DECEMBER 2013, NO 17

Forest Ecology Bulletin

Introduction

by DAN BEBBER

Many thanks to Markus Eichhorn for his out-standing work as FEG Secretary, and for pro-viding the TEX template that makes this Bulletinlook so nice. I will endeavour to provide a sim-ilar level of service. The FEG mailing list nowhas 492 subscribers, our Facebook group has 136members, and our Twitter feed (@BESForests)has 197 followers (not quite Stephen Fry, butgrowing). Philip Martin (Oxford University) haskindly helped to keep the Tweets flowing, soplease do keep us updated of anything FEG-related that we can pass on. Merry Christmas,and a Happy and Scientific New Year!

Contents

In this issue:

• Forest of the Month

• Meeting Reports

• Publications

• Upcoming Meetings

• Grants & Funding

• Employment

• Graduate Openings

• Courses & Volunteering

The contents of this newsletter are determined by what you submit, so if there’s anything you think should beincluded then please send suggestions to d.bebber@exeter.ac.uk. If you have received the Bulletin indirectly then youcan signup to receive more on our mailing list here, or follow news between issues on Twitter @BESForests. Untilthen, may all your p < 0.05.

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Forest of the Month

The last few Bulletins have been devoid of a Forest ofthe Month, which is a shame given the diversity of sitesin which FEG members work. I’ve packaged up all previ-ous submissions into a handy interactive map. The mapis rather sparse at the moment and so please do email mewith a paragraph or two plus a photo of your favouriteforest. This month, however, we have two contributionsto make up for lost time.

Algoma, Ontario, Canada

by DAN BEBBER

Some time ago I spent a summer collecting data onstand structure and composition in the Algoma region ofOntario, Canada, as part of my first post-doc with SeanThomas at the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto.We were based in an isolated fur-trapper’s cabin, com-plete with dried beaver castor glands hanging from therafter. We roamed from site-to-site in a vast Dodge Rampickup, swam in lakes, and avoided the occasional Amer-ican bear hunter (and the occasional bear). The region isecologically interesting in that it spans the transition fromnorthern temperate to boreal forest, and once supportedhigh densities of Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus). P.strobus was once the source of the Royal Navy’s masts,and the region is famed for the paintings produced bythe ’Group of Seven’ artists who visited in the early20th Century. These magnificent stands have been lostthrough over-harvesting, poor regeneration in the ab-sence of fires, and the depredations of white pine wee-vil (Pissodes strobi) and white pine blister rust (Cronar-tium ribicola). Anyone wishing to visit or work in the Al-goma forest should contact the Ontario Forest ResearchInstitute. I strongly recommend avoiding field work inthe high summer, or risk an encounter with the infamousblackfly. Likewise, the winters are rather harsh, and cab-ins hard to come by as this is when the fur trappers are atwork.

Further reading: Bebber, D.P. et al. 2005. Effects of re-tention harvests on structure of old-growth Pinus strobusL. stands in Ontario. Forest Ecology and Management205, 91-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2004.10.048.

White pines of Algoma, Ontario.

Sabangau, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

by MARK HARRISON

The Sabangau peat-swamp forest (6,000 km2) is thelargest contiguous lowland forest remaining on Borneo,and is home to the world’s largest populations of the en-dangered Bornean orangutan and southern Bornean gib-bon. A wealth of other threatened species also call thisforest home, ranging from clouded leopards, to proboscismonkeys and ramin trees. Standing atop a layer of peatreaching 15 m deep in places, it is also a carbon store ofinternational significance. The Orangutan Tropical Peat-land Project (OuTrop, www.outrop.com) and Centre forthe International Cooperation in Sustainable Manage-ment of Tropical Peatlands (CIMTROP) have been con-ducting ecological and primatological research at this sitesince 1999. Affiliated with the Universities of PalangkaRaya, Leicester, Exeter and Oxford, we offer research,studentship, internship and volunteering opportunities toecologists from all over the world. For more information,contact info@outrop.com.

Further reading: Harrison, M. E. et al. 2009. Theglobal impact of Indonesian forest fires. Biologist 56, 156-163.

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Meeting Reports

Fungi for Forest Ecologistsby MARTHA CROCKATT

On Tuesday 8th October a successful workshop wasrun at Wytham Woods, to enable forest ecologists to in-crease their understanding of fungal biology, and theirroles in forest ecosystems. The workshop was organisedand run by Earthwatch, with funding from the BritishEcological Society. There were 15 participants includingacademic researchers, arboriculturalists and land man-agers, with interests ranging from carbon and nutrient cy-cling to conservation management of ancient woodlands.

