Conservation Science Group

Department of Zoology

Toby Gardner

tobyagardner@gmail.com
Tel: +44 (0)1223 336675

Research Interests

I am interested in the ways in which science and the scientific process can contribute to solving real-world social-environmental problems. What conceptual and empirical support is necessary to help reconcile conflicts over environmental resources, encourage genuine dialogue amongst decision makers and lead to lasting changes in human behaviour? 

My current work is focused on evaluating conservation-development trade-offs in different land-use systems in Brazilian Amazonia. Working with a large team of collaborators we are sampling spatial patterns of biodiversity (terrestrial and aquatic), above and below-ground carbon, soil fertility and the economic and social benefits of agricultural and forestry activities across multiple watersheds that are characterized by different dominant land-uses, namely; cattle ranching; arable croplands; plantation forestry and selective logging of native forest. Field work is focused in two regions of eastern Amazonia (Santarém and Paragominas, Pará), both of which are currently undergoing rapid changes in land-use. The long-term goals of the project are to employ these data to evaluate opportunities for more sustainable development strategies in managed tropical forest landscapes, including both regulation and market based conservation strategies

More broadly I am very interested in the ways in which conservation science is conducted, including how research priorities are identified and how scientific knowledge is shared and transferred among disciplines and between science and the process of managing ecosystems and developing environmental policy.

I am currently a NERC Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2009-2012) based at the Zoology Department of the University of Cambridge. In my current work I collaborate extensively with colleagues from many Brazilian research institutions, governmental and non-governmental agencies, as well as scientists from elsewhere across the world. The project is being coordinated and developed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (Amazonia program) and EMBRAPA (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária). Research is supported by funding from NERC, the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq), The Nature Conservancy, USAID, and the Royal Society.

Past research positions

April 08 – April 09. Postdoctorate Research Fellow, FAPEMIG. Setor de Ecologia, Departomento de Biologia, Universidade de Lavras, Brazil

Jan 08 – April 08. Visiting Scholar, Ecology Centre, University of Queensland, Australia.

August 2007 – December 2007 : Senior Research Associate, University of East Anglia. UK Government Darwin Initiative: “Devising strategies to integrate biodiversity conservation into plantation dominated landscapes”.

August 2003 – December 2003: Research Associate, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, University of East Anglia: “Vulnerability of the Caribbean coastal zone to climate change”

August 2002 – June 2003: Research Associate, Tanzanian Wildlife Research Institute and University Davis, California: “ Evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas in western Tanzania”

Summer 2001, 2002: Expedition leader, Project Anuran, University Edinburgh; “Monitoring spatial and temporal patterns of amphibian community dynamics in Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Belize”

Education

2004-2007: PhD, School of Environmental Sciences “Understanding the consequences of habitat change for tropical forest biodiversity” Conferred 5th October 2007.

2001 - 2002 : MSc Applied Ecology and Conservation (Distinction), University of East Anglia: Thesis “Coral reefs of the tropical western Atlantic: a quantitative survey of recent temporal change and the relative importance of hurricane impacts”.

1997-2001: Ecological Science (Ecology) BSc 1st Class (Hons), University of Edinburgh. Thesis: “Tree-grass coexistence in the Brazilian cerrado: a modeling approach”.

