Anuj Jain

Insect biogeography is poorly documented globally, particularly in the tropics. Recent intensive research in tropical Asia, combined with increasingly available records from citizen science, provides an opportunity to map the distributions of tropical Asian butterflies. We compiled a dataset of 730,190 occurrences of 3,752 tropical Asian butterfly species by aggregating records from GBIF (651,285 records), published literature (27,217), published databases (37,695), and unpublished data (13,993). Here, we present this dataset and single-species distribution maps of 1,576 species. Using these maps, along with records of the 2,176 remaining species, we identified areas of limited sampling (e.g., Myanmar and New Guinea) and predicted areas of high diversity (Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo). This dataset can be leveraged for a range of studies on Asian and tropical butterflies, including 1) species biogeography, 2) sampling prioritization to fill gaps, 3) biodiversity hotspot mapping, and 4) conservation evaluation and planning. We encourage the continued development of this dataset and the associated code as a tool for the conservation of tropical Asian insects.

Trade represents a significant threat to many wild species and is often clandestine and poorly monitored. Information on which species are most prevalent in trade and potentially threatened by it therefore remains fragmentary. We used 7 global data sets on birds in trade to identify species or groups of species at particular risk and assessed the extent to which they were congruent in terms of the species recorded in trade. We used the frequency with which species were recorded in the data sets as the basis for a trade prevalence score that was applied to all bird species globally. Literature searches and questionnaire surveys were used to develop a list of species known to be heavily traded to validate the trade prevalence score. The score was modeled to identify significant predictors of trade. Although the data sets sampled different parts of the broad trade spectrum, congruence among them was statistically strong in all comparisons. Furthermore, the frequency with which species were recorded within data sets was positively correlated with their occurrence across data sets, indicating that the trade prevalence score captured information on trade volume. The trade prevalence score discriminated well between species identified from semi‐independent assessments as heavily or unsustainably traded and all other species. Globally, 45.1% of all bird species and 36.7% of globally threatened bird species had trade prevalence scores ≥1. Species listed in Appendices I or II of CITES, species with large geographical distributions, and nonpasserines tended to have high trade prevalence scores. Speciose orders with high mean trade prevalence scores included Falconiformes, Psittaciformes, Accipitriformes, Anseriformes, Bucerotiformes, and Strigiformes. Despite their low mean prevalence score, Passeriformes accounted for the highest overall number of traded species of any order but had low representation in CITES appendices. Geographical hotspots where large numbers of traded species co‐occur differed among passerines (Southeast Asia and Eurasia) and nonpasserines (central South America, sub‐Saharan Africa, and India). This first attempt to quantify and map the relative prevalence in trade of all bird species globally can be used to identify species and groups of species that may be at particular risk of harm from trade and can inform conservation and policy interventions to reduce its adverse impacts.

There is an urgent need for reliable data on the impacts of deforestation on tropical biodiversity. The city-state of Singapore has one of the most detailed biodiversity records in the tropics, dating back to the turn of the 19th century. In 1819, Singapore was almost entirely covered in primary forest, but this has since been largely cleared. We compiled more than 200 y of records for 10 major taxonomic groups in Singapore (>50,000 individual records; >3,000 species), and we estimated extinction rates using recently developed and novel statistical models that account for “dark extinctions,” i.e., extinctions of undiscovered species. The estimated overall extinction rate was 37% (95% CI [31 to 42%]). Extrapolating our Singapore observations to a future business-as-usual deforestation scenario for Southeast Asia suggests that 18% (95% CI [16 to 22%]) of species will be lost regionally by 2100. Our extinction estimates for Singapore and Southeast Asia are a factor of two lower than previous estimates that also attempted to account for dark extinctions. However, we caution that particular groups such as large mammals, forest-dependent birds, orchids, and butterflies are disproportionately vulnerable.

