Ricardo Rocha
@ricardonature.bsky.social
Assoc. Prof. in Conservation Science @biology.ox.ac.uk Advocate for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. 2020 National Geographic Explorer. 🦇🏝️🦎🐈⬛ // @iccs.bsky.social https://iccs.org.uk/author/ricardo-rocha/
Infrastructure for African mines destroying forests at 34 times the rate of the mines themselves phys.org/news/2026-06...
Infrastructure for African mines destroying forests at 34 times the rate of the mines themselves
Industrial-scale mining in Africa to support global supply chains is leading to unprecedented deforestation across the continent, with 34 hectares of forest removed for every single hectare of active ...
phys.org
Amazing time at the 35th LUOVA Spring Symposium held in Viikki @helsinki.fi, organised by PhD researchers. Grateful to this year’s keynote speakers @ricardonature.bsky.social, @profkathrynelmer.bsky.social, and Marco Gamba for their talks, insights, and engagement with the community of PhDs.
🔔 Applications are still open to join us an Associate Editor! 🐝 Pollinator ecology 🌊 Marine plants 🧬 Population genetics ⏳️ Phenology 🌱Plant-soil interactions & soil ecology And more! Follow the link for more info👉️ buff.ly/cIwdUMx
🦇 We are lucky to have 18 resident bat species in the UK and they make up almost a quarter of our British mammal species. At the national scale, none of the 11 UK bat species we are able to monitor are declining but it is important to put things into context:
Are UK bats threatened? - Threats to bats - Bat Conservation Trust
We are lucky to have 18 resident bat species in the UK and they make up almost a quarter of our British mammal species.Some bats are too rare or elusive...
bats.org.uk
"A captive “back breeding” programme began in 2017, for which 23 hybrid tortoises most closely related to the Floreana subspecies were chosen to recreate it as genetically close to the original as possible." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
Floreana giant tortoise reintroduced to Galápagos island after almost 200 years
Subspecies driven to extinction by hungry whalers returns after ‘back breeding’ programme using partial descendants
theguardian.com
There are 1500 scientifically described bat species in the world, representing a huge diversity. Beyond providing sheer magical wonder, they also play a critical role in ecosystems. www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/w...
Why bats matter - About Bats - Bat Conservation Trust
Bats matter across the UK and around the world. Bat species play a vital role in ecosystems, from agricultural land to tropical forests. They pollinate ...
bats.org.uk
Of course, the main problem that is holding back effective conservation is not the lack of evidence It’s vested interests preventing the transformative change needed in the scale & ambition of conservation actions www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem — it’s time to fix it
Globally, more than one million species are threatened with extinction, but often interventions intended to protect biodiversity are not rooted in robust research. The field has an opportunity to chan...
nature.com
🦇 Bats matter to farming and the economy because they eat crop-damaging insects, reducing pesticide use and protecting harvests — helping farmers save money while supporting ecosystem health and food security. Learn more:
Bats, food security and the economy - Why bats matter - Bat Conservation Trust
Bats matter to farming and the economy because they eat crop-damaging insects, reducing pesticide use and protecting harvests — helping farmers save mon...
bats.org.uk
"Researchers found no evidence that Indigenous People over-hunted birds to extinction. Instead, the authors suggest a new theory: the birds died out because of a combination of climate change, invasive species and changes in how the land was used" phys.org/news/2026-01...
Myth of Native Hawaiians causing bird extinctions debunked by study
Challenging a 50-year-old narrative about Hawaiʻi's native birds, a new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa found no scientific evidence that Indigenous People hunted waterbird species to ex...
phys.org
Dog–wildlife interactions across Spain suggest vulnerability in periurban areas and aquatic ecosystems link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Client Challenge
link.springer.com
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Aliens: the spread of invasive plants and animals across Europe – in pictures
Erik Irmer has been documenting the spread of invasive plant and animal species that disrupt native ecology across Europe. He focuses on humans’ interactions with these plants and animals. Aliens is p...
