Grub Hub for Fat Bats

Winifred Frick and colleagues share their latest research that tested a novel conservation approach targeted at improving foraging conditions near bat hibernacula with the overall aim of improving habitat conditions that can aid population resilience and recovery. Can we make them fatter? This was the million-dollar question that started the Fat Bat program at Bat Conservation International (BCI). It took a couple years of trial, … Continue reading Grub Hub for Fat Bats

Georgina Mace Prize 2022: Winner announced for early career researcher award

We’re excited to announce Luke Potgieter as the winner of the 2022 Georgina Mace Prize, celebrating the best article in the journal by an author at the start of their career. Winner: Luke Potgieter Research: Prioritizing sites for terrestrial invasive alien plant management in urban ecosystems About the research Rapid urbanization is placing increased pressure on natural, restored and designed ecosystems to provide services to … Continue reading Georgina Mace Prize 2022: Winner announced for early career researcher award

Douglas Cirino: A distribuição espacial equilibrada das áreas verdes cria paisagens urbanas mais saudáveis

Finalista do Southwood Prize 2022 Este post também está disponível em inglês aqui. Douglas Cirino discute o artigo dele e de colegas de pesquisa que explora como as paisagens urbanas são mais saudáveis aquelas que compartilham o espaço da cidade com a vegetação. São Paulo Ao chegar pela primeira vez em São Paulo, a maior metrópole do mundo fora da Ásia, fiquei chocado com a … Continue reading Douglas Cirino: A distribuição espacial equilibrada das áreas verdes cria paisagens urbanas mais saudáveis

Douglas Cirino: Balanced spatial distribution of green areas creates healthier urban landscapes

Shortlisted for the Southwood Prize 2022 This post is also available in Brazilian Portuguese here. Douglas Cirino discusses his and research colleagues’ article which explores how healthier urban landscapes are those that share city space with greenery. São Paulo Upon arriving in São Paulo, the largest metropolis in the world outside of Asia, I was shocked by the amount of concrete used to build the city. As a … Continue reading Douglas Cirino: Balanced spatial distribution of green areas creates healthier urban landscapes

How can we make solar energy work for the environment as much as for the climate?

Drawing from his team’s latest Perspective piece, Fabio Carvalho provides an overview of the growth of the solar energy industry in the UK and how we can better evaluate its impact on the environment. Solar farms are fast becoming a common sight across Britain. It is not hard to spot one by the side of a road or by going up a hill and looking … Continue reading How can we make solar energy work for the environment as much as for the climate?

Luke Potgieter: Prioritizing sites to manage invasive aliens in urban ecosystems

Shortlisted for the Georgina Mace Prize 2022 In their latest research article, Luke Potgieter and colleagues developed a strategic, spatial prioritization approach for identifying sites most vulnerable to new or expanding terrestrial non-native plant invasions in urban landscapes. Cities have historically been under-studied in ecology and have not seen sufficient development of conservation and biodiversity management policy. This dearth of urban-focused applied ecology and conservation … Continue reading Luke Potgieter: Prioritizing sites to manage invasive aliens in urban ecosystems

FAR-sighted conservation: Facing the inevitability of ongoing environmental change

Chris Thomas and colleagues describe their latest Perspective article outlining a new framework – Facilitate-Accept-Resist (FAR) – that operationalizes conservation decision-making in a way that leads to greater adoption of positive biodiversity change. Conservation is in a bind. The biological world is changing, and so are our human priorities. When we declare a nature reserve on the basis of a particular species, for example, is … Continue reading FAR-sighted conservation: Facing the inevitability of ongoing environmental change

Eight steps to urban amphibian conservation: Framework to translate ecological knowledge to action

New research by Lee et al. demonstrates the utility of an eight-step framework to identify priority wetland habitats and movement corridors for urban amphibian conservation in cities. Author Nicole Kahal explains more in this blog post. Amphibians are one of the most imperilled species assemblages with diversity and abundance declines reported globally. Considered a key indicator of ecological condition, amphibians face many challenges in the … Continue reading Eight steps to urban amphibian conservation: Framework to translate ecological knowledge to action

De Frenne & Vangansbeke: How dogs fertilize nature reserves and woodlands close to cities

Research by De Frenne et al. published earlier this year revealed that dogs excrements contribute a significant amount of nutrients to nature reserves and warned of their potential negative impact on local biodiversity. Here, the authors respond to the international media coverage and the subsequent questions and comments they have received since their study went global. We recently published an article in Ecological Solutions and … Continue reading De Frenne & Vangansbeke: How dogs fertilize nature reserves and woodlands close to cities

Georgina Mace Prize 2021: early career researcher winner announced

We’re excited to announce Sara Bronwen Hunter as the winner of the 2021 Georgina Mace Prize, celebrating the best Research Article in the journal by an author at the start of their career. Winner: Sara Bronwen Hunter Research: Evidence shortfalls in the recommendations and guidance underpinning ecological mitigation for infrastructure developments About the research Infrastructure expansion is one of the most significant pressures on biodiversity … Continue reading Georgina Mace Prize 2021: early career researcher winner announced