS for facilitating another exceedingly useful training!!
18-22 July 2016
Special course: "Charts and Graphs in R"
@ KMUTT Bangkhunthien
"Some types of charts can be drawn in spreadsheet software (eg. MS Excel or LibreOffice Calc), but R offers both a greater range of chart types and more flexibility in adjusting chart details to meet the demands of journal editors. We will focus on the powerful base graphics package in R, and only refer briefly to other add-in packages and ImageMagick."
Facilitator: Biodivesity Conservation Society of Sarawak (BCSS)
Website: http://bcss.org.my/statsWorkshops/graphics_outline.htm
Thanks a lot to our friends at BCSS for facilitating!! It was great to see the practical comparative benefits of QGIS and R vis-a-vis ArcGIS and other applications.
Facilitator: Biodivesity Conservation Society of Sarawak (BCSS)
Website: http://bcss.org.my/statsWorkshops/graphics_outline.htm
Thanks a lot to our friends at BCSS for facilitating!! It was great to see the practical comparative benefits of QGIS and R vis-a-vis ArcGIS and other applications.
14 July 2016
Special course: "Bayesian Networks for Decision-making"
@ KMUTT Bangkhunthien
Facilitator: Dr. Matthew Grainger, Research Associate, Newcastle University, UK
"The workshop offered an introduction to the concepts of Bayesian Networks (what are they? why do we use them? who uses them?), followed by an exercise sing GeNIe software to build a network and interrogate it."
Matt has a put together a nice write-up on his lab's site.
Thanks Matt!
"The workshop offered an introduction to the concepts of Bayesian Networks (what are they? why do we use them? who uses them?), followed by an exercise sing GeNIe software to build a network and interrogate it."
Matt has a put together a nice write-up on his lab's site.
Thanks Matt!
29 June - 02 July 2016
"Joint Meeting of Society for Conservation Biology Asia section and Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation Asia-Pacific chapter"
@ National University Singapore
Conservation Ecology Program students and faculty participated in the first ever joint meeting of on biological conservation in Asia. Five students presented findings from their research during the course of the week-long event. The workshop offered important international exposure for students as well as a rare opportunity to network with experts from across the region.
During the Urban Biodiversity session, MSc student Pornpimon Tangtorwongsakul presented her interesting work on "Influence of cropping systems and orchard management on bee communities in an anthropogenic landscape." In the same session, MSc student Anucha Kamjing presented on "Landscape effects on smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) occupancy in the Inner Gulf of Thailand." After the conference, Por made additional presentations during his participation in the IUCN Otter Specialist Group.
Three KMUTT presentations were delivered during the session "Reducing Biodiversity Impacts of Infrastructure Development in the Tropics". PhD Researcher Naruemon Tantipisanuh presented on "Incidental impact from major road construction on one of Asia's most important wetlands, the inner Gulf of Thailand." PhD candidate Inês Silva presented on "The importance of a multi-taxa approach to road ecology: a case study in northeast Thailand." In addition, MSc student Greg Irving delivered a presentation on "Avian species diversity in areas affected by the Rajjaprabha Hydroelectric Project, Suratthani Province, Thailand."
In the Open Session on Animals, on behalf of Chenzing Yu, PhD student, Ajaan George presented Xing's work on "Roost habitat selection and activity pattern of Spotted Greenshank (Tringa guttifer) in Thailand."
Finally, in the session "Managing Agroindustrial Tree Plantations to Enhance Sustainability: Linking Science to Practice,", PhD student Nay Myo Shwe presented on "Myanmar oil palm plantations: A productivity and sustainability review."
During the Urban Biodiversity session, MSc student Pornpimon Tangtorwongsakul presented her interesting work on "Influence of cropping systems and orchard management on bee communities in an anthropogenic landscape." In the same session, MSc student Anucha Kamjing presented on "Landscape effects on smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) occupancy in the Inner Gulf of Thailand." After the conference, Por made additional presentations during his participation in the IUCN Otter Specialist Group.
Three KMUTT presentations were delivered during the session "Reducing Biodiversity Impacts of Infrastructure Development in the Tropics". PhD Researcher Naruemon Tantipisanuh presented on "Incidental impact from major road construction on one of Asia's most important wetlands, the inner Gulf of Thailand." PhD candidate Inês Silva presented on "The importance of a multi-taxa approach to road ecology: a case study in northeast Thailand." In addition, MSc student Greg Irving delivered a presentation on "Avian species diversity in areas affected by the Rajjaprabha Hydroelectric Project, Suratthani Province, Thailand."
In the Open Session on Animals, on behalf of Chenzing Yu, PhD student, Ajaan George presented Xing's work on "Roost habitat selection and activity pattern of Spotted Greenshank (Tringa guttifer) in Thailand."
Finally, in the session "Managing Agroindustrial Tree Plantations to Enhance Sustainability: Linking Science to Practice,", PhD student Nay Myo Shwe presented on "Myanmar oil palm plantations: A productivity and sustainability review."
19 -23 June 2016
"Annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation"
@ Montpelier, France
During the “Primates on the move: from local to landscape scale” session at the annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Assoc. Prof. Tommaso Savini presented the work of his MSc Student Suchada Phiphatsuwannachai “Forest types affect seed shadows by white-handed gibbons” while Marie-Claude Huynen, Liege University (Belgium), presented, as coauthor, the work of Postdoctoral Researcher Juan Manuel José-Domínguez on “Space use and directness to out-of-sight resources in semi-provisioned and wild-feeding groups of Macaca leonine”.