Hugh Possingham
@hugepossum.bsky.social
Birdwatcher, conservation scientist and mathematician
How do you know whether or not your conservation monitoring program is helping you to deliver outcomes? We have made a checklist of 15 distinct reasons - some more directly connected to outcomes than others.
Royal Society Publishing@royalsocietypublishing.org · 8mo ago2025 Georgina Mace Review now out in #ProcB - How monitoring matters for nature #conservation: 15 reasons framed in a theory of change #OpenAccess royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Our rapid assessment of the #EPBC Act reform package that's set to pass the senate theconversation.com/long-sought-... - Led by Justine Bell-James, with @drphilmccormack.bsky.social @yungenchee.bsky.social and me. #ESA2025 @aunz.theconversation.com @biodivcouncil.bsky.social @ecolsocaus.bsky.social
Long-sought environmental law reform is finally here. But will the compromise deal actually protect nature?
After years of failed attempts, Australia’s environmental laws are finally getting an overhaul. But will they stop the damage done to nature?
theconversation.com
Cane toads are advancing on WA's unique Pilbara region. @judydunlop.bsky.social and her team have a plan to stop them! @ecolsocaus.bsky.social #ESA2025 🌏 we're hearing about the Toad Containment Zone - creating a waterless barrier across the Pilbara to stop the invasion. 🐸
“Bold actions for a resilient future” is the theme of the #ESA2025 conference @ecolsocaus.bsky.social . At 10:30am I will give my talk in the session on “extreme weather” and provide the answer to the question - it is 6, if you can’t get there or have better places to be.
Spider expert reaches milestone of naming 1000 species www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Naming species is crucial to conserving them according to spider expert - ABC listen
Living scientist Dr Mark Harvey reaches rare milestone of naming 1000 species of invertebrates.
abc.net.au
Annual salary for a Professor at the ANU in 2025 is $227,921 services.anu.edu.au/human-resour... , yet Genevieve Bell will be getting over *double* that, plus a $400k golden handshake for VC, PLUS $200k in research funds. Yet apparently ANU is in a budget crisis? Absolute rot in uni governance
NTEU ACT@nteuact.bsky.social · 8mo agoFormer #ANU Vice-Chancellor, Genevieve Bell, will receive remuneration of more than half a million a year for the next five years - despite taking 12 months off. For context, that's more than ANU hoped to 'save' annually by disestablishing the School of Music. 🫠 @nteunion.bsky.social
Leading conservation, environmental, policy, economic, and legal experts speak up and out about the Group of Eight's position on #EPBC Act reforms. Thank you to all involved! Full statement www.linkedin.com/feed/update/... #ESA2025
Independent statement of the Go8's EPBC Act stance | Justine Bell-James
This week is critical, make-or-break for environmental law reform. As 90 of Australia's leading biodiversity and climate researchers at Group of Eight (Go8) institutions, we publicly disagree with Go8...
linkedin.com
Fab talk from @megcevans.bsky.social about government trying to use capitalism (for profit model) to attempt to solve problems created by capitalism (environmental damage and biodiversity loss). But $2bn to solve biodiversity crisis isn't much compared to many other publicly funded things. #esa2025
Do I see a tiny uptick in the TSX? Has the inexorable decline stopped, or is it just a wobble on the path to mass extinction? Www.tsx.org.au
Threatened Species Index@aus-tsx.bsky.social · 8mo agoWe are thrilled to announce the release of the 2025 Threatened Species Index! The latest data indicate that threatened and near-threatened species in Australia have declined by an average of 75% since 1985. View the latest trends here: tsx.org.au/tsx2025 @tern-aus.bsky.social 🦎🐸🐦🌿🐨
And this morning there was Peregrine Falcon at uni footbridge, Black Cockies are about, two Night Heron behind zoo
Hugh Possingham@hugepossum.bsky.social · 9mo agoLooking for a nice bird, flower, Rakali, reptile, frog walk at #ESA2025 this week - head to the St Peter’s billabong @ecolsocaus.bsky.social - darter, water skink, c30 bird species, and lots of native plants. Little grassbird and reed warbler nesting.
🌳🌿💚 Monday morning good news story! Following strong opposition from local councils & residents, Alcoa has shelved its plans to explore the Perth Hills #jarrah #forests for its #bauxite mining expansion... for now at least. #wildoz #conservation #ozflora #trees www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Alcoa shelves plans to explore Perth Hills for mining expansion
US mining giant Alcoa will withdraw part of its plans to expand its mining operations in the world's only jarrah forests, following community concerns around water security and environmental impacts.
abc.net.au
For attendees of #ESA2025 that might be interested.
Professor Euan Ritchie FAMS@euanritchie.bsky.social · 9mo agoI love Northern Australia, and it breaks my heart what's happening and is planned for this region. More people need to know why this place is so special and what's at risk, so I wrote about it. My first article for @australiainstitute.org.au's The Point. thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...
