Manjari-1

Manjari Jayathilake

Academic Qualifications

M.Sc. (Environmental Management), National University of Singapore

B.Sc. (Honours) in Biological Sciences (Specialisation in Zoology), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Research areas

Sustainability science; ecology; biodiversity conservation; nature-based solutions

Research interests

Manjari’s research focuses on developing novel methods to estimate and monitor above-ground carbon in Singapore and in the wider Southeast Asian region. She is also interested in assessing the importance of forests and green spaces in cities and built environments and their potential to be used as nature-based climate solutions.

Biography

Manjari is a research fellow at the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions currently concentrating on carbon estimation research to aid the progress of nature-based solutions in the Southeast Asian region. Her previous research work focused on drivers of tropical deforestation, socio-economic and environmental sustainability of the rubber industry and displacement trends of rubber plantations by oil palm. Her work included multiple academic and industry collaborations in the rubber sector. She has also contributed to research in avian diversity and ecology in Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Selected publications

  1. Jayathilake, H. M., Warren-Thomas, E., Nelson, L., Dolman, P., Bumrungsri, S., Juthong, W., Carrasco, L. R., & Edwards, D. P. (2021). Fruit trees and herbaceous plants increase functional and phylogenetic diversity of birds in smallholder rubber plantations. Biological Conservation, 257(March), 109140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109140
  2. Jayathilake, H. M., Prescott, G. W., Carrasco, L. R., Rao, M., & Symes, W. S. (2020). Drivers of deforestation and degradation for 28 tropical conservation landscapes. Ambio, 50(1), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01325-9
  3. Jayathilake, H. M., & Chandrasekara, W. U. (2015). Variation of avifaunal diversity in relation to land-use modifications around a tropical estuary, the Negombo estuary in Sri Lanka. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 8(1), 72–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2015.02.001

Conference and presentations

  1. Jayathilake, H. M., Prescott, G. W., Carrasco, L. R., Rao, M., & Symes, W. S. (2019). Crops and actors behind deforestation and degradation for 28 tropical conservation landscapes, International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  2. Jayathilake, H. M., Prescott, G. W., Carrasco, L. R., Rao, M., & Symes, W. S. (2018) Deforestation and agriculture: threats and opportunities, Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), Kuching, Malaysia
  3. Jayathilake, H. M., Chandrasekara, W. U. (2014) Avifaunal diversity in relation to land-use modifications around Negombo Estuary, 20th Annual Scientific Sessions of SLAFAR (Sri Lankan Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources), Colombo, Sri Lanka
  4. Jayathilake, H. M., (2013) Career Development in a Knowledge-based Economy, ASAIHL international conference, Colombo, Sri Lanka