Truly joined the NRI in June 2020. Before joining NRI, she worked as an adjunct researcher at the University of Queensland and the University of Kent. Her research focuses on the application of geospatial analysis, statistical modelling, and geospatial impact evaluation (quasi-experimental) approach to analyse the sustainability of food, agriculture, and land use, considering social, economic, and environmental dimensions.

More specifically, her research centres on the transdisciplinary links between environmental change (land use and climate), ecosystem function, livelihoods and agriculture, and human well-being and health. Her research seeks to examine the human-environmental systems by considering multiple scales (spatial, temporal, and institutional) and the interconnection between distant places through trade (telecoupling) to inform national and international decision-making processes towards just sustainability. She uses a wide range of datasets in her research, including large-scale data derived from remote sensing and government censuses, as well as field survey data.

Truly has led numerous interdisciplinary initiatives and publications, including the evaluation of the impact of oil palm agriculture and sustainability certification on livelihoods and poverty, community forestry and land use planning, climate change and health, species and biodiversity conservation, theoretical spatial analysis and macroecology, and most recently, global trade and telecoupling.

She obtained a BSc in Mathematics from Bandung Institute of Technology, an MSc in Statistics and Operations Research from RMIT University, and a PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Science from Australian National University.

2024

• Morgans, C.L., Jago, S., Andayani, N., … Santika, T. & Struebig, M.J. (2024) Improving well-being and reducing deforestation in Indonesia's protected areas. Conservation Letters 17, e13010. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13010
• Lo, M., Morgans, C.L., Mumbunan, S., Supriatna, J., Santika, T., Davies, Z.G. & Struebig, M.J. (2024) Nickel mining reduced forest cover in Indonesia, but had mixed outcomes for well-being. One Earth. https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/48412
• Santika, T., Nelson, V., Flint, M., MacEwen, M., Cerretelli, S. & Brack, D. (2024) Leverage points for tackling unsustainable global value chains: market-based measures versus transformative alternatives. Sustainability Science 19, 285–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-023-01430-0
• Seaman, D.J., Voigt, M., Ancrenaz, M., ..., Santika, T. et al. (2024) Capacity for recovery in Bornean orangutan populations when limiting offtake and retaining forest. Diversity and Distributions, e13852. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13852
• Kiribou, R., Dimobe, K., Yameogo, L., Yang, H., Santika, T. & Dejene, S.W. (2024) Two decades of land cover change and anthropogenic pressure around Bontioli Nature Reserve in Burkina Faso. Environmental Challenges 17, 101025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2024.101025

2023

• Santika, T., Muhidin, S., Budiharta, S., Haryanto, B., Agus, F., Wilson, K.A., Struebig, M.J. & Po, J.Y. (2023) Deterioration of respiratory health following changes to land cover and climate in Indonesia. One Earth 6, 290-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2023.02.012
• Katic, P.G., Cerretelli, S., Haggar, J.P., Santika, T. & Walsh, C. (2023) Mainstreaming biodiversity in business decisions: taking stock of tools and gaps. Biological Conservation 277, 109831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109831
• Mwangi, J.G., Haggar, J., Mohammed, S., Santika, T. & Umar, K.M. (2023) The ecology, distribution, and anthropogenic threats of multipurpose hemi-parasitic plant Osyris lanceolata. Journal for Nature Conservation 76, 126478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126478
• Massingham, E., Ancrenaz, M., Mika, D., Sherman, J., Santika, T., Pradipta, L., Possingham, H.P. & Dean, A.J. (2023) Killing of orangutans in Kalimantan - Community perspectives on incidence and drivers. Conservation Science and Practice 5, e13025. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13025
• Fosch, A., Ferraz de Arruda, G., Aleta, A., Descals, A., Gaveau, D., …, Santika, T., Struebig, M.J. & Moreno, Y. (2023) Replanting unproductive palm oil with smallholder plantations can help achieve Sustainable Development Goals in Sumatra, Indonesia. Communications Earth & Environment 4, 378. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01037-4
• Massingham, E., Wilson, K.A., Ancrenaz, M., Santika, T., Friedman, R., Possingham, H.P. & Dean, A.J. (2023) Public opinion on protecting iconic species depends on individual wellbeing: Perceptions about orangutan conservation in Indonesia and Malaysia. Environmental Science and Policy 150, 103588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103588

2022

• Santika, T., Sherman, J., Voigt, M., Ancrenaz, M, Wich, S.A., Wilson, K.A. et al. (2022) Effectiveness of 20 years of conservation investments in protecting orangutans. Current Biology 32, 1754-1763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.051
• Voigt, M., Kühl, H.S., Ancrenaz, M., Gaveau, D., Santika, T., Sherman, J., Wich, S.A., Wolf, F., Struebig, M.J. & Pereira, H.M. (2022) Deforestation projections imply range-wide population decline for critically endangered Bornean orangutan. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation 20, 240-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecon.2022.06.001

