I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow under Prof. William F. Laurance of James Cook University. 

My research concerns the trends, causes, and patterns of tropical forest-cover change at large spatial and temporal scales, where 'forest change' encompasses natural forest regeneration, deforestation, plantation reforestation, and ephemeral canopy cover change. In general it describes how forest changes reflect trends in land use, settlement and livelihoods, such that forest change and social change become inter-twined in space and time.  I give special attention to the spatial patterns of forest and social change and explain the ‘how’, 'why' and 'what' of forest change by defining the contexts in which it occurs. 

My interests are varied are inter-disciplinary, but center on the following major themes:

Tropical Deforestation: as by smallhodler and inudstrial agricultural expansion, wildfires, and mining and infrastructre development;

Tropical Reforestation: as through natural processes following agricultural abandonment or community and industrial plantation reforestation;

Pathways of Socio-Environmental Change: integrated trajectories of social and environmental change and their development over time and space;

Forest Management: as in contexts of growing demand and threats to forests, such as during resource booms, economic growth, forest colonization;

Threats to Forest Integrity: particularly global, resource-baed, agro-industiral threats such as mining, timber extraction, and oil-palm production, but also demographic and economic growth.

Future Forest Scenarios: entailing simple or complex estimations of future forest extent and the threats and implications thereof for forest management and biodiversity.

Interests

Research

• Indonesia; tropical forest; tropical forest regeneration; forest transition; geography; land-change science; sustainability science; sustainability science; society-nature interaction; long-term socio-ecological research; social ecology; integrated land-change science; wildfires; Borneo; Panama; Latin America; forest plantation; deforestation; campesino; deforestation scenarios

Research Disciplines

• Environmental management (4104)
• Urban and regional planning (3304)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Acheampong E, Sayer J, MacGregor C and Sloan S (2020) Application of landscape approach principles motivates forest fringe farmers to reforest Ghana’s degraded reserves. Forests, 11 (4), Article: 411, DOI:10.3390/f11040411.
• Alamgir M, Campbell M, Sloan S, Engert J, Word J and Laurance W (2020) Emerging challenges for sustainable development and forest conservation in Sarawak, Borneo. PLoS ONE, 15 (3), Article: e0229614, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0229614.
• Mahmoud M, Campbell M, Sloan S, Alamgir M and Laurance W (2020) Land-cover change threatens tropical forests and biodiversity in the Littoral Region, Cameroon. Oryx, 54 (6), pp. 882-891, DOI:10.1017/S0030605318000881.
• Ng L, Campos-Arceiz A, Sloan S, Hughes A, Tiang D, Li B and Lechner A (2020) The scale of biodiversity impacts of the Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia. Biological Conservation, 248, Article: 108691, DOI:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108691.
• Riggs R, Langston J, Sayer J, Sloan S and Laurance W (2020) Learning from local perceptions for strategic road development in Cambodia's protected forests. Tropical Conservation Science, 13, pp. 1-16, DOI:10.1177/1940082920903183.
• Rimal B, Sloan S, Keshtkar H, Sharma R, Rijal S and Shrestha U (2020) Patterns of historical and future urban expansion in Nepal. Remote Sensing, 12 (4), Article: 628, DOI:10.3390/rs12040628.
• Rudel T, Meyfroidt P, Chazdon R, Bongers F, Sloan S, Grau H, Van Holt T and Schneider L (2020) Whither the forest transition? Climate change, policy responses, and redistributed forests in the twenty-first century. Ambio, 49, pp. 74-84, DOI:10.1007/s13280-018-01143-0.
• Acheampong E, MacGregor C, Sloan S and Sayer J (2019) Deforestation is driven by agricultural expansion in Ghana's forest reserves. Scientific African, 5, Article: e00146, DOI:10.1016/j.sciaf.2019.e00146.
• Alamgir M, Sloan S, Campbell M, Engert J, Kiele R, Porolak G, Mutton T, Brenier A, Ibisch P and Laurance W (2019) Infrastructure expansion challenges sustainable development in Papua New Guinea. PLoS ONE, 14 (7), Article: e0219408, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0219408.
• Alamgir M, Campbell M, Sloan S, Suhardiman A, Supriatna J and Laurance W (2019) High-risk infrastructure projects pose imminent threats to forests in Indonesian Borneo. Scientific Reports, 9, Article: 140, pp. 1-10, DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-36594-8.
• Nanni A, Sloan S, Aide T, Graesser J, Edwards D and Grau H (2019) The neotropical reforestation hotspots: a biophysical and socioeconomic typology of contemporary forest expansion. Global Environmental Change, 54, pp. 148-159, DOI:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.12.001.
• Sloan S, Campbell M, Alamgir M, Lechner A, Engert J and Laurance W (2019) Trans-national conservation and infrastructure development in the Heart of Borneo. PLoS ONE, 14 (9), Article: e0221947, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0221947.

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 64+ research outputs authored by Dr Sean Sloan from 2005 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Drivers of change in farming systems and forest cover in Ghana (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

• Impact of roads on farm size, market participation, and forest cover change in rural Ghana (2016, Masters , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.