Conservation Science Group

Department of Zoology

Val Kapos

 

val.kapos@unep-wcmc.org
Tel: +44 (0)1223 769018

I trained as a tropical forest ecologist and conducted field research in Latin America and the Caribbean for 15 years, including studies of the ecological effects of forest fragmentation in Amazonia and remote sensing of forest cover change. I now work on a freelance basis with World Conservation Monitoring Centre and other conservation organisations, on applying ecological knowledge to support policy and practice in conservation and natural resource management.

Research Interests 

My work focuses on several different areas. I worked with members of the Cambridge Conservation Forum on developing ways to assess the effectiveness of conservation action and enhance monitoring and evaluation of performance and achievement in biodiversity conservation.

I also work on development and use of biodiversity indicators to support policy and decision making at international and national scales, including spatial indicators derived from land cover and remotely sensed data, and am currently working on a collaborative project using meta-analysis of field data to identify the most meaningful measure of forest fragmentation that could pragmatically be used as an indicator to inform national and international biodiversity-related policy.

Much of my recent work with UNEP-WCMC has focused on: the potential of climate change policy and especially a mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) to deliver multiple benefits, including for biodiversity conservation.

Publications

  • 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 II, ed. MacDonald, D., Blackwells, UK
  • Gardner, T.A., Neil D. Burgess, N. D., Aguilar-Amuchastegui, 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. (2012). A framework for integrating biodiversity concerns into national REDD+ programmes. Biological Conservation 154:61-71
  • Didham, R.K., Kapos, V., and Ewers, R.M.  (2012).  Rethinking the conceptual foundations of habitat fragmentation research. Oikos 121:161-170
  • Ewers, R.M.,  Didham, R.K., Fahrig, L. , Ferraz, G., Hector, A., Holt, R. D., Kapos, V., Reynolds, G.,  Sinun, W.,  Snaddon, J.L. And Turner, E.C.  (2011). A large-scale forest fragmentation experiment: the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems Project. Phil Trans Roy Soc B 366: 3292-3302.
  • Ewers, R.M. and Kapos V. (2011). Assessing the Connectivity of World Heritage Forests. pp 29-31 in Adapting to Change: The State of Conservation of World Heritage Forests in 2011, World Heritage Series 30, UNESCO, Paris.
  • Sparks, T. , Butchart, S.,  Balmford, A., Bennun, L. Stanwell-Smith, D., Walpole, M.,  Bates, N.,  Bomhard, B. , Buchanan, G.,  Chenery, A.,  Collen, B., Csirke, J., Diaz, R., Dulvy, N., Fitzgerald, C.,  Kapos, V., Mayaux, P., Tierney, M., Selig, E., Waycott, M.,  Wood, L., Green, R. (2011). Linked indicator sets for addressing biodiversity loss. Oryx 45:411-419. 
  • Banks-Leite, C., Ewers, R.M., Kapos, V., Martensen, A., Metzger, J.P.  (2011). Comparing species and measures of landscape structure as indicators of conservation importance.  Journal of Applied Ecology 48:706-714.
  • Rands, M.R.W., Adams, W.M., Bennun, L., Butchart, S.H.M., Clements, A., Coomes, D., Entwistle, A., Hodge, I., Kapos, V., Scharlemann, J.P.W., Sutherland, W.J. & Vira, B. (2011).  Culture and biodiversity losses linked—Response. Science 331: 31.
  • Midgley, G.F., Bond, W.J., Kapos, V., Ravilious, C., Scharlemann, J.P.W. & Woodward, F.I. (2010). Terrestrial carbon stocks and biodiversity: key knowledge gaps and some policy implications. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2:264-270.
  • Rands, M. R. W., W. M. Adams, L. Bennun, S. H. M. Butchart, A. Clements, D. Coomes, A. Entwistle, I. Hodge, V. Kapos, J. P. W. Scharlemann, W. J. Sutherland, and B. Vira. (2010). Biodiversity Conservation: Challenges Beyond 2010. Science 329:1298-1303.
  • Kapos, V., A. Manica, R. Aveling, P. Bubb, P.Carey, A. Entwistle, J. Hopkins, T. Mulliken, R. Safford, A. Stattersfield, M. J. Walpole and A. Balmford. (2010). Defining and measuring success in conservation. In Trade-offs in Conservation: deciding what to save, eds N. Leader-Williams, W. M. Adams, and R. J. Smith, pp. 73-93. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oxford, UK.