Fungi for Forest Ecologists.

The day included morning sessions with two expertsin their fields — Prof Lynne Boddy, from Cardiff Univer-sity, focussing on saprotrophic fungi, and Dr Andy Tay-lor, from James Hutton Institute and Aberdeen Univer-sity, talking about mycorrhizal fungi. Lynne began withan introduction to fungi, followed by some discussion ofthe specialist roles of saprotrophs in forest ecosystems.Within forest ecosystems these fungi are key to carboncycling due to their ability to break down lignins, cel-lulose and hemi-cellulose; the breakdown of these com-plex molecules also allows the nitrogen and other key el-ements to be released, and recycled within the ecosys-tem. Fungi are able to move these important nutrientsabout within the complex network of mycelium, some-times aggregated as cords that stretch out on the soil sur-face beneath the leaf litter, searching for fresh sources ofnutrients. Andy then spoke about mycorrhizal fungi andhis years of research with them. Mycorrhizal fungi arepivotal organisms within forests, with plants supplying10–30% of the carbon they fix to their mycorrhizal part-ners. Mycorrhizal hyphae are very efficient at exploringand extracting nutrients from the soil, but are more thanjust root extensions. They are a vital component of car-bon cycling, and have also been implicated in weatheringof soil minerals. We also discussed the impacts of mod-ern molecular methods on our understanding of fungalcommunities.

In the afternoon we left the meeting room and ven-tured into the woods for a more informal look at variousaspects of what we’d been discussing in the morning lec-tures. We looked at fungal cords, a range of mycorrhizaland saprotrophic fruit bodies and decaying wood. Theaim of this part of the day was to give participants anopportunity to see examples and evidence of what hadbeen presented through slides in the morning, actually inthe forest. We found a range of useful material, and werelucky with the weather. We ended the day back at thefield centre with a discussion of relevance of the day toparticipant’s interests, expectations and daily work. Theday could not have been the success that it was with-out Lynne Boddy and Andy Taylor, who generously gavetheir time to the event. Their knowledge, experience andskill in getting that across made the day valuable for allconcerned. The day was also made possible with fundingfrom British Ecological Society through the Forest Ecol-ogy Special Interest Group; thanks to Markus Eichhorn,outgoing secretary of that group, for his support in run-ning the day.

Please keep an eye open for a possible repeat event in2014!

Silvicultural approaches to restoration of Planta-tions on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) and planta-tion diversification

by SCOTT MCG WILSON

Helmsley, North Yorkshire, 3–4 Oct 2013.Ecological restoration of Plantations on Ancient

Woodland Sites (PAWS) to native species composition iscurrently an article of forestry policy across Great Britain.Work undertaken over the past two decades has encom-passed (a) radical approaches where non-native planta-tions are clearfelled in a single intervention, with na-tive trees replanted or allowed to regenerate and (b)gradual approaches where non-native plantations are sil-viculturally treated to retain timber value whilst con-serving and enhancing the status of remnant biodiver-sity features. The gradual approach is more attractiveto private woodland owners with an economic motiva-tion but requires considerably greater silvicultural skillsto ensure that combined objectives are achieved on a sin-gle area. The radical approach may ensure more rapidreversion to native species composition but is less de-sirable for some more sensitive biodiversity componentsand can result in significant landscape impacts and eco-nomic losses. Alongside PAWS restoration work, silvicul-tural approaches for the species diversification of non-PAWS pine and larch plantations are being prioritised bycurrent tree disease outbreaks. Against this, sometimescontroversial, background the British Ecological SocietyForest Ecology Group decided to host a technical work-shop to compare and evaluate approaches.

In a seminar session, kindly hosted by the North YorkMoors National Park Authority, we enjoyed a range of

