Lyrebirds will make a few appearances in my forthcoming book. Mostly because they are are an outstanding and visible indicator of animal impactWhat is Animal Impact? Without wildlife, Earth would …
Animal Impact
Using species’ potential range as an indicator of conservation importance
A new paper published in the journal Ecological Indicators proposes that we use indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status (Mason et al, 2021). Findings like these should …
Biodiversity Conservation and the Earth System
A recent paper published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution sets out the increasing evidence that loss of large vertebrates in particular, is having massive impacts on ecosystem processes. The …
New research shows the impact of climate change on forests is to “scramble the biological clock of the forest floor“. The study shows how the change in timing of various …
Addressing the rapid decline of insects means having more insect-eating birds
The life-histories of insects and vertebrates are coupled. Predator and prey cannot exist without one-another. Species richnessThe number of species within a given area. Note, this is often confused with …
Under the heading “Boy, 7, is rushed to hospital in a serious condition after a suspected shark attack at a beach south of Melbourne”, the UK’s Daily Mail reported a …
Climate models routinely overlook biodiversityWhat is the definition of biodiversity? When we ask, what is the definition of biodiversity? It depends on what we want to do with it. The …
Animals and ocean deoxygenation
A paper just published A 2021 Horizon Scan of Emerging Global Biological Conservation Issues (Sutherland et al 2020) identifies “Deoxygenation” impacts on Coral Reef Health and “Increases in Dissolved Iron …
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 …
Persada Health’s malaria initiative in the Papuan regency of Teluk Bintuni, West Papua was awarded a BP Helios Human EnergyEnergy and nutrients are the same thing. Plants capture energy from …