  • Butchart, S. H. M., Walpole, M., Collen, B., van Strien, A., Scharlemann, J. P. W., Almond, R. E. A. Baillie, J. E. M., Bomhard, B., Brown, C., Bruno,J.,  Carpenter, K. E. Carr, G. M., Chanson, J., Chenery, A.M., Csirke, J., Davidson, N. C., Dentener, F., Foster, M. Galli, A., Galloway, J. N., Genovesi, P., Gregory, R. D., Hockings, M., Kapos, V., Lamarque, J.-F., Leverington, F., Loh, J., McGeoch, M. A. McRae, L., Minasyan, A., Hernández Morcillo, M., Oldfield, T.E.E., Pauly, D., Quader, S., Revenga, C., Sauer, J. R., Skolnik, B., Spear, D., Stanwell-Smith, D., Stuart, S. N., Symes, A., Tierney, M., Tyrrell, T. D., Vié, J.-C., Watson, R. (2010). Global Biodiversity: Indicators of Recent Declines. Science 328: 1164-1168.
  • Scharlemann, J.P.W. Kapos, V., Campbell, A., Lysenko, I., Burgess, N.D., Hansen, M.C., Gibbs, H.K., Dickson, B. and Miles, L. (2010).  Securing Tropical Forest Carbon: the Contribution of Protected Areas to REDD. Oryx 44: 352-357.
  • Lafortezza, R., Coomes, D.A., Kapos, V. and Ewers, R.M.  (2010). Assessing the impacts of forest fragmentation in New Zealand: scaling from survey plots to landscapes. Global Ecology & Biogeography 19:741-754.
  • Ravilious, C., Kapos, V., Osti, M., Bertzky, M., Bayliss, J.L., Dahiru, S. and Dickson, B. (2010). Carbon, biodiversity & ecosystem services: Exploring co-benefits. Nigeria: Preliminary Results. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, UK, pp 8.
  • Lin, X. Li, G., Bertzky, M., Kapos, V., Wu, X., Li, J. and Dickson, B. (2010). Carbon, biodiversity & ecosystem services: Exploring co-benefits. Jiangxi Province, China. Part II. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, UK, pp 13.
  • Kapos, V., Ravilious, C., Leng, C., Bertzky, M., Osti, M., Clements, T. and Dickson, B. (2010). Carbon, biodiversity & ecosystem services: Exploring co-benefits. Cambodia. UNEP-WCMC, pp. 13.
  • Bertzky, M., Ravilious, C., Araujo Navas, A.L., Kapos, V., Carrión, D., Chíu, M. and Dickson, B. (2010). Carbon, biodiversity & ecosystem services: Exploring co-benefits. Ecuador. UNEP-WCMC, pp 2019.
  • Ewers, R.M., Kapos, V., Coomes, D.A., Lafortezza, R. and Didham, R.K. (2009). Mapping community change in modified landscapes. Biological Conservation 142: 2872-2880.
  • Schmitt, C. B., Burgess, N.D., Coad, L., Belokurov, A., Besançon, C.,  Boisrobert, L., Campbell, A., Fish, L., Gliddon, D., Humphries, K. Kapos, V., Loucks, C., Lysenko, I., Miles, L., Mills, C., Minnemeyer, S., Pistorius, T., Ravilious, C., Steininger, M. and Winkel, G. (2009). Global analysis of the protection status of the world’s forests. Biological Conservation 142: 2122-2130.
  • Campbell, A., Kapos, V., Scharlemann, J. P.W., Bubb, P., Chenery, A., Coad, L., Dickson, B., Doswald, N., Khan, M. S. I., Kershaw, F. and Rashid, M. (2009). Review of the Literature on the Links between Biodiversity and Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal. Technical Series No. 42, 124 pages.
  • Balmford, A., Carey, P., Kapos, V., Manica, A., Rodrigues, A.S.L., Scharlemann, J.P.W. and Green, R.E. (2009). Capturing the many dimensions of threat: Comment on Salafsky et al. Conservation Biology 23: 482-487.
  • Kapos, V., Balmford, A., Aveling, R., Bubb, P., Carey, P., Entwistle, A., Hopkins, J., Mulliken, T., Safford, R., Stattersfield, A., Walpole, M., & Manica, A. (2009) Outcomes, not implementation, predict conservation success. Oryx, 43, 336-342.
  • Kapos V., Ravilious C., Campbell A., Dickson B., Gibbs H.K., Hansen M.C., Lysenko I., Miles L., Price J., Scharlemann J.P.W. & Trumper K.C. (2008). Carbon and biodiversity: a demonstration atlas. Cambridge, UK, UNEP-WCMC
  • Kapos V., Scharlemann J.P.W., Campbell A., Chenery A. & Dickson B. (2008). Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity: A review of the recent scientific literature UNEP/CBD/AHTEG/BD-CC-2/1/3 .
  • Kapos, V., Balmford, A., Aveling, R., Bubb, P., Carey, P., Entwistle, A., Hopkins, J., Mulliken, T., Safford, R., Stattersfield, A., Walpole, M., & Manica, A. (2008) Calibrating Conservation: New Tools for Measuring Success. Conservation Letters, 1, 155-164.
  • Miles, L. and Kapos, V. (2008). Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation: Global Land-Use Implications. Science, 320, 1454-1455.
