Green Army and Beyond

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<div class="my-header-left"><i>Slides <a href="https://kartrick.netlify.app/ga2024/">available online</a></i></div>

<div class="my-footer-right">Art: Shimontika Gupta; Photo: Rachit Singh</a></div>

.pull-left[
## Fledging into 
## the World of
## Ecological Research

<br>

### Karthik Thrikkadeeri
### BSc BCZ (2016--19)

<br>

![:scale 10%](02_pics/GreenArmy_Logo.png)

#### Green Army Alumni Talks
#### 16 March 2024
]

---
class: inverse, middle, center

# Chapter 1: Green Army

#### 2016--19

---

.left-column[
- BSc Biotechnology, Chemistry, <u>**Zoology**</u>
]

.right-column[
.right[
![:scale 90%](02_pics/old-gecko.png)
![:scale 90%](02_pics/old-gecko-scales.jpg)
]
]

???

I had some *curiosity* for animals that neither my parents nor I really understood.

---

.left-column[
- BSc Biotechnology, Chemistry, <u>**Zoology**</u>
- Treks & bird/nature walks
]

.right-column[
.left-column[
![:scale 110%](02_pics/trek-devara-sir.jpg)
]
.right-column[
![:scale 110%](02_pics/trek-makali.jpg)
![:scale 110%](02_pics/trek-farewell.jpg)
]
]

---

.left-column[
- BSc Biotechnology, Chemistry, <u>**Zoology**</u>
- Treks & bird/nature walks
- Butterflies of Christ University Main Campus
]

.pull-right[
![](02_pics/buttbook.jpg)
]

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.left-column[
.left[
- BSc Biotechnology, Chemistry, <u>**Zoology**</u>
- Treks & bird/nature walks
- Butterflies of Christ University Main Campus
- Conferences & networking
- Internships
]
]

<div class="my-footer-right">Art: Shimontika Gupta; Photo: Rachit Singh</a></div>

---
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# Chapter 0: The Ghost of Christmas Past

#### < 2016

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background-size: contain

???

Old interests that now made sense: favourite subjects in school were Biology, Maths, English

![:scale 90%](02_pics/mindblown.gif)

---
class: inverse, middle, center

# Chapter 2: MSc Ecology

#### 2019--21

---
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.pull-left[
![:scale 85%](02_pics/thesis-sampling.jpg)
![:scale 85%](02_pics/thesis-snacking.jpg)
]

.pull-right[
![:scale 90%](02_pics/thesis-sheet.jpg)
![:scale 90%](02_pics/krivoklat_francisko.jpg)

<div class="my-footer-right">Photo: Francisko Rezende</a></div>
]

---
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# Chapter 3: Nature Conservation Foundation

#### 2021--present

---
class: top, center

![:scale 15%](02_pics/ncflogo.png)

#### Bird Monitoring team

<br>

![:scale 65%](02_pics/birdmon_team.png)

???

A majority of our work so far has involved engaging with Bird Count India, which is a collective of birders and bird monitors engaged in citizen science of birds across the country. Our team rarely ever *conducts* bird monitoring directly, but focuses on facilitating others to do so and to establish bigger, growing communities of interested people. Part of our vision is to empower this rapidly growing community to translate their data into meaningful, actionable insights.

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---

.pull-left[

![:scale 100%](02_pics/desk-setup.jpg)

.left[

```r
> our_small_dataset
# A tibble: 50,431,050 x 36
```
]

![:scale 100%](02_pics/progress.jpg)

]

.pull-right[
![:scale 110%](02_pics/rstudio_session_crop.png)
]

???

As such, my role in the team lies more on the (eBird) data side of things: translating the data into outputs of potential use to the community, such as various data products (like reports, maps, graphs, etc.), tools (like an R package and replicable open-source, version-controlled, streamlined data workflows), and knowledge from more formal analyses (like research articles).

So a day in the life for me would typically involve peering at screens full of data or code, or like many of us, manuscripts-in-progress. I know---not the most inspiring thing, and not what drew me to the field in the beginning! But these are interests I discovered later, and are important parts of doing science.

