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 …
Conservation principles
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 …
A pair of identical twins can be born, where one ends up eating meat and the other becoming vegan, or one is a wealthy billionaire and the other works in …
A symptom of the decline in abundance of species is loss of biodiversityWhat is the definition of biodiversity? When we ask, what is the definition of biodiversity? It depends on …
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 …
After brief rainfall in the heat of summer, the stench of ammonia over seabird colonies can be overpowering. Studies have found they can emit as much as 90kg of gaseous …
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 …