#esa2025 Keynote presentation from Tiahni Adamson #BushHeritage speaking about #FirstNations governance and #RightWay science. First Nations leadership is not only the right thing to do but leads to more effective #ecological outcomes
For those who love plants, many groups have been restoring the vegetation of the Adelaide Plains, once harbouring 750 species! Head east along the river towards the St Peter’s billabong. Some things in flower: Linum marginale, Goodenia amplexans (strong smell) and Malva #ESA2025
We donate $25,000 a year to Nature Glenelg Trust. They do remarkable on-ground work for biodiversity in the places that we love #ESA2025. Eaglehawk waterhole, an NGT property, south of Bordertown, probably has South Australia’s best woodland bird diversity.
Ecological Society of Australia@ecolsocaus.bsky.social · 9mo ago💚 Huge thanks for helping bring ESA2025 to life. Nature Glenelg Trust – restoring ecosystems and supporting #ESA2025. natureglenelg.org.au/%E2%81%A0 #ecology #restoration
Looking for a nice bird, flower, Rakali, reptile, frog walk at #ESA2025 this week - head to the St Peter’s billabong @ecolsocaus.bsky.social - darter, water skink, c30 bird species, and lots of native plants. Little grassbird and reed warbler nesting.
Register now if you’d like to be a judge for student presentations at #ESA2025 👇
Ecological Society of Australia@ecolsocaus.bsky.social · 9mo agoWe're looking for volunteers to help Judge the 2025 Student Conference Awards! (Judges must have completed a PhD and not be a current student.) Register here 👉 www.ecolsoc.org.au/volunteer-ju...
The conference app & Bluesky are the place to be for any live updates. Follow the #ESA2025 feed to see everyone's posts tinyurl.com/bdh9asy2 - use the hashtag to be featured!
Busting all our assumptions about sexual dimorphism, bird colour and song, Kristal Cain gets #AOC2025 off to a rollicking start!
A few home truths about the orange-bellied parrot, an excellent #AOC2025 plenary from @teamswiftparrot.bsky.social
Yet another Australian extinction - www.theguardian.com/environment/.... Ironically the federal government is still allowing the destruction of the habitat for nationally listed threatened species - species such as the Eyre Peninsula southern emuwren and koala #biodiversity #murraywatt
And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct
The tally of Australian mammals extinct since 1788 is now 39 species – far more than for any other country
theguardian.com
Ok, here’s my starter pack! go.bsky.app/4ASwaLv Non-exhaustive list!
“Positive talks” with the Coalition while “even the select group of environment and industry lobby groups who meet weekly with Watt to discuss EPBC reform are yet to see draft legislation”. Albanese and Watt are shitting on us, folks.
With climate trigger axed Labor wants to rush new environmental laws through after ‘positive’ talks with Coalition
Proposed timeframe leaves 12 days to scrutinise most significant changes to national environmental protection regime since 1999
theguardian.com
New blog: As a grant peer reviewer I consider Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) even if the scheme doesn't list EDI criteria. Key is to tie the selection criteria to EDI. This is how I do it mathemagicalconservation.wordpress.com/2025/09/23/a... @katehelmstedt.bsky.social @hugepossum.bsky.social
As a grant reviewer, how do you request Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, even if it isn’t an explicit selection criterion
Many funding schemes now include equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) as an explicit selection criterion. But what happens when it isn’t written into the rubric? Should applicants still consider …
mathemagicalconservation.wordpress.com
Excellent advice from Hugh Possingham on monitoring conservation projects and why most Monitoring and Evaluation is flawed. youtu.be/qa6Ewt-W5mU?...
Why most conservation projects fail to learn
YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts
youtu.be
We illustrate this with the Putumayo Trinational Corridor (Colombia, Ecuador & Peru). There, structured decision-making helped align shared goals and coordinate transboundary actions to conserve biodiversity while strengthening local communities.
Imagine an Amazon where nations work together, rivers still fly moisture to the Andes, jaguars roam safely, and Indigenous voices guide decisions. 🌿✨ Our new @pnas.org piece explores how this future can be real. 🔗 doi.org/10.1073/pnas... 🧵👇 ¡Arículo en español en el material suplementario!
To implement the Belém Declaration, we need a structured and collaborative approach | PNAS
To implement the Belém Declaration, we need a structured and collaborative approach
doi.org
Join us for the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗔𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗔 & 𝗖𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 with Prof. Hugh Possingham @hugepossum.bsky.social, exploring Impact, failure, and the case for Theory of Change 📅 16 September 2025 🕑 14:00 AWST (Perth) 💻 Online Webinar 👉 Register here: tinyurl.com/aareswa25 #UWA #AARES