---
class: middle, center
background-image: url("02_pics/goldenland.jpg")
background-size: cover

???

Plus, in my off-time I get to travel to crazy places hunting down birds and landscapes, without the hassle of permits and timelines!

.pull-left[
![:scale 85%](02_pics/jirang.jpg)
![:scale 85%](02_pics/dudhwa_grassland.jpg)
]

.pull-right[
![:scale 85%](02_pics/dudhwa_jeep.jpg)
![:scale 85%](02_pics/talamalai.jpg)
]

<div class="my-footer-right">Photo: Jan Grünwald</a></div>

---
class: middle, center
background-color: var(--accent-pale)

???

I want to tell you all about a specific project I was part of. This is the biggest formal research project our team has been involved in.

---
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background-image: url("02_pics/soib-cover.png")
background-size: contain
background-color: var(--accent-pale)

???

The scope of SoIB actually extends much further beyond NCF---it is a partnership of 13 governmental and non-governmental organisations, among which NCF is but one.

---
class: center, middle

> # .fancy[State of Birds]
> ### .fancy[regular status assessments of a region's birds]

???

Status in terms of abundance and/or range. Elsewhere, these are always done using large-scale systematic monitoring programmes spread across the region of interest.

---
class: center, middle

> # .fancy[State of Birds]
> ### .fancy[regular status assessments of a region's birds]
> ### .fancy[based on large-scale systematic monitoring]

???

Status in terms of abundance and/or range. Elsewhere, these are always done using large-scale systematic monitoring programmes spread across the region of interest.

What is systematic monitoring? This is something very difficult to implement in a huge and diverse country like India.

---
class: middle, center
background-image: url("02_pics/soib_cycle.jpg")
background-size: contain

<div class="my-footer-right">Figure: Raja Bandi</a></div>

???

We figured out an alternative to do this with eBird data, which has been exponentially growing in India in the last few years.

---
class: middle, center
background-image: url("02_pics/soib_summary.png")
background-size: contain

???

Three main metrics: 
- Long-term Change (pre-2000--present)
- Current Annual Trend (2015--2022)
- Distribution Range Size

---
class: middle, center

# Status: India's national bird

<br>

![:scale 65%](02_pics/inpe.jpg)

<div class="my-footer-right">Photo: BS Thurber Hof</a></div>

---
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background-image: url("02_pics/inpe_ltt.jpg")
background-size: contain

---
class: middle, center
background-image: url("02_pics/inpe_ka_ltt.jpg")
background-size: contain

???

By the way, SoIB 2023 analyses species not just at the nationwide level, but also at the level of individual states and habitats. This makes it possible to understand how differently a species is faring across states and habitats. For example, we can see here that peafowls have increased more rapidly in Karnataka than in the country overall.

This is also a good example that shows how the metric is an index of abundance, and not exact population estimates.

---
class: middle, center
background-image: url("02_pics/inpe_br_card.png")
background-size: contain

???

However, in some places the pool of data from birders is not sufficient to conduct these robust analyses. E.g., Bihar.

---
class: middle, center

# Status: Karnataka's state bird

<br>

![:scale 65%](02_pics/inro.jpg)

<div class="my-footer-right">Photo: Koshyk / Wikimedia Commons</a></div>

---
class: top, center
background-image: url("02_pics/inro_ltt.jpg")
background-size: contain

???

Indian Roller is a very familiar bird, but not doing very well. Aside from looking at how individual species are doing, we can investigate groups to understand broader patterns. For example, it is an open habitat specialist.

### An open habitat specialist

---
class: top, center
background-image: url("02_pics/openhabitatspecies.png")
background-size: contain

### More open habitat species

???

We see similar declines in other species of open habitats as well, that roughly match their degree of specialisation!

---
class: top, center
background-image: url("02_pics/hab_spec.png")
background-size: contain

### Habitat specialisation

???

