Publications

Edited books:

• McClure, C. J. W., L. Dunn, J. A. Johnson, T. E. Katzner, R. Gumbs, and E. R. Buechley, editors. 2025. State of the World’s Raptors. The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho, USA.

Peer-reviewed publications:

• Kane, D., L. T. Nguyen, T. D. T. Tran, R. Gumbs, P. A. Jervis, T. A. McCormack, and B. Tapley. 2026. A preliminary survey of the reptiles of Mount Po Ma Lung, with two new country records for Vietnam. Zootaxa, 5777(1), pp.195-200.
• Pipins, S., M. Böhm, L. Bland, K. A. Crandall, M. A. Hossain, J. Rosindell, and R. Gumbs. 2026. Phylogenetically‐Informed Crayfish Conservation in the Face of Climate Change. Animal Conservation.
• Lacher Jr, T.E., S.H. Butchart, R. Gumbs, B. Long, C. Lopez-Gallego, D. Raimondo, A. T. Simkins, S. Sunarto, and M. Hoffmann. 2025. The status, threats and conservation of Critically Endangered species. Nature Reviews Biodiversity, 1(7), pp.421-438.
• Cash, L., R. Gumbs, and E. S. Devenish-Nelson. 2025. Assessing gecko susceptibility to international wildlife trade: A novel trait-based framework. Biological Conservation, 311, p.111397.
• Rodríguez‐Caro, R.C., R. Gumbs, E. Graciá, S. P. Blomberg, H. Cayuela, M. K. Grace, C. P. Carmona, H. A. Pérez‐Mendoza, A. Giménez, K. J. Davis, and R. Salguero‐Gómez. 2025. Synergistic and Additive Effects of Multiple Threats Erode Phylogenetic and Life History Strategy Diversity in Testudines and Crocodilia. Ecology Letters, 28(6), p.e70147.
• Lyakurwa, J. V., S. P. Loader, W. Ngalason, R. Gumbs, C. Ofori-Boateng, H. C. Liedtke. 2024. Kimboza, a small lowland forest with an outstanding herpetofauna diversity in East Africa. Ecology and Evolution 14(10):e70406
• Pipins, S., J. E. Baillie., A. Bowmer, L. J. Pollock, N. R. Owen, R. Gumbs. 2024. Advancing EDGE Zones to identify spatial conservation priorities of tetrapod evolutionary history. Nature Communications 15:7672.
• Marquis, D.B., B. L. Mashanga, B. Tapley, O. R. Wearn, O. Couchman, R. Gumbs, C. L. Gray, N. R. Owen, M. Rowcliffe. 2024. Spatial ecology of the Endangered and endemic Sagalla caecilian Boulengerula niedeni in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya. Herpetological Journal 34(3):163-171.
• Rakotondrina, A. J., R. R. Andriantsimanarilafy, H. J. Razafimanahaka, A. P. Raselimanana, R. Gumbs, C. Ofori-Boateng, J. Taft, F. M. Ratsoavina. 2024. New distribution records and population density of the Critically Endangered Tarzan Chameleon (Calumma tarzan), eastern Madagascar. African Journal of Herpetology 73(1):36–47.
• Gumbs R., O. Scott, R. Bates, M. Böhm, F. Forest, C. L. Gray, M. Hoffmann, D. Kane, C. Low, W. D. Pearse, S. Pipins, B. Tapley, S. T. Turvey, W. Jetz, N. R. Owen, J. Rosindell. 2024. Global conservation status of the jawed vertebrate Tree of Life. Nature Communications 15:1101.
• Rosindell J., K. Manson, R. Gumbs, W. D. Pearse, M. Steel. 2024. Phylogenetic Biodiversity Metrics Should Account for Both Accumulation and Attrition of Evolutionary Heritage. Systematic Biology 73(1):158-182.
• Gumbs R., C. L. Gray, M. Hoffmann, N. R. Owen, R. Molina-Venegas, L. J. Pollock. 2023. Conserving avian evolutionary history can effectively safeguard future benefits for people. Science Advances 9(38).
• McClure C., I. Berkunsky, E. R. Buechley, L. Dunn, J. Johnson, J McCabe, S. Oppel, B. Rolek, L. Sutton, R. Gumbs. 2023. Conserving the evolutionary history of birds. Conservation Biology 37(6):e14141.
• Gumbs R.,  A. Chaudhary,  B. H. Daru, D. P. Faith,  F. Forest, C. L. Gray, A. Kowalska, W.S. Lee,  R. Pellens, S. Pipins, L. J. Pollock,  J. Rosindell, R. A. Scherson,  N. R. Owen. 2023. Indicators to monitor the status of the tree of life. Conservation Biology 37(6):e14138.
• Gumbs R., C. L. Gray, M. Böhm, I. J. Burfield, O. R. Couchman, D. P. Faith, F. Forest, M. Hoffmann, N. J. B. Isaac, W. Jetz, G. M. Mace, A. O. Mooers, K. Safi, O. Scott, M. Steel, C. M. Tucker, W. D. Pearse , N. R. Owen , J. Rosindell. 2023. The EDGE2 protocol: Advancing the prioritisation of Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered species for practical conservation action. PLoS Biology 21(2):e3001991.
• Robuchon M., J. da Silva, G. Dubois, R. Gumbs, S. Hoban, L. Laikre, N. R. Owen, A. Perino. 2023. Conserving species’ evolutionary potential and history: Opportunities under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Conservation Science and Practice 5(6):e12929.
• Griffith, P., J. W. Lang, S. T. Turvey, R. Gumbs. 2023. Using functional traits to identify conservation priorities for the world’s crocodylians. Functional Ecology 37(1):112-124.
• Martín, G., J. Erinjery, R. Gumbs, R. Somaweera, D. Ediriweera, P. J. Diggle, A. Kasturiratne, H. J. de Silva, D. G. Lalloo, T. Iwamura, K. A. Murray. 2021. Integrating snake distribution, abundance and expert-derived behavioural traits predicts snakebite risk. Journal of Applied Ecology 59(2):611-623.
• Murali, G., R. Gumbs, Meiri, S. & Roll, U. 2021. Global determinants and conservation of evolutionary and geographic rarity in land vertebrates. Science Advances 7(42).
• Gumbs, R., C. L. Gray, M. Böhm, M. Hoffmann, R. Grenyer, W. Jetz, S. Meiri, U. Roll, N. R. Owen, and J. Rosindell. 2020. Global priorities for conservation of reptilian phylogenetic diversity in the face of human impacts. Nature Communications 11:2616.
• Gumbs, R., R. C. Williams, A. M. Lowney, and D. Smith. 2020. Spatial and species-level metrics reveal global patterns of irreplaceable and imperiled gecko phylogenetic diversity. Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution 66(3-4):239–252.
• Owen, N. R., R. Gumbs, C. L. Gray, and D. P. Faith. 2019. Global conservation of phylogenetic diversity captures more than just functional diversity. Nature Communications 10:859.
• Gumbs, R., C. L. Gray, O. R. Wearn, and N. R. Owen. 2018. Tetrapods on the EDGE: Overcoming data limitations to identify phylogenetic conservation priorities. PLoS One 13(4): e0194680.
• Tapley, B., C. Michaels, R. Gumbs, J. Luedtke, M. Böhm, P. Pearce-Kelly and J. Rowley. 2018. The disparity between species description and conservation assessment: a case study in taxa with high rates of species discovery. Biological Conservation 220:209-214.
• Tapley, B., et al. 2017. Zoological Society of London: contributions towards advancing the field of herpetology through conservation, research, captive management and education. Herpetological Bulletin 139(1):1-6