  • Wells, S. and V. Kapos. (2006). Coral reefs and mangroves: implications from the tsunami one year on. Oryx, 40, 123–124.
  • Bystriakova, N. and Kapos, V. (2006). Bamboo diversity: the need for a Red List review. Biodiversity, 6(4), 12-16.
  • Miles, L., Newton, A.C., DeFries, R.S,. Ravilious,C., May, I., Blyth, S., Kapos, V. and Gordon, J.E.. (2006). A global overview of the conservation status of tropical dry forests. J. Biogeograph,. 33, 491–505.
  • de Heer, M., Kapos, V. and ten Brink, B.J.E.. (2005). Biodiversity trends in Europe: development and testing of a species trend indicator for evaluating progress towards the 2010 target. Phil. Trans. R. Soc., 360, 297-308.
  • Loh,J., Green, R. E., Ricketts, T., Lamoreux,J. Jenkins, M., Kapos, V. and Randers, J.. (2005). The Living Planet Index: using species population time series to track trends in biodiversity. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B., 36, 289-295.
  • Bubb, P., Jenkins, M., Kapos, V. (2005) Biodiversity indicators for national use: experience and guidance. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, UK. 16pp & CD . http://www.unep-wcmc.org/resources/publications/binu/
  • Caldecott, J. and Kapos, V. (2005). Great ape habitats: tropical moist forests of the Old World. pp. 31-42 In Caldecott, J. and Miles, L. (eds) World Atlas of Great Apes and their Conservation. Prepared at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. University of California Press, Berkeley, USA.
  • Jenkins, M. Kapos, V. and Loh, J.( 2004). Rising to the Biodiversity Challenge: The role of species population trend indices like the Living Planet Index in tracking progress towards global and national biodiversity targets. World Bank Draft Discussion Paper, CBD COP7.
  • De Heer, M., Kapos, V. Miles, L and Ten Brink, B. (2004). Biodiversity Trends & Threats in Europe: Can we apply a generic biodiversity indicator to forests? pp. 15-26 In Marchetti, M. (ed.) Monitoring and Indicators of Forest Biodiversity in Europe – From Ideas to Operationality EFI Proceedings 51
  • Balmford, A., Gaston, K. J., Blyth, S., James, A. & Kapos, V. (2003). Global variation in terrestrial conservation costs, conservation benefits, and unmet conservation needs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 100,1046-1050.
  • Newton , A.C. and Kapos, V. (2003). Biodiversity indicators in national forest inventories. In: Luhtala, A. and Varjo, J. (eds) Proceedings of FAO Expert Consultation on Global Forest Resources Assessment 2002. pp. 158-179. METLA, Finland
  • Bystriakova, N., V. Kapos, I. Lysenko and C. Stapleton. (2003). Distribution and conservation status of forest bamboo biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific Region. Biodiversity and Conservation, 12, 1833-1841.
  • Newton A. C. and Kapos, V. (2003). Restoration of wooded landscapes: placing UK initiatives in a global context. In Humprhey, J., Newton, A., Latham, J., Gray, H., Kirby, K., Poulsom, E. and Quine, C. (eds) The Restoration of Wooded Landscapes. pp. 7-21. Forestry Commission, Edinburgh, U.K.
  • Newton , A.C. and Kapos, V. (2002). Biodiversity indicators in national forest inventories Unasylva, 210, 56-64.
  • Wackernagel, M., Schulz, N.B., Deumling, D., Callejas Linares, A., Jenkins, M. Kapos, V., Loh, J. Myers, N., Norgard, R., Randers, J. and Monfreda, C. (2002). Tracking the ecological overshoot of the human economy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99, 9266-9271.
  • Logsdon, M.G., Kapos, V. and Adams, J.B.. (2001). Characterizing the changing spatial structure of the landscape. Pp. 358-368 In R.O. Bierregaard, Jr., C. Gascon, T.E. Lovejoy and R. Mesquite (eds) Lessons from Amazonia: The Ecology and Conseration of a Fragmented Forest. Yale University Press, New Haven, Ct., U.S.A.
  • Kapos, V., Rhind, J., Edwards, M., Ravilious, C. and Price, M.F. (2000). Developing a map of the world’s mountain forests. pp. 4-8 In M.F. Price and N. Butt (eds) Forests in sustainable development: A state-of–knowledge report for 2000. CAB International, Wallingford, U.K.
  • Edwards, M., Kapos,V., May, I. and Ravilious, C. (2000). Mountains and Mountain Forests of the World 2000. (Map at 1:50 Million) World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, U.K.