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speaker presentations setting out different perspectiveson the subject at hand. Mark Antcliff of the NationalPark explained their local experience of encouraging pri-vate woodland owners to undertake progressive PAWSrestoration work. Rebecca Isted of Forestry CommissionEngland and Christine Reid of Natural England then ex-plained the official policy context for PAWS restorationin England, taking account of current species challengesfrom climate change and emerging pests and diseases.After a break, Tim Hodges set out the Woodland Trust’sapproach to PAWS restoration across their property port-folio, emphasising the benefits of their gradual silvicul-tural philosophy. Richard Thompson of Forestry Commis-sion Scotland then provided a useful counterpoint basedon experience in Scotland, where the single interven-tion “clearfell and naturally regenerate” approach is oftennecessitated by extensive, unstable upland conifer cropson remote and intractable sites. Scott Wilson, a consul-tant forester based in Scotland, provided feedback on hisrecent independent case-studies of practitioner experi-ences of PAWS restoration while retaining timber poten-tial and of the adoption of relevant alternative silvicul-tural systems. Roger Trout, a consultant mammal ecol-ogist, dealt with the accommodation of habitat require-ments for the dormouse (a conservation priority species)when planning and undertaking PAWS restoration. NickBrown from the University of Oxford provided valuableinsights from his studies as regards the survival of ancientwoodland species during various forms of PAWS restora-tion, emphasising fungi and vascular plants. Beth Atkin-son of the University of Bristol updated the audience onthe results from her recent PhD studies into the effects ofPAWS restoration methods on invertebrate populations.Finally Ralph Harmer of Forest Research presented find-ings from his research work on the relative merits ofcoupe-felling and thinning approaches when recruitingnatural regeneration on PAWS sites with competing veg-etation.

Wykeham Forest, North York Moors.Helmsley, and the surrounding North York Moors Na-

tional Park area was, selected as the location for thisworkshop as it gave the opportunity to visit a range ofrelevant field sites within a convenient radius. On the af-

ternoon of 3rd October we visited mature mixed wood-lands on the private Duncombe Park Estate (adjoiningHelmsley), led by the estate head forester, Tim Tolliss.Former post-war crops of pine and larch have been pro-gressively removed from PAWS woodlands in favour ofhardwood composition, dominated by ash, beech andsycamore, with some oak and birch. These crops are in-tended to be intensively managed for combined objec-tives of timber production, shooting, landscape amenityand biodiversity, with a strong emphasis on securing nat-ural tree regeneration. The risk of Chalara to the ashcomponent may imply increased emphasis on non-nativebeech and sycamore, which are more susceptible to greysquirrel damage. Lively discussion followed on the mer-its or otherwise of retaining some coniferous component(e.g. Douglas fir or larch) on PAWS sites as an “option forthe future” where estate economics remain a major objec-tive of competent forestry management. This is a distinctsituation from woodland nature reserves.

Our second visit on the morning of 4th October wasto the Woodland Trust’s Robsons’ Spring site a few milesto the south of Helmsley, led by WT site manager MarkFeather. Robsons’ Spring is a native oak-ash woodlandsite that had been partly restocked with a variety ofconifers in the 1960’s. This is a site which the Wood-land Trust have expressly developed as a demonstratorlocation for a variety of PAWS restoration methods tothe private estates, hence it illustrated an unusually widerange of techniques from small-scale coupe-fell and re-plant, through thinning and enrichment underplantingto halo-thinning and natural regeneration. Again, witha looming Chalara threat to the ash component (whichregenerates very easily), consideration is being given toalternative species, such as oak, that may need to be re-planted.

Our final visit on the afternoon of 4th October was tothe Forestry Commission Wykeham Forest on the NorthYork Moors, lead by FC district forester Graham Jackson.This an area of mid 20th century Scots pine-larch planta-tions that are being experimentally diversified by a com-bination of diverse underplanting of alternative species,natural regeneration and variable intensity thinning forsilvicultural transformation. Although this is not a PAWSsite per se, the diversification techniques applied here willbe relevant to PAWS restoration elsewhere.

Wytham Tree Research Meetingby DAN BEBBER

On 21st November I attended a meeting at the JohnKrebs Field Centre, Wytham, Oxfordshire, organized byKeith Kirby. The meeting brought together several dozenresearchers working in Wytham Woods, Oxford Univer-sity’s “ecological laboratory”. Among several talks, weheard from Martha Crockatt (Earthwatch) about edge ef-fects on wood decay, Emma Sayer (Open University) onher ForestPrime soil carbon study, Yadvinder Malhi (Ox-

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ford University) about canopy gas exchange data thatwill be soon streamed live over the web, France Gerard(CEH) on use of remote sensing to monitor phenologyand drought impacts, David Coomes (Cambridge Univer-sity) on monitoring ash dieback with remote sensing, andElla Cole (Oxford University) on spatial matching of treephenology with bird laying dates. Keith will present a fullaccount on a re-launched Wytham website in the NewYear, so watch this space...

