DICE Kent

Leverhulme ‘Space for Nature’ MSc Scholarship Join the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology as a Leverhulme 'Space for Nature' scholar.

*New postgraduate studentship*! ⚠️⬇️

We are now offering fully funded taught MSc in Conservation Science studentships at the University of Kent, particularly targeted towards individuals from underserved backgrounds.

Apply here: ➡️ www.kent.ac.uk/durrell-inst...

#postgraduatescholarships

Endangered shark trophies dominate the online wildlife trade, study finds The wildlife trade, both legal and illegal, depletes biodiversity, with research indicating it results in a staggering two-thirds decline in the populations of some traded species. Which is why, when ...

Great article by @spoorthyraman.bsky.social with comments from me @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social @dice-kent.bsky.social

Endangered shark trophies dominate the online wildlife trade, study finds 🦈 news.mongabay.com/2025/06/enda...

Spatio-temporal variability in forest biodiversity associated with human well-being across socio-economic deprivation gradients - Nature Ecology & Evolution Applying a combined social science and trait-based ecology approach, the authors identify ecological traits in forests eliciting positive or negative well-being among human participants in England and...

New paper out today in
@natecoevo.nature.com on biodiversity & human wellbeing in UK forests, both seasonally and along a gradient of socioeconomic deprivation

Funded by @erc.europa.eu and Woodland Trust 🌳, with lovely @dice-kent.bsky.social team

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

👋 Hello BlueSky! I’m Dr Stephanie Brittain, a Lecturer in Conservation Science at @dice-kent.bsky.social & a Research Fellow @iccs.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk.

I’m also President of the SCB SSWG (Social Science Working Group) @society4conbio.bsky.social scbsocialscience.org #ConSocSci

Please come along to our #ICCB2025 symposium on "Future pathways for area-based conservation" tomorrow, Tues 17, from 3:15 to 4:15 pm in Mezzanine Level Meeting Room M3.

We have a set of excellent speakers talking about how and whether different types of conservation areas fit within GBF Target 3.

Want to join our team of friendly, fun (personal opinion) and interdisciplinary fellows at @dice-kent.bsky.social?

We’re interested in researching nature recovery from ecological, social and policy perspectives

Happy to chat about my life as a fellow!

Apply 👇

🌎 #ConservationScience

Analysis of morphological attributes as a driver of trade in poison dart frogs The unsustainable use of wildlife is a threat to biodiversity on a global scale, and the insatiable demand is driven by the attributes of the species, their parts, and derivatives. However, not all s...

🚨New Paper!🚨'Analysis of morphological attributes as a driver of trade in poison dart frogs' in @conbiology.bsky.social with Puya Jaichand, Iain Fraser & @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social @dice-kent.bsky.social @wildlifetrade.bsky.social #wildlifetrade 🐸☠️🎨💵 doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

There are currently SIX PhD studentships being advertised at DICE - details here:

Exploring scenarios for conservation areas to balance biodiversity and ecosystem services in the UK’s marine environment at University of Kent on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Exploring scenarios for conservation areas to balance biodiversity and ecosystem services in the UK’s marine environment at University of Kent, listed on FindAPhD.com

PhD 2: Exploring scenarios for conservation areas to balance biodiversity and ecosystem services in the UK’s marine environment. Deadline 23/04/25.

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Supervised by Rachel Seary and Bob Smith, funded by Leverhulme.

Understanding and optimising local nature recovery networks in England at University of Kent on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Understanding and optimising local nature recovery networks in England at University of Kent, listed on FindAPhD.com

I am advertising two PhD studentships (part of the six that DICE is currently advertising).

PhD 1: Understanding and optimising local nature recovery networks in England. Deadline 11/05/25.

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Supervised by Bob Smith and Zoe Davies, funded by UKRI E3.

Leverhulme ‘Space for Nature’ Doctoral Scholars (PhD) 4 This Leverhulme PhD scholarship is focused on exploring scenarios for conservation areas to balance biodiversity and ecosystem services in the UK’s marine environment

Fantastic #phd opportunity on #marineconservation working with @dice-kent.bsky.social and #cefas using the #OneBenthic dataset

www.kent.ac.uk/durrell-inst...

A small village surrounded by dense forest and agricultural fields, with mist covering the nearby hills in West Java.

In this video by @nftsfilmtv.bsky.social, @mattstruebig.bsky.social, a Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Awardee @kent.ac.uk talks about defaunation - one of the major global conservation issues of our time. media.leverhulme.ac.uk/video/strueb...

