Research

Our Research Themes

Click on a Theme to discover our Research Projects.
CISG_NeeSoonSwamp-3

Climate Mitigation & Adaptation

Nature is integral to every pathway towards net-zero. Our natural ecosystems are vital for the reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and as carbon sinks. Nature-based solutions can also help us respond appropriately to the effects of climate change and reduce our vulnerability to its impacts.

Research Theme BC ~ NI_Soil C sampling_Cyrene Reef_Singapore

Biodiversity Conservation

Biodiversity loss and climate change are interconnected planetary crises. Slowing down the decline and disappearance of biodiversity will slow down climate change too. Southeast Asia is a biodiversity hotspot, and the region faces multiple challenges in preserving nature.

DecisionTheatre-7-2

Quantitative Sustainability

Data and mathematical models play a crucial role today in the assessment of society. They can be applied to the field of environmental preservation and management as well and generate evidence-based decisions which promote sustainable development and outcomes.

Kimberly Fornace a LSHTM research fellow under the MONKEYBAR project takes a photograph of the rainforest canopy for ground-truthing satellite and drone data at a rainforest in Ranau, Sabah, Malaysia, Saturday, March 18, 2017. (Joshua Paul for LSHTM)

Environmental Change and Public Health

The health and well-being of people are inseparable from the state of the climate and nature. Shifts in the environment affect the lives of communities worldwide and unraveling insights into this can uncover pathways to a healthier planet and resilient people.

GFT_LoggingAgriculture_Sabah

Geospatial Science

Remote sensing and geospatial technologies allow for environmental analysis of our natural ecosystems at the next level. Spaceborne, airborne and ground-based instruments assist in measurements that unlock a whole new level of understanding of our environment.

Getting to to forest plot

Applied Ecology and Biology

Ecological principles and biological concepts can be integrated with practical applications to address environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Taking this science-based approach can lead to potential solutions that benefit both people and planet.

IMG_1863

Finance, Policy & Governance

Finance, policy and governance are significant considerations when dealing with environmental problems like climate change and biodiversity loss. They can be instruments for implementing change and ensuring the long-term viability of solutions, plans and strategies.

Our Labs

Click on a Lab to discover our Research Projects.
General_TidalFlats

AEC

Prof. Koh Lian Pin leads the Applied Ecology & Conservation (AEC) Lab. Their research focuses on developing policy-relevant science and science-based decision support tools to help reconcile humanity’s needs with environmental protection, particularly in the developing tropics.
PEEB Lab logo

PEEB

Asst. Prof. Lim Jun Ying leads the Plant Ecology, Evolution and Biogeography (PEEB) Lab. They study the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape plant biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics, to inform the conservation of tropical ecosystems and biodiversity.
spears logo confirmed

SpEARS

Asst. Prof. Hao Tang leads the Spatial Environmental Analytics and Remote Sensing (SpEARS) Lab. They employ various remote sensing and geospatial techniques to map, analyse, and understand tropical environmental change.
la(B)pis

LAPIS

Assoc. Prof. Adrian Loo leads the Lab for Advancing Protection of biodiversity with Innovative Solutions (LAPIS). Their research focuses on employing conservation technology to tackle biodiversity challenges in discovery and monitoring.
square_v1

ECHO

Assoc. Prof. Kimberly Fornace leads the Ecosystem, Climate and Health Observatory (ECHO). They utilize data and technology in their research to guide real-world solutions to the critical issue of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, and to bolster the understanding of the interplay between health, nature and climate.
General_TidalFlats

AEC

Prof. Koh Lian Pin leads the Applied Ecology & Conservation (AEC) Lab. Their research focuses on developing policy-relevant science and science-based decision support tools to help reconcile humanity’s needs with environmental protection, particularly in the developing tropics.
spears logo confirmed

SpEARS

Asst. Prof. Hao Tang leads the Spatial Environmental Analytics and Remote Sensing (SpEARS) Lab. They employ various remote sensing and geospatial techniques to map, analyse, and understand tropical environmental change.
square_v1

ECHO

Assoc. Prof. Kimberly Fornace leads the Ecosystem, Climate and Health Observatory (ECHO). They utilize data and technology in their research to guide real-world solutions to the critical issue of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, and to bolster the understanding of the interplay between health, nature and climate.
PEEB Lab logo

PEEB

Asst. Prof. Lim Jun Ying leads the Plant Ecology, Evolution and Biogeography (PEEB) Lab. They study the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape plant biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics, to inform the conservation of tropical ecosystems and biodiversity.
la(B)pis

LAPIS

Assoc. Prof. Adrian Loo leads the Lab for Advancing Protection of biodiversity with Innovative Solutions (LAPIS). Their research focuses on employing conservation technology to tackle biodiversity challenges in discovery and monitoring.

