Staff profile

I am a conservation scientist with a passion for using quantitative tools and technology to understand the drivers of biodiversity loss, and to identify pragmatic solutions to mitigate that loss. Now is a pivotal time in human history. Species extinction rates are orders of magnitude above ‘normal’ background rates, driven by humanity’s insatiable appetite for resources. The magnitude of the problem has never been greater, but neither has our ability to tackle it. With better technology, we generate more and better data. With collaboration and ground-truthing, we generate a better understanding of how ecosystems respond to anthropogenic change – the good and the bad – and with that, we can discover what works in conservation. My research to date has explored everything from microclimates in tropical rainforests, to the role of plumage colour in driving the wild bird trade. What brings it all together is a desire to make conservation more efficient, using the plethora of tools and technology that are now available to us.

https://rasenior.rbind.io/

Journal Article

• Past conservation efforts reveal which actions lead to positive outcomes for species
  
  Simkins, A. T., Sutherland, W. J., Dicks, L. V., Hilton-Taylor, C., Grace, M. K., Butchart, S. H. M., Senior, R. A., & Petrovan, S. O. (2025). Past conservation efforts reveal which actions lead to positive outcomes for species. PLoS Biology, 23(3), Article e3003051. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003051
• Ten practical guidelines for microclimate research in terrestrial ecosystems
  
  De Frenne, P., Beugnon, R., Klinges, D., Lenoir, J., Niittynen, P., Pincebourde, S., Senior, R. A., Aalto, J., Chytrý, K., Gillingham, P. K., Greiser, C., Gril, E., Haesen, S., Kearney, M., Kopecký, M., le Roux, P. C., Luoto, M., Maclean, I., Man, M., … Van Meerbeek, K. (2025). Ten practical guidelines for microclimate research in terrestrial ecosystems. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 16(2), 269-294. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.14476
• Global shortfalls in documented actions to conserve biodiversity
  
  Senior, R. A., Bagwyn, R., Leng, D., Killion, A. K., Jetz, W., & Wilcove, D. S. (2024). Global shortfalls in documented actions to conserve biodiversity. Nature, 630(8016), 387-391. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07498-7
• Microclimate, an important part of ecology and biogeography
  
  Kemppinen, J., Lembrechts, J. J., Van Meerbeek, K., Carnicer, J., Chardon, N. I., Kardol, P., Lenoir, J., Liu, D., Maclean, I., Pergl, J., Saccone, P., Senior, R. A., Shen, T., Słowińska, S., Vandvik, V., von Oppen, J., Aalto, J., Ayalew, B., Bates, O., … De Frenne, P. (2024). Microclimate, an important part of ecology and biogeography. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 33(6), Article e13834. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13834
• Structural changes caused by selective logging undermine the thermal buffering capacity of tropical forests
  
  Santos, E. G., Svátek, M., Nunes, M. H., Aalto, J., Senior, R. A., Matula, R., Plichta, R., & Maeda, E. E. (2024). Structural changes caused by selective logging undermine the thermal buffering capacity of tropical forests. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 348, Article 109912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.109912
• Gaps and weaknesses in the global protected area network for safeguarding at-risk species
  
  Zeng, Y., Senior, R. A., Crawford, C. L., & Wilcove, D. S. (2023). Gaps and weaknesses in the global protected area network for safeguarding at-risk species. Science Advances, 9(22). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg0288
• Global patterns of climate change impacts on desert bird communities
  
  Ma, L., Conradie, S. R., Crawford, C. L., Gardner, A. S., Kearney, M. R., Maclean, I. M. D., McKechnie, A. E., Mi, C.-R., Senior, R. A., & Wilcove, D. S. (2023). Global patterns of climate change impacts on desert bird communities. Nature Communications, 14(1), Article 211. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-35814-8
• Global maps of soil temperature
  
  Lembrechts, J., van den Hoogen, J., Aalto, J., Ashcroft, M., De Frenne, P., Kemppinen, J., Kopecký, M., Luoto, M., Maclean, I., Crowther, T., Bailey, J., Haesen, S., Klinges, D., Niittynen, P., Scheffers, B., Van Meerbeek, K., Aartsma, P., Abdalaze, O., Abedi, M., … Robroek, . (2022). Global maps of soil temperature. Global Change Biology, 28(9), 3110-3144. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16060
• Wildlife trade targets colorful birds and threatens the aesthetic value of nature
  
  Senior, R. A., Oliveira, B. F., Dale, J., & Scheffers, B. R. (2022). Wildlife trade targets colorful birds and threatens the aesthetic value of nature. Current Biology, 32, 4299-4305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.066
• A better classification of wet markets is key to safeguarding human health and biodiversity
  
  Lin, B., Dietrich, M., Senior, R., & Wilcove, D. (2021). A better classification of wet markets is key to safeguarding human health and biodiversity. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(6), e386-e394. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2542-5196%2821%2900112-1
• Hot and bothered: The role of behaviour and microclimates in buffering species from rising temperatures
  
  Senior, R. (2020). Hot and bothered: The role of behaviour and microclimates in buffering species from rising temperatures. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(11), 2392-2396. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13363
• SoilTemp: A global database of near-surface temperature
  
  Lembrechts, J., Aalto, J., Ashcroft, M., De Frenne, P., Kopecký, M., Lenoir, J., Luoto, M., Maclean, I., Roupsard, O., Fuentes-Lillo, E., García, R., Pellissier, L., Pitteloud, C., Alatalo, J., Smith, S., Björk, R., Muffler, L., Ratier Backes, A., Cesarz, S., … Nijs, I. (2020). SoilTemp: A global database of near-surface temperature. Global Change Biology, 26(11), 6616-6629. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15123
• A Research Agenda for Microclimate Ecology in Human-Modified Tropical Forests
  