2021

• Santika, T., Wilson, K.A., Law, E.A., St John, F.A., Carlson, K.M., Gibbs, H., Morgans, C.L. & Struebig, M.J. (2021) Impact of palm oil sustainability certification on village well-being and poverty in Indonesia. Nature Sustainability 4, 109-119. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00630-1
• Voigt, M., Supriatna, J., Deere, N.J., Kastanya, A., Mitchell, S.L., Rosa, I.M., Santika, T. et al. (2021) Emerging threats from deforestation and forest fragmentation in the Wallacea centre of endemism. Environmental Research Letters 16, 094048. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac15cd
• Sherman, J., Unwin, S., ..., Santika, T., Massingham, E. & Seaman, D.J. (2021) Disease risk and conservation implications of orangutan translocations. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 749547. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.749547
• Meijaard, E., Santika, T., Wilson, K.A., Budiharta, S. et al. (2021) Toward improved impact evaluation of community forest management in Indonesia. Conservation Science and Practice 3, e189. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.189
• Ancrenaz, M., Oram, F., Nardiyono, N., Silmi, M., Jopony, M.E., Voigt, M., Seaman, D.J., Sherman, J., Santika, T. et al. (2021) Importance of small forest fragments in agricultural landscapes for maintaining orangutan metapopulations. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 4, 560944. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.560944

2020

• Santika, T., Budiharta, S., Law, E.A., Dennis, R.A., Dohong, A., Struebig, M.J., Gunawan, H. & Wilson, K.A. (2020) Interannual climate variation, land type and village livelihood effects on fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Global Environmental Change 64, 102129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102129
• Friedman, R.S., Rhodes, J.R., Dean, A.J., Law, E.A., Santika, T., Budiharta, S., Kusworo, A., St. John, F.A.V., Struebig, M.J. & Wilson, K.A. (2020) Analyzing procedural equity in government-led community-based forest management. Ecology and Society 25,16. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11710-250316
• Meijaard, E., Brooks, T.M., Carlson, K.M., Slade, E.M., Garcia-Ulloa, J., Gaveau, D.L., Lee, J.S.H., Santika, T., Juffe-Bignoli, D., Struebig, M.J. & Wich, S.A. (2020) The environmental impacts of palm oil in context. Nature Plants 6, 1418-1426. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00813-w
• Laurance, W.F., Wich, S.A., ..., Santika, T., Byler, D., Mittermeier, R. & Kormos, R. (2020) Tapanuli orangutan endangered by Sumatran hydropower scheme. Nature Ecology & Evolution 4, 1438-1439. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1263-x
• Friedman, R.S., Guerrero, A.M., McAllister, R.R., Rhodes, J.R., Santika, T., Budiharta, S., Indrawan, T., Hutabarat, J.A., Kusworo, A. & Yogaswara, H. (2020) Beyond the community in participatory forest management: A governance network perspective. Land Use Policy 97, 104738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104738
• Sherman, J., Ancrenaz, M., Voigt, M., Oram, F., Santika, T. & Wich, S.A. (2020) Envisioning a future for Bornean orangutans: Conservation impacts of action plan implementation and recommendations for improved population outcomes. Biodiversitas 21, 465-477. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d210206

2019

• Santika, T., Wilson, K.A., Budiharta, S., Law, E.A., Poh, T.M. & Struebig, M.J. (2019) Does oil palm agriculture help alleviate poverty? A multidimensional counterfactual assessment of oil palm development in Indonesia. World Development 120, 105-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.04.012
• Santika, T., Wilson, K.A., ...., Struebig, M., Ancrenaz, M. & Poh, T.M. (2019) Changing landscapes, livelihoods and village welfare in the context of oil palm development. Land Use Policy 87, 104073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104073
• Morgans, C.L., Santika, T., Meijaard, E. et al. (2019) Cost-benefit based prioritisation of orangutan conservation actions in Indonesian Borneo. Biological Conservation 238, 108236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108236
• Santika, T., Wilson, K.A., Budiharta, S., Kusworo, A., Law, E.A., Friedman, R., ...., St. John, F.A. & Struebig, M.J. (2019) Heterogeneous impacts of community forestry on forest conservation and poverty alleviation: Evidence from Indonesia. People and Nature 1, 204-219. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.25

2018

• Morgans, C.L., Meijaard, E., Santika, T., Law, E., Budiharta, S., Ancrenaz, M. & Wilson, K.A. (2018) Evaluating the effectiveness of palm oil certification in delivering multiple sustainability objectives. Environmental Research Letters 13, 064032. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aac6f4
• Voigt, M., Wich, S.A., Ancrenaz, M., Abram, N., Banes, G.L., Campbell-Smith, G., d’Arcy, L.J., …, Santika, T. et al. (2018) Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology 28, 761-769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053