Publications

  • Barlow, J., Gardner, T.A., Parry, L., Silveira, J.M., Louzada, J., Peres, C.A., in press. Quantifying biodiversity in Eucalyptus plantations and primary and secondary tropical forests: results from a multi-taxa comparison from the Brazilian Amazon, In Biodiversity conservation in agroforestry landscapes: challenges and opportunities. Eds J.A. Simonetti, A.A. Grez, C.F. Estades, Universidad de Chile press (Editorial Universitaria)
  • Pullin, A.S., Sutherland, W., Gardner, T.A., Kapos, V., and Fa, J.E. in press. Conservation priorities: identifying need, taking action and evaluating success. in Key Topics in Conservation, ed. MacDonald, D.
  • Peres, C.A., Barlow, J., Gardner, T.A., and Vieira, I.C.G. in press. Conservação da biodiversidade em paisagens florestais antropizadas do Brasil. Edited volume. Fundação O Boticário / Editora da Universidade Federal do Paraná. In Portuguese.
  • Lees, A.V., de Moura, N.G., Santana, A., Aleixo, A., Barlow, J., Berenguer, E., Ferreira, J. and Gardner, T.A. in press. A quantitative baseline of an Eastern Amazonian avifauna. Ornitologia Neotropical.
  • Barlow, J., Gardner, T.A., Lees, A., Parry, L. and Peres, C.A. in press. Developing evidence based arguments to assess the pristine nature of tropical forests. Biological Conservation
  • Barlow, J., Parry, L., Gardner, T.A., Ferreira, J., Aragao, L.E.O.C., Carmenta, R., Berenguer, E., Vieira, I.C.G., Souza, C., and Cochrane, M.A. in press. The critical importance of considering fire in REDD+ programs. Biological conservation 
  • Gardner, T.A., Burgess, N.D., Aguiar-Amuschastegui, N., Barlow, J., Berenguer, E., Clements, T., Danielsen, F., Ferreira, J., Foden, W., Kapos, V., Khan, S.M., Lees, A.C., Parry, L., Roman-Cuesta, R.M., Schmitt, C.B., Strange, N., Theilade, I., Vieira, I.C.G. (in press). A framework for integrating biodiversity concerns into national REDD+ programmes. Biological Conservation. Distributed as an official Information Document in English, French and Spanish to parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity
  • Barlow, J., Gardner, T.A., Lees, A., Parry, L., and Peres, C.A. (in press). How pristine are tropical forests? An ecological perspective on the pre-Columbian human footprint in Amazonia and implications for contemporary conservation. Biological Conservation.
  • Caro, T., Evans, O., Fitzherbert, E.B., Gardner, T.A., Howell, K., Drewes, R., Shaffer, H.S. (2011). Reptiles of Katavi National Park, western Tanzania, are from different biomes. Journal of African Ecology. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2011.01261.x
  • Gibson, L., Lee, M.L., Koh, L.P., Brook, B.W., Gardner, T.A., Barlow, J., Peres, C.A., Bradshaw, C.J.A., Laurance, W.F., Lovejoy, T.E. and Sodhi, N.S. (2011). Primary forests are irreplaceable for sustaining tropical biodiversity. Nature, 478, 378-381
  • Nichols, L. S., and T. A. Gardner (2011) Dung beetles as a candidate survey taxon in applied biodiversity conservation research Pages 267-291 in L. W. Simmons, and T. J. Ridsdill-Smith, editors. Ecology and evolution of dung beetles. Blackwell London.
  • Pardini, R., A. d. A. Bueno, T. A. Gardner, P. I. Prado, and J. P. Metzger (2010) Beyond the fragmentation threshold hypothesis: regime shifts in biodiversity across fragmented landscapes. PlOS One 5:e13666.
  • Peres, C. A., T. A. Gardner, J. Barlow, J. Zuanon, F. Michalski, A. C. Lees, I. C. G. Vieira, F. M. S. Moreira, and K. J. Feeley (2010) Biodiversity conservation in human-modified Amazonian forest landscapes. Biological Conservation 143:2314-2327.
  • Louzada, J., T.A. Gardner, C. Peres, and J. Barlow (2010) A multi-taxa assessment of nestedness patterns across a multiple-use Amazonian forest landscape. Biological Conservation 143:1102-1109.
  • Koh, L. P., and T. A. Gardner (2010) Conservation in human modified landscapes Pages 236-261 in N. S. Sodhi, and P. E. Ehrlich, editors. Conservation Biology. Oxford University Press.
  • Gardner, T. A. (2010a) Monitoring biodiversity in certified forests. European Tropical Forest Research Network 51:27-33.
  • Gardner, T. A. (2010) Monitoring Forest Biodiversity: improving conservation through ecologically responsible management. Earthscan, London.
  • Gardner, T. A., J. Barlow, N. S. Sodhi, and C. A. Peres (2010) A multi-region assessment of tropical forest biodiversity in a human-modified world Biological Conservation 143:2293-2300.