  • Brooks, T.M., Pimm, S.L.. Kapos, V. and Ravilious, C. (1999). Threat from deforestation to montane and lowland birds and mammals in insular South-east Asia. Journal of Animal Ecology, 68,1061-78.
  • Tanner, E.V.J., Kapos, V. and Adams, J.B. (1998). Tropical forests - spatial pattern and change with time, as assessed by remote sensing. pp. 599-615 In Newbery, D.M., Prins, H.H.T. & Brown, N.D. (eds.) Population and Community Dynamics; 37th Symposium of the British Ecological Society. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, UK.
  • Kapos, V., Wandelli, E.V., Camargo, J.L and Ganade, G. (1997). Edge-related changes in environment and plant responses due to forest fragmentation in Central Amazonia. pp. 33-44 in Laurance, W.F. and R.O. Bierregaard (eds).Tropical Forest Remnants : Ecology and Management of Fragmented Communities. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
  • Iremonger, S., Kapos, V. Rhind, J. and Luxmoore, R. (1996). A global overview of forest conservation. Proceedings of the XI World Forestry Congress, Antalya, Turkey. Vol. 2, 103-145.
  • Adams , J.B., Sabol, D., Kapos, V., Almeida F., R, Roberts, D.A., Smith M.O. and Gillespie, A.R.. (1995). Classification of multispectral images based on fractions of endmembers: application to land-use change in the Brazilian Amazon. Remote Sensing of Environment, 52, 137-154.
  • Camargo, J. and Kapos, V. (1995) Complex edge effects on soil moisture and microclimate in Central Amazonian forest. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 11, 205-221.
  • Kelly, D.L., E.M. Nic Lughada, E.V.J. Tanner and V. Kapos. 1994. Floristics and biogeography of a rain forest in the Venezuelan Andes. Journal of Biogeography 21: 421-440.
  • Nelson, B., V. Kapos, J.B.Adams, W.J. Oliveira, O.P. Braun and I. do Amaral. 1994. Forest disturbance by large blowdowns in the Brazilian Amazon. Ecology, 75, 853-858.
  • Kapos, V., G.M. Ganade, E. Matsui and R.L. Victoria. 1993 d 13 C as an indicator of edge effects in tropical rain forest reserves. Journal of Ecology, 81, 425-432.
  • Bierregaard, R.O.Jr., Lovejoy, T.E., Kapos, V. dos Santos, A.A. and Hutchings, R.W. (1992). The biological dynamics of tropical rain forest fragments. Bioscience, 42, 859-866.
  • Tanner, E.V.J., Kapos, V. and Franco, W. (1992). Nitrogen and phosphorous fertilization effects on Venezuelan montane forest trunk growth and litterfall. Ecology 73: 78-86
  • Bellingham, P.J., Kapos, V., Varty, N., Healey, J.R., Tanner, E.V.J., Kelly, D.L., Dalling, J.W., Burns, L., Lee, D. and Sidrak, G.. (1992). Hurricanes need not cause high mortality: The effects of Hurricane Gilbert on the forests of Jamaica. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 8, 217-223.
  • Tanner, E.V.J., Kapos, V. and Healey, J R.. (1991). Hurricane effects on forest ecosystems in the Caribbean. Biotropica, 23, 513-521.
  • Kapos, V., Pallant, E., Bien, A. and S.Freskos, S. (1990). Gap frequencies in lowland rain forest sites on contrasting soils in Amazonian Ecuador. Biotropica, 22, 218-225.
  • Tanner, E.V.J., Kapos, V., Healey, J.R., Freskos, S. and Theobald, A. (1990). Effects of fertilization with nitrogen or phosphorus on Jamaican montane rain forest trees. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 6, 231-238.
  • Kapos, V. (1989). Effects of isolation on the water status of forest patches in the Brazilian Amazon. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 5, 173-185.
  • Kelly, D. L., Tanner, E. V. J., Kapos, V., Dickinson, T. A., Goodfriend, G. and Fairbairn, P. (1988). Jamaican limestone forests: floristics, structure and environment of three examples along a rainfall gradient. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 4,121-156.
  • Kapos, V. (1986). Dry limestone forests of Jamaica. pp. 48-58 in Thompson, D. A., P. K. Bretting and M. Humphreys (eds.) Forests of Jamaica. Institute of Jamaica. Kingston, Jamaica..
  • Sugden, A. M., Tanner, E. V. J. and Kapos, V. (1985). Regeneration following clearing in a Jamaican montane forest: results of a ten-year study. . Journal of Tropical Ecology, 1, 325-351.
  • Kapos, V. and Tanner, E.V.J.. (1985). Water relations of Jamaican montane rain forest trees. Ecology, 66, 241-250.
  • Tanner, E.V.J. and Kapos, V. (1982). Leaf structure of Jamaican upper montane rain forest trees. Biotropica, 14, 16-24.
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