Publications

Continuous Cover Management of Woodlands: ABrief Introduction by Rodney Helliwell

by DAN BEBBER

Rodney Helliwell has produced this booklet to helpwoodland owners and managers make the transition tocontinuous cover forestry (CCF), as an alternative toeven-aged stands and clear-felling that have dominatedBritish forestry over the past century. From an ecologi-

cal perspective, CCF might be expected to effect biodi-versity and ecosystem services (e.g. soil carbon storage)differently from clear-felling, though a scan of the liter-ature reveals that little research has been undertaken onthis question. One reason may be the scarcity of CCF inthe UK. Successful implementation of this booklet and agrowth in the area under CCF would provide the raw ma-terial for further study.

The INTEGRATE Projectby DANIEL KRAUS

The final report of the research project Integrate car-ried out by EFICENT is now published as a volume enti-tled Integrative approaches as an opportunity for the con-servation of forest biodiversity. It contains a compilationof the project results. Based on the contributions frommore than seventy renowned scientists in this field, In-tegrate has attempted to make available the most recentknowledge and the best international scientific expertiseon the complex relationships, trade-offs and emergingchallenges regarding the integration of forest biodiver-sity conservation into forest management. For further in-formation visit the project website or email Daniel Kraus.

New publications from FEG membersRahman, S. A. et al. 2013. Increasing tree cover

in degrading landscapes: ‘Integration’ and ‘Intensifica-tion’ of smallholder forest culture in the Alutilla Val-ley, Matiranga, Bangladesh. Small-scale Forestry. DOI:10.1007/s11842-013-9251-5.

Rahman, S. A. et al. 2013. Cultivated plants in thediversified homegardens of local communities in GangesValley, Bangladesh. Science Journal of Agricultural Re-search & Management. DOI: 10.7237/sjarm/197.

Feng, G. et al. 2014. Anthropogenic distur-bance shapes phylogenetic and functional treecommunity structure in a subtropical forest. For-est Ecology & Management 313, 188–198. DOI:10.1016/j.foreco.2013.10.047.

Upcoming Meetings

3–5 June 2014: Continuous Cover Forestry: Deliv-ering sustainable and resilient woodlands in Britain.

Keswick and the Lake District National Park, Cumbria,England. With Forest Research, Natural England, Wood-land Trust, Forestry Commission England, United Utilitiesplc, AW Jenkinson, University of Edinburgh, WoodlandHeritage, Scottish Forestry Trust. Website.

4–8 August 2014: European Congress of Entomol-

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ogy.University of York. One of the sessions is on the con-

servation of saproxylic insects. More on Royal Entomo-logical Society website.

October 2014: Waxcap Fungi as Indicators of An-cient Grasslands and Wood Pasture.

Sheffield & Peak District National Park. With SheffieldHallam University, Ancient Tree Forum, British Mycologi-cal Society, National Trust. Details TBA.

Autumn 2014: Tropical rainforests on the brink:science for their conservation, sustainability andrestoration in an era of rapid environmental change.

With Tropical Ecology Group, the Royal Society, Cam-bridge Malaysian Development Trust, Malaysian Com-monwealth Studies Centre. Details TBA.

Grants & Funding

None submitted.

Employment

Postdoctoral Researcher, Biological Pest Control

National University of Ireland, Maynooth

NUI Maynooth has an established reputation in bi-ological pest control. Funding is available for a 4-yearpost-doctoral researcher to join a team investigating fun-damental and applied aspects of entomopathogens andtheir interactions with pest and non-pest organisms. Theprimary aim of the project to develop improved strate-gies for using entomopathogenic nematodes against thelarge pine weevil, Hylobius abietis, a serious pest of re-forestation in northern Europe. This will involve bothfield trials and laboratory experiments exploring bioticand abiotic interactions in the forest ecosystem. The fateof applied organisms will be monitored with the aid ofmolecular techniques. The post-doctoral researcher willbe expected to drive a creative research programme oninter-organismal interactions, liaise with industrial andacademic partners and train and supervise research as-sistants. The project forms part of the EU-funded BIO-COMES project. The general objective of the BIOCOMES

project is to provide fundamental information for the de-velopment of innovative plant protection products foragriculture and forestry. It involves a consortium of 25partners including research organisations and biologicalcontrol enterprises. Candidates should have a PhD in arelevant area of Biology or Agricultural Science, excellentexperimental skills in laboratory and field, and effectiveoral and written communication skills. Experience withentomopathogenic nematodes and/or molecular identifi-cation would be an advantage. As the appointee must beable travel to remote field sites, a driving licence is re-quired.