  • Barlow, J., R. Ewers, L. Anderson, L. E. O. C. Aragao, T. R. Baker, E. Boyd, T. R. Feldpausch, E. Gloor, A. Hall, Y. Malhi, W. Milliken, M. Mulligan, L. Parry, T. Pennington, C. A. Peres, O. L. Phillips, R. M. Roman-Cuesta, J. A. Tobias, and T. A. Gardner (2010) Using learning networks to understand complex systems: a case study of biological, geophysical and social research in the Amazon. Biological Reviews DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185X.2010.00155.x.
  • Barlow, J., T. A. Gardner, J. Louzada, and C. A. Peres (2010) Measuring the Conservation Value of Tropical Primary Forests: The Effect of Occasional Species on Estimates of Biodiversity Uniqueness. PlOS One 5.
  • Barlow, J., J. Louzada, L. Parry, M. I. M. Hernandez, J. Hawes, C. A. Peres, F. Z. Vaz-de-Mello, and T. A. Gardner (2010) Improving the design and management of forest strips in human-dominated tropical landscapes: a field test on Amazonian dung beetles. Journal of Applied Ecology 47:779-788.
  • Lo-Man-Hung, N. F., T. A. Gardner, M. A. Ribeiro Jr, J. Barlow, and A. B. Bonaldo (2009) The value of primary, secondary and plantation forests for Neotropical epigeic arachnids. Journal of Arachnology 36:394-401.
  • Nichols, E., T. A. Gardner, C. A. Peres, and S. Spector (2009) Co-declining mammals and dung beetles: an impending ecological cascade. Oikos 118:481-487.
  • Nicholson, E., G. M. Mace, P. R. Armsworth, G. Atkinson, S. Buckle, T. Clements, R. Ewers, J. E. Fa, T. A. Gardner, J. Gibbons, R. Grenyer, R. Metcalfe, S. Mourato, M. Muuls, D. Osborn, L. Peck, D. C. Reuman, C. Watson, and E. J. Milner-Gulland (2009) Priority research areas for ecosystem services in a changing world Journal of Applied Ecology 46:1139-1144.
  • Gardner, T. A., J. Barlow, R. L. Chazdon, R. Ewers, C. A. Harvey, C. A. Peres, and N. S. Sodhi (2009) Prospects for tropical forest biodiversity in a human-modified world. Ecology Letters 12:561-582.
  • Hawes, J., C. da Silva Motta, W. L. Overal, J. Barlow, T. A. Gardner, and C. Peres (2009) The value of primary, secondary and plantation forests for Amazonian moths. Journal of Tropical Ecology 25:281-300.
  • Fischer, J., G. D. Peterson, T. A. Gardner, L. J. Gordon, I. Fazey, T. Elmqvist, A. Felton, C. Folke, and S. Dovers (2009) Integrating resilience thinking and optimisation for conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 24:549-554.
  • Fisher, B., K. Bolt, R. B. Bradbury, T. A. Gardner, J. M. H. Green, D. G. Hold, and R. Naidoo (2009) Two cultures of conservation Conservation Biology 23:1069-1071.
  • Ribeiro Jr, M. A., T. A. Gardner, and T. C. S. Avila-Pires (2008) Evaluating the effectiveness of herpetofaunal sampling techniques across a habitat change gradient in a neotropical forest landscape. Journal of Herpetology 42:733-749.
  • Hawes, J., J. Barlow, T. A. Gardner, and C. Peres (2008) The value of forest strips for understory birds in an Amazonian plantation landscape Biological Conservation 141:2262-2278.
  • Gardner, T. A., J. Barlow, I. S. Araujo, T. C. S. Avila-Pires, A. B. Bonaldo, J. E. Costa, M. C. Esposito, L. V. Ferreira, J. Hawes, M. I. M. Hernandez, M. Hoogmoed, R. N. Leite, N. F. Lo-Man-Hung, J. R. Malcolm, M. B. Martins, L. A. M. Mestre, R. Miranda-Santos, A. L. Nunes-Gutjahr, W. L. Overal, L. T. W. Parry, S. L. Peters, M. A. Ribeiro-Junior, M. N. F. da Silva, C. da Silva Motta, and C. Peres (2008) The cost-effectiveness of biodiversity surveys in tropical forests. Ecology Letters 11:139-150.
  • Gardner, T. A., M. M. I. Hernández, J. Barlow, and C. Peres (2008) Understanding the biodiversity consequences of habitat change: the value of secondary and plantation forests for neotropical dung beetles. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:883-893.
  • Gardner, T. A., and J. Jones (2008) An unprecedented opportunity for biodiversity conservation: Hopes and fears surrounding international payments for ecosystem services. Oryx 42:5.
  • Caro, T., T. A. Gardner, C. Stoner, E. B. Fitzherbert, and T. R. B. Davenport (2008) Assessing the effectiveness of protected areas: paradoxes call for pluralism in evaluating conservation performance Diversity and Distributions 15:178-182.
  • Barlow, J., I. S. Araujo, W. L. Overal, T. A. Gardner, F. da Silva Mendes, I. Lake, and C. A. Peres (2008) Diversity and composition of fruit-feeding butterflies in tropical Eucalyptus plantations. Biodiversity and Conservation 17:1089-1104.
  • Barlow, J., T. A. Gardner, I. S. Araujo, T. C. S. Avila-Pires, A. B. Bonaldo, J. E. Costa, M. C. Esposito, L. V. Ferreira, J. Hawes, M. I. M. Hernandez, M. Hoogmoed, R. N. Leite, N. F. Lo-Man-Hung, J. R. Malcolm, M. B. Martins, L. A. M. Mestre, R. Miranda-Santos, A. L. Nunes-Gutjahr, W. L. Overal, L. T. W. Parry, S. L. Peters, M. A. Ribeiro-Junior, M. N. F. da Silva, C. da Silva Motta, and C. Peres (2007) Quantifying the biodiversity value of tropical primary, secondary and plantation forests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 104:18555-18560.