2017

• Santika, T., Meijaard, E., Budiharta, S., Law, E.A., Kusworo, A., Hutabarat, J.A., Indrawan, T.P., Struebig, M. et al. (2017) Community forest management in Indonesia: Avoided deforestation in the context of anthropogenic and climate complexities. Global Environmental Change 46, 60-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.08.002
• Santika, T., Ancrenaz, M., Wilson, K.A., Spehar, S., Abram, N. et al. (2017) First integrative trend analysis for a great ape species in Borneo. Scientific Reports 7, 4839. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04435-9
• Wijedasa, L.S., Jauhiainen, J., …, Santika, T. et al. (2017) Denial of long‐term issues with agriculture on tropical peatlands will have devastating consequences. Global Change Biology 23, 977-982. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13516
• Lunney, D., Stalenberg, E., Santika, T. & Rhodes, J.R. (2017) A rebuttal to ‘Mooted extinction of koalas at Eden: improving the information base’. Wildlife Research 44, 453-457. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR17008

2016 and Earlier

• Santika, T., McAlpine, C.A., Lunney, D., Wilson, K.A. & Rhodes, J.R. (2015) Assessing spatiotemporal priorities for species’ recovery in broad‐scale dynamic landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology 52, 832-840. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12441
• Santika, T., Meijaard, E. & Wilson, K.A. (2015) Designing multifunctional landscapes for forest conservation. Environmental Research Letters 10, 114012. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/11/114012
• Santika, T., McAlpine, C.A., Lunney, D., Wilson, K.A. & Rhodes, J.R. (2014) Modelling species distributional shifts across broad spatial extents by linking dynamic occupancy models with public‐based surveys. Diversity and Distributions 20, 786-796. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12189
• Lunney, D., Stalenberg, E., Santika, T. & Rhodes, J.R. (2014) Extinction in Eden: identifying the role of climate change in the decline of the koala in south-eastern NSW. Wildlife Research 41, 22-34. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR13054
• Santika, T. (2011) Assessing the effect of prevalence on the predictive performance of species distribution models using simulated data. Global Ecology and Biogeography 20, 181-192. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00581.x
• Santika, T. & Hutchinson, M.F. (2009) The effect of species response form on species distribution model prediction and inference. Ecological Modelling 220, 2365-2379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.06.004
• Hearne, J.W., Santika, T. & Goodman, P. (2008) Portfolio selection theory and wildlife management. ORiON: Journal of the Operations Research Society of South Africa 24, 103-113. https://doi.org/10.5784/24-2-62

I am interested in a broad range of research themes, including environmental change, sustainability, and socio-environmental equity. I use a variety of analytical approaches (derived from mathematics, statistics, computer science, machine learning), in collaboration with researchers from other disciplines, to analyse a wide range of data, that fit with the purpose, context, and scale of the study.

NRI Research Groups and Centres affiliations: 

• Ecosystem Service Research Group
• Political Ecology, Culture, and Arts Research Group
• Research Centre on Sustainable Agriculture for One Health
• Research Centre for Society, Environment, and Development

BSc Environmental Science, Biology, and Geography

• Environmental Impact Assessment (ENVI-0303)
• Research and Professional Skills in Geography and Environmental Science (GEOG-1024)
• Practical and Professional Skills (ENVI-1039) · Environmental Monitoring and Analysis (ENVI-1174)
• Conservation and the Environment (ENVI-1133)
• Introduction to Ecological Modelling and Programming (ENVI-1192) 

MSc Global Environmental Change

• Conservation Ecology (AGRI-1301)

Funded Research Projects (Current and recent)

• Evaluating the interrelated impacts of commodity agriculture, market access, and forest conservation on food security in tropical landscape. Project Lead, UKRI ESRC Secondary Data Analysis Initiative. 2023-2025. £308,729. https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FX00631X%2F1
• Nature based solutions for climate resilience of local and indigenous communities in Guatemala. Project Co-Lead. UK DEFRA–GCBC (Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate). 2024-2027. £852,421.
• Transformative change in telecoupled agrofood systems for biodiversity and equity (TC4BE). Project Co-Lead, EU Horizon. 2022-2026. €2,162,553. https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101082057
• Synthesis and critical assessment of management tools to mainstream biodiversity in decision-making in the private sector. Project Co-Lead, UKRI NERC. 2022. £50,000. https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FW007436%2F1
• Building the evidence base on trade agreements and environmental outcomes. Project Co-Lead. UK Defra. 2022. £50,000.

PhD and MSc By Research Students (current and recent)

• Kainat Bibi (NRI)
• Georgie Hurst (Food System CDT - NRI)
• Adrian Kaluka (Food System CDT – University of Sussex)
• Sarah Whenham (NRI, completed in 2024)
• Razak Kiribou (NRI and RSIF PASET programme)
• Jane Gachambi Mwangi (NRI and RSIF PASET programme, completed in 2024)
• Diana Tixi (NRI, completed in 2024)
• Emily Massingham (University of Queensland, completed in 2023)

Associate Editor for the British Ecological Society (BES) journal People and Nature

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/25758314

Committee member of IPBES for Task Force for Scenarios and Models and IUCN Oil Crops Task Force