It’s common that I’m asked, ‘Are ecosystemsHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when …
Animal ImpactAustraliaChaos reductionFeaturedFood pyramidsFood securityGrasslandInvertebratesMigrationRewildingWhy animals are important
Insect rewilding. Love and hate in grasshopper country
A little known insect rewilding project happened this week in Melbourne Australia. Several thousand Key’s Matchstick Grasshoppers were introduced into Royal Park. Rewilding is modern conservationWhy is animal conservation important? …
Animal ImpactBirdsFeaturedFood pyramidsHumans as animalsInvertebratesNutrient transferPest / disease reduction
The importance of bird life in your garden
A European Robin feeds a caterpillar to its chick. A common sight in English gardens, this epitomises animal impactWhat is Animal Impact? Without wildlife, Earth would not be habitable for …
Animal ImpactBiodiversity processesFeaturedFishFood pyramidsNature-based SolutionsRewildingUncategorizedUnlisted
Fish control starfish on the Great Barrier Reef
The Australian Institute of Marine Sciences claimed to be the first to demonstrate the role of fisheries in crown-of-thorns outbreaks. The fact that fish control starfish on the Great Barrier …
The underlying simplicity of ecological system structure Ecology gives you an understanding of how most things work and that ecosystemsHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that …
Biodiversity processesChaos reductionFeaturedFood pyramidsNature-based SolutionsOceansSharks and RaysSustainability
Sharks scare dugongs and increase seagrass resilience to climate change
A paper just published in the Journal of Animal Ecology [1] looks at how sharks scare dugongs and increase seagrass in a tropical environment. While their modelThe process, either mathematically …
AmplificationBiodiversity processesChaos reductionClimate stabilityFishFood pyramidsFood securityNature-based SolutionsNutrient transferOceansRewildingSustainability
Animals control the health of the sea: it’s why tuna are much better off in the sea
I’ve been asked, is the ocean more important than land? This really depends on your context (as I discussed in this previous blog “Is the Ocean or Land more Important?“). …
Animal ImpactBiodiversity processesChaos reductionConservation principlesFood pyramidsMegafaunaNature-based SolutionsRewildingWhy animals are important
What is a keystone species? Animals stabilise ecosystems, not drive them
What is a keystone species? The term was coined by American zoologist Robert Paine in 1969 as meaning an animal that has disproportionate effect on its surroundings. Conservationists will often use …
Wherever I read about animals or discuss wildlife, conservationists are obsessed with the negative impacts we have on animals. It’s an unsurprising but human-centric view that biases judgement about conservationWhy …