Explore Our Work

  • Reduction of deforestation by agroforestry in high carbon stock forests of Southeast Asia

    Hoong Chen Teo, Aakash Lamba, Sean J. W. Ng, Anh Tuan Nguyen, Adrian Dwiputra, Annabel Jia Yi Lim, Minh Nhat Nguyen, Pantana Tor-ngern, Yiwen Zeng, Sonya Dewi, Lian Pin Koh

    Nature Sustainability

    Agroforestry is widely practised for local social-economic and ecological co-benefits, however whether it is beneficial at landscape scale in terms of decreasing deforestation rates remains unclear. Using causal inference, we found local variability but an overall net reduction in deforestation attributed to agroforestry of 250,319 ha yr−1 or 58.8 ± 15.5 Mt CO2 equivalent per year across 38 subnational regions in Southeast Asia (P < 0.05), including high carbon stock forests and deforestation hotspots. These findings provide support and nuance for agroforestry as a natural climate solution especially in biodiverse Southeast Asian forests, which harbour high levels of carbon stocks.

    Published March 2025
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Charting the future of high forest low deforestation jurisdictions

    Hoong Chen Teo, Tasya Vadya Sarira, Audrey R. P. Tan, Yanyan Cheng, Lian Pin Koh

    PNAS

    This study highlights the importance of protecting high forest low deforestation jurisdictions (HFLDs) against future deforestation. Such deforestation could release substantial carbon into the atmosphere. Our findings have shown that it is insufficient to base market-based carbon financing on historical deforestation rates. Advances in baselining methods are necessary to achieve adequate market-based carbon financing. By using an empirical multifactorial model, we identify the HFLDs at the highest risk of future deforestation. This emphasizes the need for better baselines to protect these vital forests and mitigate the impact of deforestation on climate change.

    Published September 2024
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Technology-Driven Methods for Estimation of Nature-Based Carbon Stocks in Singapore

    Khairun Nisha Binte Mohamed Ramdzan, Zu Dienle Tan, Leah Mary Lilly Denoun, H. Manjari Jayathilake, Annabel Jia Yi Lim, Yiwen Zeng, Hao Tang, Lian Pin Koh

    Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore

    Final Report

    Calculating forest carbon using forest inventory measurements can be laborious, mainly when conducted across an entire forest. As a result, reliance on traditional ground-based methods alone may not provide comprehensive forest information at a broad spatial scale. Instead, remote sensing technologies such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and satellite imagery offer invaluable tools for gathering forest information, including tree heights and canopy structure, across vast landscapes. This project incorporated remote sensing technologies and field measurements to pave the way for a cost-effective means of surveying and monitoring nature-based carbon projects. It provides a preliminary estimate of carbon for different forest ecosystem types across Singapore and demonstrated the use of remote sensing technology for potential monitoring of forest aboveground carbon density (ACD). Further, the findings show that remote sensing technology can scale up field measurements and estimate spatially explicit carbon over a larger area. These carbon maps offer valuable insights into carbon sequestration potential, allowing stakeholders from diverse fields to make informed decisions on nature-based solution projects.

    Published March 2024
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Uncertainties in deforestation emission baseline methodologies and implications for carbon markets

    Hoong Chen Teo, Nicole Hui Li Tan, Qiming Zheng, Annabel Jia Yi Lim, Rachakonda Sreekar, Xiao Chen, Yuchuan Zhou, Tasya Vadya Sarira, Jose Don T. De Alban, Hao Tang, Daniel A. Friess, Lian Pin Koh

    Nature Communications

    Carbon credits from jurisdictional avoided deforestation projects depend on accurate emission baselines, but these baselines face significant variability and uncertainty. Analyzing 2,794 jurisdictions, we found median baseline estimates varied by 171% and forecast errors averaged 0.778 times actual deforestation. The choice of deforestation projection method greatly influenced results, with 68% of methods exceeding 15% uncertainty. Tropical and polar regions showed higher uncertainties. Using sensitivity analyses and multi-model ensembles can reduce bias and variability, improving carbon market reliability.