  Jucker, T., Jackson, T., Zellweger, F., Swinfield, T., Gregory, N., Williamson, J., Slade, E., Phillips, J., Bittencourt, P., Blonder, B., Boyle, M., Ellwood, M., Hemprich-Bennett, D., Lewis, O., Matula, R., Senior, R., Shenkin, A., Svátek, M., & Coomes, D. (2020). A Research Agenda for Microclimate Ecology in Human-Modified Tropical Forests. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00092
• Rewilding in the English uplands: Policy and practice
  
  Sandom, C., Dempsey, B., Bullock, D., Ely, A., Jepson, P., Jimenez-Wisler, S., Newton, A., Pettorelli, N., & Senior, R. (2019). Rewilding in the English uplands: Policy and practice. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(2), 266-273. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13276
• Global loss of climate connectivity in tropical forests
  
  Senior, R., Hill, J., & Edwards, D. (2019). Global loss of climate connectivity in tropical forests. Nature Climate Change, 9(8), 623-626. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0529-2
• Author Correction: Global loss of climate connectivity in tropical forests (Nature Climate Change, (2019), 9, 8, (623-626), 10.1038/s41558-019-0529-2)
  
  Senior, R., Hill, J., & Edwards, D. (2019). Author Correction: Global loss of climate connectivity in tropical forests (Nature Climate Change, (2019), 9, 8, (623-626), 10.1038/s41558-019-0529-2). Nature Climate Change, 9(10). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0570-1
• Islands in the desert: Environmental distribution modelling of endemic flora reveals the extent of Pleistocene tropical relict vegetation in southern Arabia
  
  Borrell, J., Al Issaey, G., Lupton, D., Starnes, T., Al Hinai, A., Al Hatmi, S., Senior, R., Wilkinson, T., Milborrow, J., Stokes-Rees, A., & Patzelt, A. (2019). Islands in the desert: Environmental distribution modelling of endemic flora reveals the extent of Pleistocene tropical relict vegetation in southern Arabia. Annals of Botany, 124(3), 411-422. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcz085
• A history of violence: Joseph Nollekens’ first design for the monument to Three Captains, 1782–93
  
  Senior, R. (2019). A history of violence: Joseph Nollekens’ first design for the monument to Three Captains, 1782–93. Sculpture Journal, 28(1), 103-121. https://doi.org/10.3828/sj.2019.28.1.6
• ThermStats: An R package for quantifying surface thermal heterogeneity in assessments of microclimates
  
  Senior, R., Hill, J., & Edwards, D. (2019). ThermStats: An R package for quantifying surface thermal heterogeneity in assessments of microclimates. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(9), 1606-1614. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.13257
• Tropical forests are thermally buffered despite intensive selective logging
  
  Senior, R., Hill, J., Benedick, S., & Edwards, D. (2018). Tropical forests are thermally buffered despite intensive selective logging. Global Change Biology, 24(3), 1267-1278. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13914
• The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
  
  Hudson, L., Newbold, T., Contu, S., Hill, S., Lysenko, I., De Palma, A., Phillips, H., Alhusseini, T., Bedford, F., Bennett, D., Booth, H., Burton, V., Chng, C., Choimes, A., Correia, D., Day, J., Echeverría-Londoño, S., Emerson, S., Gao, D., … Luja, V. (2017). The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project. Ecology and Evolution, 7(1), 145-188. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2579
• Extreme thermal heterogeneity in structurally complex tropical rain forests
  
  Scheffers, B., Edwards, D., Macdonald, S., Senior, R., Andriamahohatra, L., Roslan, N., Rogers, A., Haugaasen, T., Wright, P., & Williams, S. (2017). Extreme thermal heterogeneity in structurally complex tropical rain forests. Biotropica, 49(1), 35-44. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12355
• A pantropical analysis of the impacts of forest degradation and conversion on local temperature
  
  Senior, R., Hill, J., González del Pliego, P., Goode, L., & Edwards, D. (2017). A pantropical analysis of the impacts of forest degradation and conversion on local temperature. Ecology and Evolution, 7(19), 7897-7908. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3262
• Selective logging in tropical forests decreases the robustness of liana–tree interaction networks to the loss of host tree species
  
  Magrach, A., Senior, R., Rogers, A., Nurdin, D., Benedick, S., Laurance, W., Santamaria, L., & Edwards, D. (2016). Selective logging in tropical forests decreases the robustness of liana–tree interaction networks to the loss of host tree species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1826). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.3008
• Global effects of land use on local terrestrial biodiversity
  
  Newbold, T., Hudson, L., Hill, S., Contu, S., Lysenko, I., Senior, R., Börger, L., Bennett, D., Choimes, A., Collen, B., Day, J., De Palma, A., Díaz, S., Echeverria-Londoño, S., Edgar, M., Feldman, A., Garon, M., Harrison, M., Alhusseini, T., … Purvis, A. (2015). Global effects of land use on local terrestrial biodiversity. Nature, 520(7545), 45-50. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14324
• The PREDICTS database: A global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
  
  Hudson, L., Newbold, T., Contu, S., Hill, S., Lysenko, I., De Palma, A., Phillips, H., Senior, R., Bennett, D., Booth, H., Choimes, A., Correia, D., Day, J., Echeverría-Londoño, S., Garon, M., Harrison, M., Ingram, D., Jung, M., Kemp, V., … Purvis, A. (2014). The PREDICTS database: A global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts. Ecology and Evolution, 4(24), 4701-4735. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1303