Salary: up to Euro 46,255 per annum depending onexperience.

Applications to Dr Christine Griffin (chris-tine.griffin@nuim.ie), Department of Biology, NUIMaynooth, County Kildare, Ireland.

Deadline 6 Jan 2014.

Senior Research Associate (CoCooR Project)

International Development UEA, University of East An-glia, School Of International Development, Faculty Of So-cial Sciences.

Applications are invited to work on the project ‘Con-flicts and Cooperation over REDD+ (CoCooR)’, fundedby Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research(NWO). The post-doctoral position will be working withProfessor Thomas Sikor on an analysis of conflicts andcooperation over REDD+ in Mexico, Nepal and Vietnam.The post will involve support for field research conductedby project partners together with coordination of projectactivities and communication with the partners. You musthave a PhD, proven research experience on forest gov-ernance in a developing country and a familiarity withtheories on environmental justice and conflict transfor-mation and be able to satisfy all other essential criteria inthe person specification for the post. The post is availablefrom 1 February 2014, or as soon as possible thereafter,on a part-time (0.5fte) basis for a fixed term period offour years.

Salary £30,728 to £36,661 per annum (pro rata,0.5fte).

Further particulars and an application form are avail-able at http://www.uea.ac.uk/hr/jobs/ or Tel. 01603593493. Ref: RA1026.

Deadline noon on 13 Jan 2014.

Research Fellow in Climate Change Governance,Mitigation and Adaptation

University of Leeds—Environment.

This position provides the opportunity to participatein two international research projects and vibrant inter-disciplinary research environment in the social and sus-tainability science and excellent contacts to international

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research groups. You will contribute to the ‘Multi-levelGovernance, REDD+ and Synergies between ClimateChange Mitigation and Adaptation’ research project. Thisresearch project seeks to understand the extent to whichpolicy processes of forest related climate change miti-gation and adaptation should be integrated at differentscales (global, national and local) in order to deliver ef-fective emission reductions and development compatibleoutcomes. The project will identify existing governanceopportunities for and constraints to such integration andexplore how the latter can be overcome. The project in-vestigates these processes in relation to the two countrycases, Brazil and Indonesia.

You will be required to undertake research under thesupervision of the Principal Investigator (PI). You willundertake a qualitative content analysis of policy docu-ments, contribute to the research design including prepa-ration of a survey questionnaire, and creation and main-tenance of a database. You will undertake the contentanalysis in Portuguese and English language and con-tribute to the policy analysis to investigate the syner-gies between mitigation and adaptation under the su-pervision of the principal investigator. You will have aPhD (or close to obtaining) in social science aspects ofClimate Change, Sustainability, Political Science, PoliticalEcology, Rural/International Development, Human Ge-ography, Environmental Sociology or related disciplineand research interests in the governance and politicsof climate change with expertise in the political andsocio-ecological aspects of mitigation/adaptation. Youwill have excellent knowledge of Portuguese and Englishlanguage and proven skills in computer assisted quali-tative content analysis. You must have demonstrable re-search and writing skills as the post will require contribu-tion to research publications.

University Grade 7 (£30,728 - £36,661 p.a) pro-rata.Part-time (50% Full Time Equivalent), fixed term for 12months.

Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Monica Di Gre-gorio (m.digregorio@leeds.ac.uk), tel +44 (0)113 3431592.

Closing Date 17 January 2014.

Graduate Openings

Confédération Européenne des PropriétairesForestiers (CEPF) trainee position

Brussels

CEPF is searching a trainee for the spring-summer pe-riod 2014. The CEPF traineeship will give trainee the op-portunity to get a first-hand overview on all forest rele-

vant policies at international and particular EU level. Thetrainee will assist in the day?to?day management and op-erations of the organisation. Duties include the participa-tion at and preparation of meetings, the support in ad-ministrative and organisational matters, the analysis ofpolicy topics and other activities defined on an ad?hocbasis. Furthermore trainee will have the chance to de-velop in depth knowledge on certain EU policy topics, de-pending on interests, and gain valuable experiences andknowledge of relevant stakeholders and collaborations

The candidate’s profile:

• Master/ PhD student or recently graduated.

• Fluent oral and written English skills.

• Good communication skills and ability to producetext.

• Forestry education favourable.

• Willingness to assist in day?to?day managementand office operations.

• Able to attend at different meetings, observe andtake clear notes.

• Willingness to travel (in case its needed).