    Published December 2023
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Increasing contribution of urban greenery to residential real estate valuation over time

    Hoong Chen Teo, Tze Kwan Fung, Xiao Ping Song, Richard N. Belcher, Kelly Siman, Ian Z.W. Chan, Lian Pin Koh

    Sustainable Cities and Society

    Urban development often reduces greenery, even as cities pursue greening efforts. Due to limited long-term data, the impact of land-use changes and policies on ecosystem services and greenery preferences remains unclear. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, we mapped land cover in Singapore from 1990 to 2020, revealing a decline in greenery within public housing towns but intensification in remaining green areas. Hedonic pricing analysis showed increasing real estate value linked to greenery: S$39,130 (9.2%) in the 1990s, S$46,049 (10.9%) in the 2000s, and S$50,048 (11.7%) in the 2010s. Preferences shifted toward tree cover over grass, highlighting how improved greenery quality can enhance urban ecosystem services even amid spatial decline.

    Published September 2023
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Drivers of global mangrove loss and gain in social-ecological systems

    Valerie Hagger, Thomas A. Worthington, Catherine E. Lovelock, Maria Fernanda Adame, Tatsuya Amano, Benjamin M. Brown, Daniel A. Friess, et al.

    Nature Communications

    This paper assesses the relationship between socioeconomic and biophysical variables and mangrove change across coastal geomorphic units worldwide from 1996 to 2016. Globally, this paper finds that drivers of loss can also be drivers of gain, and that drivers have changed over 20 years.

    Published October 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Carbon Prospecting

    Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions & ST Engineering Geo-Insights

    A new mapping tool to identify where natural ecosystems, like tropical forests and mangroves, can be conserved to help policymakers and investors identify potential sources of high-quality carbon credits.

    Published September 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Large-scale reforestation can increase water yield and reduce drought risk for water-insecure regions in the Asia-Pacific

    Hoong Chen Teo, Srivatsan V. Raghavan, Xiaogang He, Zhenzhong Zeng, Yanyan Cheng, Xiangzhong Luo, Alex M. Lechner, Matthew J. Ashfold, Aakash Lamba, Rachakonda Sreekar, Qiming Zheng, Anping Chen, Lian Pin Koh

    Global Change Biology

    Large-scale reforestation can potentially bring both benefits and risks to the water cycle, which needs to be better quantified under future climates to inform reforestation decisions. Reforestation also reduces the probability of extremely dry months in most of the water-insecure regions. However, some regions experience nonsignificant declines in net water yield due to heightened evapotranspiration outstripping increases in precipitation, or declines in soil moisture and advected precipitation.

    Published August 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Gains in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services from the expansion of the planet’s protected areas

    Yiwen Zeng, Lian Pin Koh, David S. Wilcove

    Science Advances

    Protected areas safeguard biodiversity, ensure ecosystem functioning, and deliver ecosystem services to communities. However, only ~16% of the world’s land area is under some form of protection, prompting international calls to protect at least 30% by 2030. This paper models the outcomes of achieving this 30 × 30 target for terrestrial biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and nutrient regulation.

    Published June 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Future land-use competition constrains natural climate solutions

    Qiming Zheng, Kelly Siman, Yiwen Zeng, Hoong Chen Teo, Tasya Vadya Sarira, Rachakonda Sreekar, Lian Pin Koh

    Science of the Total Environment

    With the ongoing population growth, allocating natural areas for natural climate solutions (NCS) may compete with other socioeconomic priorities, especially urban development and food security. Our results estimate a substantial reduction, 0.3–2.8 GtCO2 yr−1 or 4–39 %, in NCS mitigation potential, of which cropland expansion for fulfilling future food demand is the primary cause. This impact is particularly severe in the tropics where NCS hold the most abundant mitigation potential. Our findings highlight immediate actions prioritized to tropical areas are important to best realize NCS and are key to developing realistic and sustainable climate policies.

    Published June 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Tropical and subtropical Asia's valued tree species under threat

    Hannes Gaisberger, Tobias Fremout, Lian Pin Koh, et al.

    Conservation Biology

    Tree diversity in Asia's tropical and subtropical forests is central to nature-based solutions. Species vulnerability to multiple threats, which affect provision of ecosystem services, is poorly understood. This paper conducted a region-wide, spatially explicit assessment of the vulnerability of 63 socioeconomically important tree species to overexploitation, fire, overgrazing, habitat conversion, and climate change.