  • Leite, R. N., M. N. F. da Silva, and T. A. Gardner (2007) New records of Neusticomys oyapocki (Ichthyomyini, Sigmodontinae) from a human-dominated forest landscape in northeastern Brazilian Amazonia. Mastozoologia Neotropical 14.
  • Gardner, T. A., J. Barlow, L. T. W. Parry, and C. A. Peres (2007) Predicting the uncertain future of tropical forest species in a data vacuum. Biotropica 39:25-30.
  • Gardner, T. A., J. Barlow, and C. A. Peres (2007) Paradox, presumption and pitfalls in conservation biology: consequences of habitat change for amphibians and reptiles. Biological Conservation 138:166-179.
  • Gardner, T. A., T. Caro, E. B. Fitzherbert, T. Banda, and P. Lalbhai (2007) Conservation value of multiple-use areas in East Africa. Conservation Biology 21:1516-1525.
  • Gardner, T. A., E. B. Fitzherbert, R. C. Drewes, K. M. Howell, and T. Caro (2007) Spatial and temporal patterns of abundance and diversity of an East African amphibian fauna. Biotropica 39:105-113.
  • Gardner, T. A., M. A. Ribeiro Jr, J. Barlow, T. A. S. Ávila-Pires, M. Hoogmoed, and C. A. Peres (2007) The value of primary, secondary and plantation forests for a neotropical herpetofauna Conservation Biology 21:775-787.
  • Fitzherbert, E. B., T. A. Gardner, T. Caro, and P. Jenkins (2007) Habitat preferences of small mammals in the Katavi ecosystem of western Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology 45:249-257.
  • Bonaldo, A. B., M. A. L. Marques, R. Pinto de Rocha, and T. A. Gardner (2007) Species richness and community structure of arboreal spider assemblages in fragments of three forest types at Banhado Grande wet plain, Gravatai River, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Iheringia 97:143-151.
  • Barlow, J., T. A. Gardner, L. V. Ferreira, and C. A. Peres (2007) Litter fall and decomposition in primary, secondary and plantation forests in the Brazilian Amazon. Forest Ecology and Management 247:91-97.
  • Barlow, J., L. A. M. Mestre, T. A. Gardner, and C. A. Peres (2007) The value of primary, secondary and plantation forests for Amazonian birds. Biological Conservation 126:212-231.
  • Barlow, J., W. L. Overal, I. S. Araujo, T. A. Gardner, and C. A. Peres (2007) The value of primary, secondary and plantation forests for fruit-feeding butterflies in the Brazilian Amazon. Journal of Applied Ecology 44:1001-1012.
  • Ribeiro-Junior, M. A., T. A. Gardner, and T. C. S. Avila-Pires (2006) The effectiveness of glue traps to sample lizards in a tropical rainforest. South American Journal of Herpetology 1:131-137.
  • Gardner, T. A. (2006) Tree-grass coexistence in the Brazilian cerrado: demographic consequences of environmental instability. Journal of Biogeography 33:448-463.
  • Fitzherbert, E. B., T. A. Gardner, T. R. B. Davenport, and T. Caro (2006) Butterfly species richness and abundance in the Katavi ecosystem of western Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology 44:353-362.
  • Cote, I. M., T. A. Gardner, J. A. Gill, D. J. Hutchinson, and A. R. Watkinson (2006) New approaches to estimating recent ecological change on coral reefs. Pages 293-313 in I. M. Cote, and J. R. Reynolds, editors. Coral Reef Conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Cote, I. M., J. A. Gill, T. A. Gardner, and A. R. Watkinson (2005) Measuring coral reef decline through meta-analyses. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 360:385-395.
  • Gardner, T. A., J. A. Gill, A. Grant, A. R. Watkinson, and I. M. Côté (2005) Hurricanes and Caribbean coral reefs: immediate impacts, recovery trajectories and contribution to long-term decline. Ecology 86:174-184.
  • Caro, T. M., A. Engilis, E. B. Fitzherbert, and T. A. Gardner (2004) Preliminary assessment of the flagship species concept at a small scale. Animal Conservation 7:1-8.
  • Gardner, T. A. (2004b) Limits to growth? - a perspective on the perpetual debate. Environmental Sciences 1:121-138.
  • Gardner, T. A., I. M. Côté, J. A. Gill, A. Grant, and A. R. Watkinson (2003) Coral reef decline in the Caribbean: Response to Buddemeir and Ware. Science 302:392-393.
  • Gardner, T. A., I. M. Côté, J. A. Gill, A. Grant, and A. R. Watkinson (2003) Long-term region wide declines in Caribbean coral reefs. Science 301:958-960.
  • Gardner, T. A. (2001) Amphibian population declines: a global issue in conservation biology. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 24.2:25-44.
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