And when we zoom out to look at different habitat specialisations, here too we notice that the entire groups of open habitat or grassland/scrub specialists are also declining much more than specialists of other habitats. Wetland birds are another group that have declined considerably.

---
class: top, center
background-image: url("02_pics/diet.png")
background-size: contain

### Frugivores &#x1F197; but carnivores &#x1f4c9;

???

Large frugivores could be doing well due to planting of fruiting trees in human inhabited areas. But carrion-eaters and insectivores are generally declining.

---
class: middle, center

# SoIB is much more!

---
background-image: url("02_pics/soib2023_contents.png")
background-size: contain

---
background-image: url("02_pics/soib_web_allspecies.png")
background-size: contain

???

Anyone can access all the results from SoIB 2023, including maps and graphs, on the website.

---
class: middle, center

![:scale 60%](02_pics/soib_yt.png)

???

We also have a YouTube channel where we try to communicate these findings in a way that the information reaches relevant audiences.

---
class: middle, center
background-image: url("02_pics/myna.png")
background-size: contain

.pull-left[
![:scale 90%](02_pics/myna_christ1.png)
]

.pull-right[
![:scale 90%](02_pics/myna_christ2.png)
]

???

A tool to generate summarised reports of the birds and their health in a specific area.

---
class: middle, center

# Get involved!

<br>

![:scale 70%](02_pics/ebird_home.png)

<br>

Start/restart/continue uploading your observations to eBird!

???

Hopefully also inspires ex-birders who have become jaded with birding

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.pull-left[
.middle2[
![:scale 70%](02_pics/peacock-line-art.png)  
.footnote[Image by Gordon Johnson ([source](https://pixabay.com/users/gdj-1086657/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4220516))]
]
]