    Published June 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Peatland restoration as an affordable nature-based climate solution with fire reduction and conservation co-benefits in Indonesia

    Zu Dienle Tan, Roman Carrasco, Sigit Sutikno, David Taylor

    Environmental Research Letters

    Decisions over restoration must balance limited resources, land constraints, and competing demands. Peatlands in Southeast Asia have been heavily impacted by agricultural expansion over the past three decades, with Indonesia now accounting for a substantial proportion of degraded tropical peatlands globally. The results, although indicative, support tropical peatland restoration as a cost-efficient strategy for mitigating climate change, reducing fire, conserving biodiversity, and supporting sustainable development that can be offset by carbon prices of USD 2–37/Mg CO2e.

    Published May 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Nature-based climate solutions for expanding the global protected area network

    Rachakonda Sreekar, Yiwen Zeng, Qiming Zheng, Aakash Lamba, Hoong Chen Teo, Tasya Vadya Sarira, Lian Pin Koh

    Biological Conservation

    Protected areas (including other effective area-based conservation measures) are a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation. Many countries are increasingly committed to expanding protected area coverage to 30%, which requires an increase in global annual spending from $24b to ~$140b (between $103b and $177b). Our results point to the largely untapped potential of nature-based climate solutions to accelerate protected area expansion, thereby conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change.

    Published May 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Co-benefits of forest carbon projects in Southeast Asia

    Tasya Vadya Sarira, Yiwen Zeng, Rachel Neugarten, Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer, Lian Pin Koh

    Nature Sustainability

    Forest carbon projects can deliver multiple benefits to society. Within Southeast Asia, 58% of forests threatened by loss could be protected as financially viable carbon projects, which would avoid 835 MtCO2e of emissions per year from deforestation, support dietary needs for an equivalent of 323,739 people annually from pollinator-dependent agriculture, retain 78% of the volume of nitrogen pollutants in watersheds yearly and safeguard 25 Mha of Key Biodiversity Areas.

    Published February 2022
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Economic value of illegal wildlife trade entering the USA

    Jia Hao Tow, William S. Symes, Luis Roman Carrasco

    PLoS ONE

    Illegal wildlife trade is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Understanding its economic value is a first step to establishing the magnitude of the problem. This paper develops a dataset of illegal wildlife trade prices and combine it with seizure data to estimate the economic value of illegal wildlife trade entering the USA.

    Published October 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Telecoupled environmental impacts are an obstacle to meeting the sustainable development goals

    Yiwen Zeng, Rebecca K. Runting, James E. M. Watson, Luis Roman Carrasco

    Sustainable Development

    International trade is responsible for connecting human and natural systems across distant countries, and has profound implications for sustainability. In particular, telecoupling, the socioeconomic and environmental interactions between distant countries as a result of, among others, global trade, typically leaves less affluent nations bearing the largest environmental impacts. This paper takes a broad global network analysis approach to address this gap, and assess the vulnerability of the SDGs' indicators and their interactions to telecoupling across 180 countries.

    Published July 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Nature-based engineering: a review on reducing coastal flood risk with mangroves

    Rik Gijsman, Erik M. Horstman, Daphne van der Wal, Daniel A. Friess, Andrew Swales, Kathelijne M. Wijnberg

    Frontiers in Marine Science

    Integration of mangroves in projects to reduce coastal flood risk is increasingly being recognised as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative. The implementation of mangroves in flood risk reduction, however, remains complex. This paper reviews existing evidence, monitoring techniques and modelling approaches from the viewpoint of mangrove functionality and persistence.

    Published July 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • A metric for spatially explicit contributions to science-based species targets

    Louise Mair, Hugh P. Possingham, Lian Pin Koh, et al.

    Nature Ecology and Evolution

    The Convention on Biological Diversity’s post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will probably include a goal to stabilize and restore the status of species. Its delivery would be facilitated by making the actions required to halt and reverse species loss spatially explicit. This paper developed a species threat abatement and restoration (STAR) metric that is scalable across species, threats and geographies.

    Published June 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Global potential and limits of mangrove blue carbon for climate change mitigation

    Yiwen Zeng, Daniel A.Friess, Tasya Vadya Sarira, Kelly Siman, Lian Pin Koh

    Current Biology

    Despite the outsized role of mangrove forests in sustaining biodiversity, ecosystem function, and local livelihoods, the protection of these vital habitats through blue carbon financing has been limited. This paper quantifies the extent of this missed conservation and financial opportunity, showing that the protection of ∼20% of the world’s mangrove forests (2.6 Mha) can be funded through carbon financing.