It's sure to be a wonderful event, with speakers from DICE, including alumnae and current students and staff. Come along! #IWD

We congratulate DICE staff members, Dr Jess Fisher and Professor Zoe Davies, on the publication of their groundbreaking research, yesterday featured in the Independent 👏🌲

An image of a blobfish, with a screenshot featuring the Nature Insight logo and the following text: "IPBES Podcast. Nature Insight: Speed Dating with the Future. Season 4 Episode 4"

Charismatic species like lions 🦁 steal the spotlight, but what about the underdogs of nature?

Simon Watt & Prof. Bob Smith join #NatureInsight to discuss the “ugly” species we ignore—and why they deserve a second look. 🌍💔

🎙️ Episode 4 is NOW out: natureinsight.podbean.com

Very much enjoying my first week as a Sharing Space for Nature Research Fellow at Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (@dice-kent.bsky.social). In the theme of new pastures, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to switch over to here!

We are proud to announce the publication of a collaborative research project in Nature Sustainability.

The paper used wildmeat.org to better understand the regional patterns of wild animal hunting in African tropical forests: doi.org/10.1038/s418...

Congratulations to all parties involved!

Remembering our namesake, Gerald Durrell, who today would have turned 100 years old.

A conservationist, naturalist, writer and presenter, his work continues through The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and DICE is a proud partner with them on projects around the world.

#wildlifeconservation

Don't miss this month's DICE Talk! 🚨

23rd January, 6pm 🗓️
Templeman Lecture Theatre 📍

Andre has worked across the RSPB's agenda, including climate change and working to safeguard the legal framework for protecting designated sites.

No booking required.

#dicetalks #lectureseries #conservation

Had an amazing time at #BES2024 @britishecolsoc.bsky.social!

Great to connect with brilliant researchers, share our work on Ethiopia's progress toward #30x30, and get valuable feedback.

Icing on the cake? Tasty Ethiopian food and a chance to practice our Amharic—bringing back fieldwork memories!🌍

Very excited to start as a Research Fellow at @dice-kent.bsky.social this week, joining the E3 Sharing Space for Nature project. Had a very warm welcome from everyone this week and I can’t wait to see what’s to come!

Keep an eye out for updates on the project: t.co/Lsq4uMqhMO

CR2025_02: Network approaches to rewilding Britain’s ecosystems at University of Reading on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - CR2025_02: Network approaches to rewilding Britain’s ecosystems at University of Reading, listed on FindAPhD.com

Interested in #rewilding? Looking for a cool PhD project? This may be for you - based in Swansea (in Miguel’s lab), co-supervised by ZSL Science (me) and Rewilding Britain (Sahran). At the interface between community, ecosystem and applied ecology :)

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

This is the first #ConservationJob I've posted over here, & it's a corker!
I only joined the team here at Durrell recently & I'm very glad I did. We're now looking for an Impact Officer to join us in the Conservation Knowledge team.
www.durrell.org/get-involved...
#Conservation
#Job
#EnvironmentJob

Opportunity to join @dice-kent.bsky.social as a funded PhD student working on wild pigs and the impacts of African Swine Fever in Indonesia.

🐗🐗🐗🐗🐗🐗🐗🐗🐗🐗🐗

Today is Wildlife Conservation Day! 🌱

At DICE, we are proud to celebrate and champion conservation through our research. Our programmes have trained over 1000 conservation scientists and biodiversity managers to-date.

As we come to the end of the year, how will you champion conservation in 2025?

Photo of Sao Tome and Principe archipelago from https://www.saotomechoice.com/about/

Land use categories for São Tomé island in West Africa

📢 Interested in island bats in West Africa? 🦇🦇

Check out our new paper led by Ana Sofia Castro-Fernandes investigating how bats respond to land use change, including island endemics doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

PI's - @ricardonature.bsky.social & Ana Filipa Palmeirim

🚨New Paper🚨'Inferring species #extinction from sighting data' by McCrea, Cheale, Campillo-Funollet & @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social @dice-kent.bsky.social & Uni. Lancaster in Cambridge Prisms: Extinction inc. RShiny App👇 doi.org/10.1017/ext....

Outdoor health intervention for refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers: A mixed-methods pilot study Despite the multifaceted and diverse challenges that refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers experience when entering a new country, they remain notabl…

We evaluated a nature-based health intervention for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Edinburgh

Open access in Health & Place, led by Charlotte Wendleboe-Nelson, with support from @ritasousasilva.bsky.social, @melissamarselle.bsky.social, and others 👏

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I've written a blog on the background to our new Sharing Space for Nature project and why we need more ambition in conservation.

As part of this I discuss the Lawton review, a key influence on conservation in England, and how its central mantra is often misquoted.

blogs.kent.ac.uk/dice/2024/11...

Happy 35th birthday @dice-kent.bsky.social - delighted to attend the launch of E3 Sharing Space for Nature