CEPF provides a lump sum to compensate cost of liv-ing and covers the travel cost from and back to home.Furthermore, CEPF will assist in finding an accommoda-tion, e.g. at ICA http://www.icab.be/. The duration of thetraineeship shall be 4-6 months. Interested candidatesshould send their application, including a short motiva-tion letter and CV to Eveliina.pokela@cepf-eu.org.

Deadline 6 Jan 2014.

A NERC-CASE funded PhD StudentshipSchool of Biology, University of NewcastleLiving on the edge: can adaptation at the edge of a

species range accommodate rapid climatic change in along-lived species?

Eligibility: UK and European Union applicants only (details).

The PhD studentship is supported by the Natural En-vironment Research Council, UK (NERC)-IAPETUS Doc-toral Training Partnership. The studentship is for 3 - 4years and based at Newcastle University, School of Biol-ogy. This project (Ref. IAP/13/73) is in collaboration withDr Stephen Cavers (NERC, CEH, Edinburgh). The projectwill give the student skills/knowledge in Next GenerationSequencing, Bioinformatics, forest tree genetics, molec-ular evolution, plant taxonomy, field work, ecology andplant physiology and will give the student opportunitiesfor interaction with stakeholders at a European scale. Fulldetails of the project here.

Candidates will be competitively assessed across allIAPETUS-DTP projects and will need to meet NERC min-imum eligibility requirements).

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Successful projects are anticipated to start from Oct2014.

The studentship includes tuition fees, monthly stipend(including additional CASE contribution), and researchfunds, depending on eligibility.

General information about the IAPETUS DTP compe-tition.

Applications need to go through the Newcastle appli-cant portal.

The deadline for applications is 31st January 2014,although applications up till the DTP IAPETUS deadlineof 10th February will be accepted.

Please contact Kirsten Wolff (kirsten.wolff@ncl.ac.uk)at Newcastle University for informal information.

NERC Funded PhD Studentship

School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex

Scaling up dynamic responses of stomatal to assessimpacts on tree canopy carbon gain and water use effi-ciency. Details.

Deadline 6 Jan 2014

PhD Studentship

University of Exeter

Spatial learning and pollinator effectiveness in frag-mented landscapes: a comparative approach. Details.

Deadline 10 Jan 2014.

PhD Studentship

University of Exeter

Restoration of Ecosystem Services: Flagship and In-vasive Species as Emblems of Sustainable EnvironmentalManagement. Details.

Deadline 10 Jan 2014.

PhD Studentship

University of Exeter

Improving Mechanistic Understanding and Modellingof Global Plant Phenology. Details.

Deadline 10 Jan 2014.

PhD Studentship

University of Exeter

Land Use Change Emissions Estimates, Data and Mod-elling. Details.

Deadline 10 Jan 2014.

PhD Studentships

Energy and Environment, University of Hull

Energy and Environment Research Theme. Details.Deadline 10 Jan 2014.

Courses & Volunteering

Franky the orangutan, Sabagau. Photo M. Harrison.

Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project (OuTrop) vol-unteers

by MARK HARRISON

Sabangau, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

OuTrop are delighted to announce the opening of ap-plications for our 2014 Volunteer Expeditions. If you, orsomeone you know, might be interested in volunteer-ing with OuTrop for seven life-changing weeks, visit out-rop.com for more information and to apply, or emailinfo@outrop.com. Our volunteers gain first-hand experi-ence of field research in a tropical forest environment,working alongside enthusiastic Indonesian researchers,and receiving practical training in field survey skills andproject planning. Our volunteer expeditions are challeng-ing, rigorous and fully participative and all get to experi-ence some of the incredible wildlife that inhabits this spe-

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cial part of the world, from sun bears to flying lizards, andof course the charismatic orangutan in its natural habitat.

Volunteers also have the opportunity to travel to atleast one other field site on expedition for a few days, toput into practice the survey skills learned. OuTrop worksat the forefront of forest ecology and primate researchin tropical forest environments. We are affiliated to theIndonesian University of Palangka Raya, and British uni-versities of Oxford and Leicester. We carry out scientific

research on many aspects of orangutan, gibbon and redlangur ecology and on tropical peat-swamp forest bio-diversity, productivity, regeneration and restoration ecol-ogy. Each year we offer a limited number of students theopportunity to carry out their own research projects fortheir BSc or MSc dissertations. Many of our previous vol-unteers have returned as long-term research assistants orgone on to careers and further research in biodiversityconservation.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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