# Thank you!

#### Find me at...

.small[<svg aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 496 512" style="height:1em;width:0.97em;vertical-align:-0.125em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;font-size:inherit;fill:currentColor;overflow:visible;position:relative;"><path d="M165.9 397.4c0 2-2.3 3.6-5.2 3.6-3.3.3-5.6-1.3-5.6-3.6 0-2 2.3-3.6 5.2-3.6 3-.3 5.6 1.3 5.6 3.6zm-31.1-4.5c-.7 2 1.3 4.3 4.3 4.9 2.6 1 5.6 0 6.2-2s-1.3-4.3-4.3-5.2c-2.6-.7-5.5.3-6.2 2.3zm44.2-1.7c-2.9.7-4.9 2.6-4.6 4.9.3 2 2.9 3.3 5.9 2.6 2.9-.7 4.9-2.6 4.6-4.6-.3-1.9-3-3.2-5.9-2.9zM244.8 8C106.1 8 0 113.3 0 252c0 110.9 69.8 205.8 169.5 239.2 12.8 2.3 17.3-5.6 17.3-12.1 0-6.2-.3-40.4-.3-61.4 0 0-70 15-84.7-29.8 0 0-11.4-29.1-27.8-36.6 0 0-22.9-15.7 1.6-15.4 0 0 24.9 2 38.6 25.8 21.9 38.6 58.6 27.5 72.9 20.9 2.3-16 8.8-27.1 16-33.7-55.9-6.2-112.3-14.3-112.3-110.5 0-27.5 7.6-41.3 23.6-58.9-2.6-6.5-11.1-33.3 2.6-67.9 20.9-6.5 69 27 69 27 20-5.6 41.5-8.5 62.8-8.5s42.8 2.9 62.8 8.5c0 0 48.1-33.6 69-27 13.7 34.7 5.2 61.4 2.6 67.9 16 17.7 25.8 31.5 25.8 58.9 0 96.5-58.9 104.2-114.8 110.5 9.2 7.9 17 22.9 17 46.4 0 33.7-.3 75.4-.3 83.6 0 6.5 4.6 14.4 17.3 12.1C428.2 457.8 496 362.9 496 252 496 113.3 383.5 8 244.8 8zM97.2 352.9c-1.3 1-1 3.3.7 5.2 1.6 1.6 3.9 2.3 5.2 1 1.3-1 1-3.3-.7-5.2-1.6-1.6-3.9-2.3-5.2-1zm-10.8-8.1c-.7 1.3.3 2.9 2.3 3.9 1.6 1 3.6.7 4.3-.7.7-1.3-.3-2.9-2.3-3.9-2-.6-3.6-.3-4.3.7zm32.4 35.6c-1.6 1.3-1 4.3 1.3 6.2 2.3 2.3 5.2 2.6 6.5 1 1.3-1.3.7-4.3-1.3-6.2-2.2-2.3-5.2-2.6-6.5-1zm-11.4-14.7c-1.6 1-1.6 3.6 0 5.9 1.6 2.3 4.3 3.3 5.6 2.3 1.6-1.3 1.6-3.9 0-6.2-1.4-2.3-4-3.3-5.6-2z"/></svg> [@rikudoukarthik](https://github.com/rikudoukarthik)]  
.small[<svg aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 512 512" style="height:1em;width:1em;vertical-align:-0.125em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;font-size:inherit;fill:currentColor;overflow:visible;position:relative;"><path d="M459.37 151.716c.325 4.548.325 9.097.325 13.645 0 138.72-105.583 298.558-298.558 298.558-59.452 0-114.68-17.219-161.137-47.106 8.447.974 16.568 1.299 25.34 1.299 49.055 0 94.213-16.568 130.274-44.832-46.132-.975-84.792-31.188-98.112-72.772 6.498.974 12.995 1.624 19.818 1.624 9.421 0 18.843-1.3 27.614-3.573-48.081-9.747-84.143-51.98-84.143-102.985v-1.299c13.969 7.797 30.214 12.67 47.431 13.319-28.264-18.843-46.781-51.005-46.781-87.391 0-19.492 5.197-37.36 14.294-52.954 51.655 63.675 129.3 105.258 216.365 109.807-1.624-7.797-2.599-15.918-2.599-24.04 0-57.828 46.782-104.934 104.934-104.934 30.213 0 57.502 12.67 76.67 33.137 23.715-4.548 46.456-13.32 66.599-25.34-7.798 24.366-24.366 44.833-46.132 57.827 21.117-2.273 41.584-8.122 60.426-16.243-14.292 20.791-32.161 39.308-52.628 54.253z"/></svg> [@TrickDEerie](https://twitter.com/TrickDEerie)]  
.small[<svg aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 640 512" style="height:1em;width:1.25em;vertical-align:-0.125em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;font-size:inherit;fill:currentColor;overflow:visible;position:relative;"><path d="M579.8 267.7c56.5-56.5 56.5-148 0-204.5c-50-50-128.8-56.5-186.3-15.4l-1.6 1.1c-14.4 10.3-17.7 30.3-7.4 44.6s30.3 17.7 44.6 7.4l1.6-1.1c32.1-22.9 76-19.3 103.8 8.6c31.5 31.5 31.5 82.5 0 114L422.3 334.8c-31.5 31.5-82.5 31.5-114 0c-27.9-27.9-31.5-71.8-8.6-103.8l1.1-1.6c10.3-14.4 6.9-34.4-7.4-44.6s-34.4-6.9-44.6 7.4l-1.1 1.6C206.5 251.2 213 330 263 380c56.5 56.5 148 56.5 204.5 0L579.8 267.7zM60.2 244.3c-56.5 56.5-56.5 148 0 204.5c50 50 128.8 56.5 186.3 15.4l1.6-1.1c14.4-10.3 17.7-30.3 7.4-44.6s-30.3-17.7-44.6-7.4l-1.6 1.1c-32.1 22.9-76 19.3-103.8-8.6C74 372 74 321 105.5 289.5L217.7 177.2c31.5-31.5 82.5-31.5 114 0c27.9 27.9 31.5 71.8 8.6 103.9l-1.1 1.6c-10.3 14.4-6.9 34.4 7.4 44.6s34.4 6.9 44.6-7.4l1.1-1.6C433.5 260.8 427 182 377 132c-56.5-56.5-148-56.5-204.5 0L60.2 244.3z"/></svg> [kartrick.rbind.io](https://kartrick.rbind.io)]  
.small[<svg aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 512 512" style="height:1em;width:1em;vertical-align:-0.125em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;font-size:inherit;fill:currentColor;overflow:visible;position:relative;"><path d="M64 112c-8.8 0-16 7.2-16 16v22.1L220.5 291.7c20.7 17 50.4 17 71.1 0L464 150.1V128c0-8.8-7.2-16-16-16H64zM48 212.2V384c0 8.8 7.2 16 16 16H448c8.8 0 16-7.2 16-16V212.2L322 328.8c-38.4 31.5-93.7 31.5-132 0L48 212.2zM0 128C0 92.7 28.7 64 64 64H448c35.3 0 64 28.7 64 64V384c0 35.3-28.7 64-64 64H64c-35.3 0-64-28.7-64-64V128z"/></svg> [rikudoukarthik@gmail.com](mailto:rikudoukarthik@gmail.com)]

