Luke first came to the field centre in the summer of 2009 as a fresh-faced undergraduate visiting on a two-week field course in conjunction with Cardiff University. During the field course Luke was lucky enough to conduct a small, population assessment project on estuarine crocodiles. This proved to be a seminal moment for Luke and has shaped the course of both his academic and non-academic life. Having been “bitten” by the crocodile bug, he pursued a research-based masters at Cardiff University. This involved spending 6 months at DGFC looking at population demographics and habitat associations. With so many questions left unanswered, this led naturally onto the idea of conducting a PhD.
Luke’s PhD focussed on the use of various technologies in the assessment of crocodilian behaviour in a fragmented habitat, as well as to increase understanding of triggers that may result in human-crocodile conflict. His project involved the use of various satellite technologies employed to track crocodilian movement, drone (or UAV) reconnaissance to aid in the detection of crocodile nests, and genetic techniques to increase understanding of population genetics of individuals in a fragmented landscape.
Luke completed his PhD in late 2015 and successfully defended his thesis in February 2016. He will be supervising herpetological research students and continuing to publish the work completed throughout his PhD.
Luke is a post-doctoral researcher at Carnegie Institute for Science under the department of Global Ecology. Specifically Luke is working with the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) and Dr. Greg Asner. Luke’s work focuses on pairing high-resolution remote sensing data with animal movement and occupancy. The overarching aim of this is to provide detailed management scenarios for the protection of ~400k ha of additional forest throughout Sabah.
Education:
PhD – 2012-2016 – Cardiff University – Thesis title: Assessing the Impacts of Habitat Fragmentation and Subsequent Anthropogenic Expansion on the Behavioural, Nesting and Population Ecology of the Estuarine Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus.
Affiliations:
Member of the IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group
Publications:
Asner, G. P.; Brodrick, P. G.; Philipson, C.; Vaughn, N. R.; Martin, R. E.; Knapp, D. E.; Heckler, J.; Evans, L. J.; Jucker, T.; Goossens, B.; Stark, D. J.; Reynolds, G.; Ong, R.; Renneboog, N.; Kugan, F.; Coomes, D. A. 2018. Mapped aboveground carbon stocks to advance forest conservation and recovery in Malaysian Borneo. Biol. Conserv., 217, 289–310.
Evans, L. J.; Asner, G. P.; Goossens, B. 2018. Protected area management priorities crucial for the future of Bornean elephants. Biol. Conserv., 221, 365–373.
Love, K.; Kurz, D. J.; Vaughan, I. P.; Ke, A.; Evans, L. J.; Goossens, B. 2018. Bearded pig (Sus barbatus) utilisation of a fragmented forest – oil palm landscape in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Wildl. Res., 44, 603–612. [link to Menu Resources/Peer Reviewed Publications : Love_etal_WR_18]
Conference presentations:
Evans, L., Rampangajouw, M., Dausip, J., Saimin, S., Goossens, B. 2012. Human-crocodile conflict: increasing understanding through satellite tracking, resource management and education. IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group Meeting. Manila, Philippines. May 2012.
Evans, L., Jones, H., Pang, K., Evans, M. N., Saimin, S., Goossens, B. 2014. Drone technology, a tool for behavioural research; a case study of crocodilian nesting. Borneo Crocodile Forum. Sibu, Sarawak. 10th-12th June 2014.
Evans, L., Bolongon, G. G., Hearn, A. J., Ambu, L. N., Goossens, B. 2014. Tecnological successes in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. Society for Conservation Biology – Asia 2014. Melacca, Malaysia. 19th-22nd August.
Goossens, B., Evans, L, Guharajan, R., Harris, M., Hearn, A., Liaw, L.P., Othman, N., Guerrero-Sanchez, S., Stark, D. Wildlife responses to habitat fragmentation and degradation in the Kinabatangan landscape. Presented at Workshop on Kinabatangan Biodiversity Conservation, Batu Putih. September 2014.
Goossens, B., Evans, L, Guharajan, R., Harris, M., Hearn, A., Liaw, L.P., Othman, N., Guerrero-Sanchez, S., Stark, D. Wildlife responses to habitat fragmentation and degradation in the Kinabatangan landscape. Presented at Third Country Training Programme 2014: Integrated Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management Training Course, Sandakan. August 2014.
Goossens, B., Evans, L, Guharajan, R., Harris, M., Hearn, A., Liaw, L.P., Othman, N., Guerrero-Sanchez, S., Stark, D. Wildlife responses to habitat fragmentation and degradation in the Kinabatangan landscape. Presented at Regional Conference on Protected Area and Biodiversity Management in SEA, Kota Kinabalu. June 2014.