theguardian.com
“Hares are shot… because some landowners believe the countryside is overpopulated with the animals” Yet “hare populations have declined by 80% over the past century” Another example of why ‘stakeholder opinion’ should be treated warily by conservation ecologists www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Shooting hares in England to be banned for most of the year
Exclusive: Ministers also expected to announce trail-hunting ban in sweeping changes to animal welfare law
theguardian.com
Wildlife temporal behaviors in response to human activity changes during and following COVID-19 park closures vist.ly/4j5pb #CameraTraps #Covid19 #UrbanEcology
#BatYearReview We have 18 resident bat species in the UK, 17 of which are known to breed here but 2025 is the year in which the 1500 bat species was scientifically described. #bats 🦇
🦇 (thread) We've added more courses and events to our bat calendar! Here are some highlights for the first quarter of 2026: - Scoping surveys for arborists. Online over two afternoons on the 4 & 11 February. - Consultant's Forum. Online on the 10 February. www.bats.org.uk/events 📷(c) Hugh Clark
NEW VACANCY - Come and join our team as the Head of Fundraising (2 year Fixed-term, Part-time 22.5hrs per week; 0.6 FTE). Deadline for Applications: 9am Monday 12th January 2026 🦇 www.bats.org.uk/the-trust/jo...
Head of Fundraising - Jobs / Contracts - Bat Conservation Trust
2 year Fixed-term, Part-time 22.5hrs per week (0.6 FTE)£40,000-£42,500 pro rataHybrid working arrangements possible
bats.org.uk
La historia de los balleneros vascos en Labrador en el sXVI es alucinante, y este Documentos de RNE la cuenta divinamente Una de las primeras industrias globalizadas (hilo de 5 posts) www.rtve.es/play/audios/...
Documentos RNE - Los balleneros vascos - 10/08/16
Emisión del programa Documentos RNE titulado Los balleneros vascos. Todos los contenidos de RNE los tienes aquí, en RTVE Play
rtve.es
Found only in the Galapagos Islands the marine iguana is the only marine lizard species in the world, they can dive as deep as 30m (98 ft) and spend up to 30 minutes at a time underwater 📹Shelton Dupreez
The Agriculture and Fisheries Council @consilium.europa.eu will probably decide these days the extension of current (poor, useless) restrictions to eel exploitation. In the 5th year of zero-catch advice, @ec.europa.eu (may) insist on refusing to protect the eel theconversation.com/eels-have-fa...
Eels have fascinated us for ages - now we need to stop eating them
No one would think of eating an endangered animal like the Iberian lynx. So why do we still eat eels?
theconversation.com
There is one overriding political problem, from which all others follow. Until it is addressed, every policy advanced by governments is window dressing. www.theguardian.com/inequality/2...
Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds
Data from World Inequality Report also showed top 10% of income-earners earn more than the other 90%
theguardian.com
🪶🌎🧪 WE'RE HIRING!!! Want to band fabulous birds on a far-flung island in the Western Pacific? We need to fill these 2 positions ASAP. More information here: birdpop.org/docs/job...
“Despite reports of catastrophic insect declines, their global status remains unclear due to … a massive lack of data” Poorly evidenced reports of huge losses do insects a disservice & do not help with planning appropriate action www.ceh.ac.uk/press/some-i...
‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’
Little is known about how 99% of insect species globally are faring and a new approach is needed to better monitor species and protect them, according to a study led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hyd...
ceh.ac.uk
Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶
BBC News - Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy www.bbc.com/news/article...
Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy
Prof Sir Paul Nurse says the UK is "shooting itself in the foot" with its visa system for researchers.
bbc.com
Climate change and overfishing threaten African Penguins. BirdLife South Africa are fighting for this species’ future www.theguardian.com/environment/...
60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study
Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research finds
theguardian.com
It is all too easy to regard new monitoring tech as the solution to environmental problems All they do is expose in greater detail our degradation of the Earth We need to use on that information to spur action - don’t just observe, act
How can we monitor biodiversity on a budget? In this article, Moore et al discuss optimizing camera trap selection in a biodiversity hotspot.🌿 Find their #openaccess article at doi.org/10.1111/csp2... #conservation #biodiversity #science
Monitoring biodiversity on a budget: Optimizing camera trap selection in a biodiversity hotspot
This study evaluates two common camera trap models used to monitor wildlife in a global biodiversity hotspot. We found that while Reconyx cameras provide marginally higher detectability, Swift camera...
doi.org
Every pound donated gets doubled until midday on Tuesday 9th December or once we reach our target. Help us continue to provide A Voice For Bats at this critical moment donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
A voice for bats – Big Give
The legislation that protects bats is at risk, which is threatening recent population recovery and endangering bat species at risk …
donate.biggive.org
Bat Conservation Trust@batconservation.bsky.social · 9mo ago🦇 Our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge campaign 'A voice for bats' is live! For one week only (until midday, 9 December) every donation up to £10,000 will be DOUBLED. Donations must be made here: donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05... . Every donation, big or small, helps. #GivingTuesday
