Journal Articles

Below are the list of some peer-reviewed publications that I think are more relevant to my current research interests. I have also included a link to the preprint version of the paper, if available. If you have any research questions, or interests to collaborate on a publication, please feel free to contact me.

Evaluating the impact of biodiversity offsetting on native vegetation

Ermgassen S.,.. Sharma R., et al., Global Change Biology, 2023 (accepted)

Biodiversity offsetting is a globally-influential policy mechanism for reconciling trade-offs between development and biodiversity loss. However, there is little robust evidence of its effectiveness. We evaluated the outcomes of a jurisdictional offsetting policy (Victoria, Australia) using quasi-experimental methods. The paper will be out soon, but here is a preprint.

Putting technology between people and tigers

Sharma R., et al., Animal Conservation, 2023

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a topic of global significance and broad interest and represents one of the greatest challenges in conservation. As tiger populations recover in South Asia, our letter points out how this could create increasing issues around HWC for local communities, given human population densities are also increasing. The focus of our letter is to then point out how rapid technological development in a range of areas show great potential to help manage human-tiger conflict. Read paper.

Biodiversity offsetting can relocate nature away from people: An empirical case study in Western Australia

Kalliolevo H., Sharma R., et al., Conservation Science and Practice, 2021

Nature contact is good for health. Urbanization decreases biodiversity, and biodiversity offsets try to compensate for negative impacts of development projects on biodiversity. However, the effect on people who might lose biodiversity in their local environment is usually not taken into account. This article investigates whether nature is being relocated due to development and offsets in Western Australia. Read paper.

Choosing the right nature-based solutions to meet diverse urban challenges

Croesar T., Sharma R., et al., Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 2021

Increasing focus on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in cities has significantly expanded the range of applications in which urban nature is considered useful, as well as the range of NBS available. Traditional parks, gardens and street trees now sit alongside innovative approaches including rooftop pollinator habitats, constructed wetlands and hydroponic green facades, each of which has its own particular challenges and benefits. This variety of solutions introduces an important new decision-making challenge for cities wishing to implement NBS: choosing the right set of specific NBS interventions. We develop a tool decision support tool in this paper. Read paper.

The impact of terrestrial protected areas on vegetation extent and condition: a systematic review protocol

Sharma R., Geldmann, Pressey, …, et al., Environmental Evidence, 2020

Establishing protected areas is a key approach to protecting nature. However, protected areas are often biased towards remote and less productive lands. It is important to evaluate the impacts protected areas have had, or in other words, what changes in outcomes of interest are attributable to protected areas. This systematic review will scope, identify, and synthesize studies that quantitatively measure the impact of protected areas on vegetation extent and condition. Read paper.

Simulating urban expansion in a rapidly changing landscape in eastern Tarai, Nepal

Rimal B.,…, Sharma R.,… et al., Environmental monitoring and assessment, 2019

To plan and make policies for sustainable urban development, it is important to understand how urbanization changes over space and time, and to predict future growth. This research investigates the growth of cities in eastern lowland Nepal, where urbanization is rapidly expanding. To predict future urban expansion for 2026 and 2036, we used a hybrid cellular automata-Markov (CA-Markov) model, which takes into account past land use and land cover (LULC) maps and several environmental factors that drive changes Read paper.

Effects of land use and land cover change on ecosystem services in the Koshi River Basin, Eastern Nepal

Rimal B.,…, Sharma R.,… et al., Ecosystem Services, 2019

The relationship between ecosystem services and land use, cover, and management practices affects the well-being of both people and nature. Changes in land use and cover can impact the provision of ecosystem services. This research uses Landsat satellite images to classify land use and utilise the InVEST model to analyze the changes in three ecosystem services (food production, carbon storage, and habitat quality) in the Koshi River Basin, Nepal between 1996 and 2016 Read paper.

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