1) The tropical swallowtail moth Lyssa zampa received much public attention during its years of mass emergence in Singapore and Southeast Asia. However, despite its prominence, little is known about its population demographics and spatial ecology. This study aims to establish the annual abundance of L. zampa, determine its spatial patterns of occurrence, and examine morphological variation demonstrated by L. zampa with an emphasis on comparing urban vs. forest areas in Singapore. (2) Various sources (field surveys across 18 sites, citizen science datasets and expert knowledge) were used to catalogue L. zampa records from 2011 to 2020 and analyse its seasonal abundance. (3) We confirmed the seasonal peak of L. zampa emergence to be between May and July, with an unusually high mass emergence in 2014. The intensity of emergence was associated with the intensity of a dry spell in February of that year. The total number of L. zampa sighted in urban areas was higher despite the moth’s host plant being a tree that is restricted to mature forests and is absent from urban areas. This suggests that the occurrence of L. zampa in urban areas is likely due to the moth’s attraction to bright city lights. Our morphometric measurements further show that L. zampa individuals in urban areas have greater wing length and lighter body weights (smaller body widths) than their forest counterparts. (4) This implies that urban areas are not only drawing moths that are unable to find the host plants and, therefore, cannot produce offspring but are also attracting larger and better flyers out of forest areas. This situation is only likely to worsen as climate change intensifies and dry spells become longer and more intense.

Wallacea, comprising the archipelagos of Sulawesi, the Lesser Sundas, and Maluku, is an engine of bird species diversification (McCullough et al. 2022), supporting high levels of endemism, and clea...

The built environment has a huge carbon footprint, and decarbonizing it is essential in driving our sustainability efforts. We take the approach of biomimicry by working with Master of Architecture students from Taylor’s University in Malaysia. The students partake in a 14-week Nature and Architecture design module at the university where they develop biomimicry solutions for the built environment with a focus on sustainability. The students undergo a three-step process of scoping the design problem in the tropical climate and urban context, researching the biological literature, abstracting design ideas, and finally, developing prototypes. The module presents an opportunity for students to study nature and immerse in experiential learning in the megadiverse geographies of Malaysia and wider tropical southeast Asia. This paper describes the student works developed in various module runs from 2017 to 2022 under the supervision of the authors. Selected student projects were analyzed thematically, curated, and classified by frequently occurring themes. Finally, their design implications and challenges faced are presented. We found the following five themes to be most commonly chosen by the students—thermoregulation, structure making, water management, daylighting and ventilation, and transport and mobility. Lastly, we also conducted postgraduation student surveys on their learnings from the module. Through our synthesis, we discuss how student works can bridge the gap of applying biomimicry into practice and the limitations thereof in mainstreaming the practice in the built environment of tropical southeast Asia.

Hunting for the wild meat trade, medicines and other human uses has decimated Indo‐Burma's vertebrate biota and has led to widespread defaunation. Yet, there is surprisingly little data on how hunting impacts wild bird assemblages in different landscapes here. Based on concurrent snapshot surveys of bird hunting, food markets and hunting attitudes across six Indo‐Burma countries, we found that hunting threatens species not only in forested landscapes but also wetlands and farmlands such as orchards and paddy fields—ecosystems overlooked by past studies, with at least 47 species associated with wetlands and agricultural lands identified from market surveys across the region. High rates of mortality are suffered when hunting tools such as nets are used to exclude perceived bird pests in both aquaculture and agricultural landscapes, with over 300 individual carcasses of at least 29 identifiable species detected in one aquaculture landscape sampled in Thailand. We warn that the potentially unsustainable trapping of species for consumption and trade in Indo‐Burma, coupled with high incidental mortalities, could decimate the populations of erstwhile common and/or legally unprotected species. There is an urgent need for stronger regulatory oversight on the hunting take of wild birds and the use of hunting tools such as nets. Alongside this, conservation practitioners need to better engage with rural communities to address unsustainable hunting practices, especially outside of protected areas.