PhD (Conservation Science), James Cook University; MSc. (Biology), National University of Singapore; B.S (Biology), National University of Singapore
Professor Gopalasamy Reuben Clements is a conservation scientist by training and a Research Fellow at the Jeffrey Sachs Center (JSC).
He received his PhD in conservation science from James Cook University and obtained his MSc and BSc in biology from the National University of Singapore. Reuben’s research focuses on forest and biodiversity conservation and has published over 60 articles in international journals that include Nature, and his work has been featured in the BBC, New York Times and National Geographic. He also co-founded a local non-profit research organization known as Rimba, which conducts applied research on the conservation of threatened species and ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia. Reuben currently leads the ‘Kenyir For Life’ project, which aims to manage 30,000 hectares of forests around Lake Kenyir, which were gazetted as a state park in 2018 in a collaboration involving Rimba and the Terengganu state government. This project also aims to develop ‘green financing mechanisms’ to enable the state government to generate revenue from intact forests and expand the state park to 100,000 hectares.
Affiliations
2021-present: Professor and Associate Dean (Research), School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia.
2017-2020: Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia.
2014-present: Field Conservation Associate, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, USA.
2010-present: Co-Founder and Vice-President, Rimba, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Current Projects
Kenyir for Life [link]
Selected Publications
- Liew Thor Seng and Clements G.R. (2020), ‘Whittenia, a new genus of land snails from Perak, Peninsular Malaysia (Gastropoda: Diplommatinidae)’, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 35: 145-148.
- Aziz S.A., Chua M.A.H. and Clements G.R. (2019). Catch and release: Novel predation strategy by white-bellied sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) on island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) in Peninsular Malaysia demonstrates flying fox swimming ability. Journal of Bat Research and Conservation 12(1): 64-66.
- Schaefer J, Magellan K, Sluka R, Kolipaka S, Gonzalez O, Razali AA, Clements GR & Elkin C (2020). The efficacy of using SCB guidelines to facilitate conservation science-faith collaboration. FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 8: 558956.
- Macdonald DW, Chiaverini L, Bothwell HM, Kaszta Z, Ash E, Bolongon GB, Can OE, Campos-Arceiz A, Channa P, Clements GR, Hearn AJ, Hedges L, Htun S, Kamler JF, Macdonald EA, Moore J, Naing H, Onuma M, Rasphone A, Rayan DM, Ross J, Singh P, Tan CKW, Wadey J, Yadav BP & Cushman SA (2020). Predicting biodiversity richness in rapidly changing landsapes: climate, low human pressure or protection as salvation? BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION 29: 4035-4057. PDF
- Lee NSM, Clements GR, Ting ASY, Wong ZH & Yek SH (2020). Persistent mosquito fogging can be detrimental to non-t Save arget invertebrates in an urban tropical forest. PEERJ 8: e10033.
- Macdonald DW, Bothwell HM, Kaszta Z, Ashl E, Bolongon G, Burnham D, Can OE, Campos‐Arceiz A, Channa P, Clements GR, Hearn AJ, Hedges L, Htun S, Kamler JF, Kawanishi K, Macdonald EA, Mohamad SW, Moore J, Naing H, Onuma M, Penjor U, Rasphone A, Rayan DM, Ross J, Singh P, Tan CKW, Wadey J, Yadav BP & Cushman SA (2019). Multi‐scale Habitat Modelling Identifies Spatial Conservation Priorities for Mainland Clouded Leopards (Neofelis nebulosa). DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS 25: 1639-1654.
- Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; Aziz, Sheema Abdul; Bulan, Ramy; Giam, Xingli; Bentrupperbaumer, Joan; Goosem, Miriam; Laurance, Susan; & Laurance, William F. (2018). Not Everyone Wants Roads: Assessing Indigenous People’s Support for Roads in a Globally Important Tiger Conservation Landscape. Human Ecology, 46(6), 909–915.
- Pardo, Lain E.; Campbell, Mason J.; Edwards, Will; Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; & Laurance, William F. (2018). Terrestrial Mammal Responses to Oil Lalm Dominated Landscapes in Colombia. PLoS ONE, 13(5), e0197539.
- Ratnayeke, Shyamala; van Manen, Frank T.; Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; Kulaimi, Noor Azleen Mohd; & Sharp, Stuart P. (2018). Carnivore Hotspots in Peninsular Malaysia and Their landscape attributes. PLoS ONE, 13(4), e0194217.
Multimedia
Climate and environmental Governance: Building cooler cities for a cooler future
Prof G Reuben Clements and Andrew Fan argue that If we want to have a cooler future, sacrificing more forests for urban development is no longer a viable option.
Radio: What Exactly Does Fogging Kill?
Prof Reuben Clements talks about sustainable forest and methods to keep them intact
Video: Sustainable Forests: How do we keep them intact? : Talk by Assoc. Prof. Reuben Clements
Prof Reuben Clements talks about sustainable forest and methods to keep them intact
Project Pteropus
View the videos here...
News & Op/Eds
Climate and environmental Governance: Building cooler cities for a cooler future
Prof G Reuben Clements and Andrew Fan argue that If we want to have a cooler future, sacrificing more forests for urban development is no longer a viable option.
Gopalasamy Reuben Clements Media Coverage
View the media coverage here...