.footnote[Slides made with &#10084;, <svg aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 581 512" style="height:1em;width:1.13em;vertical-align:-0.125em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;font-size:inherit;fill:currentColor;overflow:visible;position:relative;"><path d="M581 226.6C581 119.1 450.9 32 290.5 32S0 119.1 0 226.6C0 322.4 103.3 402 239.4 418.1V480h99.1v-61.5c24.3-2.7 47.6-7.4 69.4-13.9L448 480h112l-67.4-113.7c54.5-35.4 88.4-84.9 88.4-139.7zm-466.8 14.5c0-73.5 98.9-133 220.8-133s211.9 40.7 211.9 133c0 50.1-26.5 85-70.3 106.4-2.4-1.6-4.7-2.9-6.4-3.7-10.2-5.2-27.8-10.5-27.8-10.5s86.6-6.4 86.6-92.7-90.6-87.9-90.6-87.9h-199V361c-74.1-21.5-125.2-67.1-125.2-119.9zm225.1 38.3v-55.6c57.8 0 87.8-6.8 87.8 27.3 0 36.5-38.2 28.3-87.8 28.3zm-.9 72.5H365c10.8 0 18.9 11.7 24 19.2-16.1 1.9-33 2.8-50.6 2.9v-22.1z"/></svg> and [![:scale 1.5%](02_pics/sharingan.png)](https://github.com/yihui/xaringan)]

---
class: end-slide, inverse, middle

# Appendix

---
class: middle, center

![:scale 80%](02_pics/ebird_repfreq_crop.png)

???

From eBird data, we can calculate an index of abundance (aka, reporting frequency) of a species for a specific location and time period, based on all the eBirding that has happened in that space and time.

---
class: middle, center

# Historical lists are critical!

![:scale 70%](02_pics/ebird_historical_list.png)

???

People have gone into their old notebooks, and uploaded their very old observations onto eBird. Without this, we wouldn't have been able to even calculate the long-term trends!

---
class: middle, center

.pull-left[
![:scale 95%](02_pics/soib_pipeline1.png)
]

.pull-right[
![:scale 95%](02_pics/soib_pipeline2.png)
]

<div class="my-footer-right">Figure: Janhavi Rajan</a></div>

???

Three main metrics: 
- Long-term Change (pre-2000--present)
- Current Annual Trend (2015--2022)
- Distribution Range Size

---
class: top, center
background-image: url("02_pics/thrivingbirds.png")
background-size: contain

### Thriving birds

???

The peafowl is on the few bird species in India that are doing well.

---
class: top, center
background-image: url("02_pics/ducks.png")
background-size: contain

### Ducks in decline

???

Unfortunately, the situation is grim for many of our migratory ducks which are in decline.

---
class: top, center
background-image: url("02_pics/wrvu_pas.png")
background-size: contain

### Vultures (relatively) better off in PAs

???

There is some ray of hope: White-rumped Vulture and other vultures seem to be doing better in PAs.