    Published April 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Climate-informed hydrologic modeling and policy typology to guide managed aquifer recharge

    Xiaogang He, Benjamin P. Bryant, Tara Moran, Katharine J. Mach, Zhongwang Wei, David L. Freyberg

    Science  Advances

    Harvesting floodwaters to recharge depleted groundwater aquifers can simultaneously reduce flood and drought risks and enhance groundwater sustainability. However, deployment of this multibeneficial adaptation option is fundamentally constrained by how much water is available for recharge (WAFR) at present and under future climate change. This paper develops a climate-informed and policy-relevant framework to quantify WAFR, its uncertainty, and associated policy actions.

    Published April 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Future carbon emissions from global mangrove forest loss

    Maria F. Adame, Rod M. Connolly, Mischa P. Turschwell, Catherine E. Lovelock, Temilola Fatoyinbo, David Lagomasino, Liza A. Goldberg, Jordan Holdorf, Daniel A. Friess, Sigit D. Sasmito, Jonathan Sanderman, Michael Sievers, Christina Buelow, J. Boone Kauffman, Dale Bryan-Brown, Christopher J. Brown

    Global Change Biology

    Mangroves have among the highest carbon densities of any tropical forest. Incorporating mangroves into Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement and their valuation on carbon markets requires predicting how the management of different land-uses can prevent future greenhouse gas emissions and increase CO2 sequestration. This paper integrates comprehensive global datasets for carbon stocks, mangrove distribution, deforestation rates, and land-use change drivers into a predictive model of mangrove carbon emissions.

    Published February 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Carbon prospecting in tropical forests for climate change mitigation

    Lian Pin Koh, Yiwen Zeng, Tasya Vadya Sarira, Kelly Siman

    Nature Communications

    Carbon finance projects that protect tropical forests could support both nature conservation and climate change mitigation goals. Global demand for nature-based carbon credits is outpacing their supply, due partly to gaps in knowledge needed to inform and prioritize investment decisions. This paper shows that at current carbon market prices the protection of tropical forests can generate investible carbon amounting to 1.8 (±1.1) GtCO2e yr−1 globally, and financially viable carbon projects could generate return-on-investment amounting to $46.0b y−1 in net present value. However, ~80% (1.24 billion ha) of forest carbon sites would be financially unviable for failing to break even over the project lifetime. From a conservation perspective, unless carbon prices increase in the future, it is imperative to implement other conservation interventions, in addition to carbon finance, to safeguard carbon stocks and biodiversity in vulnerable forests.

    Published February 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Global urban reforestation can be an important natural climate solution

    Hoong Chen Teo, Yiwen Zeng, Tasya Vadya Sarira, Tze Kwan Fung, Qiming Zheng, Xiao Ping Song, Kwek Yan Chong, Lian Pin Koh

    Environmental Research Letters

    The climate mitigation potential of urban nature-based solutions (NBSs) is often perceived as insignificant and thus overlooked, as cities primarily pursue NBSs for local ecosystem services. This paper modelled the global potential and limits of urban reforestation worldwide, and find that 10.9 ± 2.8 Mha of land (17.6% of all city areas) are suitable for reforestation, which would offset 82.4 ± 25.7 MtCO2e yr−1 of carbon emissions.

    Published February 2021
    Tags:
    Read more

  • Economic and social constraints on reforestation for climate mitigation in Southeast Asia

    Yiwen Zeng, Tasya Vadya Sarira, L. Roman Carrasco, Kwek Yan Chong, Daniel A. Friess, Janice Ser Huay Lee, Pierre Taillardat, Thomas A. Worthington, Yuchen Zhang, Lian Pin Koh

    Nature Climate Change

    As climate change continues to threaten human and natural systems, the search for cost-effective and practical mitigation solutions is gaining momentum. Reforestation has recently been identified as a promising nature-based climate solution. Yet there are context-dependent biophysical, financial, land-use and operational constraints to reforestation that demand careful consideration. This paper shows that 121 million ha of presently degraded land in Southeast Asia, a region noted for its significant reforestation potential, are biophysically suitable for reforestation.

    Published August 2020
    Tags:
    Read more

Filter by

Research Themes