Heather Richardson

This is all kinds of awful: theconversation.com/israeli-doct... via @theconversation.com #humanrights

Good luck! 💪

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Sadly satisfying 📧

In Brazil’s Pantanal, too many tourists may be the jaguar’s new predator PORTO JOFRE, Brazil — When Oscar de Morais isn’t out tracking jaguars, you’ll find him aboard his houseboat moored along the banks of the São Lourenço River. He sits beneath a mosquito net on two stac...

"...where wildlife tourism has led to overcrowding or habitat degradation, demand often remains disconnected from the reality on the ground." news.mongabay.com/2025/09/in-b... via @mongabay.com #tourism #conservation

‘To look after nature, you look after people’ — indigenous Tsitsikamma anglers speak of their connection to the ocean Local indigenous anglers Edward Bernado (71) and Henrico Bruiners (61) of Tsitsikamma describe angling not just as a way to catch fish, but as an ancestral practice that connects them to the sea, to n...

"Beyond numbers and compliance reports, men like Bernado and Bruiners stress what is at stake: a way of life that connects families to the sea and creates a deep respect for nature."

On a shift away from #fortressconservation in #SouthAfrica:

www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025...

The race to stop mirror organisms If created, these versions of the building blocks of life could lead to environmental and ecological disaster

"If [mirror life] is achieved and Pandora’s box opens it could pose extraordinary risks. Mirror bacteria could evade our immune systems, confound our medicines and escape many of nature’s checks and balances."

Gift article link: on.ft.com/41xRvBX #biology #science

Surrey police pose as joggers to catch men harassing women out exercising Undercover female officers deployed in pilot scheme to tackle catcalling, resulting in 18 arrests

"Eighteen people have been arrested after a police force sent out female undercover officers posing as joggers to catch men harassing women while they are out exercising." 🙌 via @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025... #running

Death of a publishing dream: how the Unbound revolution b... The literary disrupters enjoyed great success with their crowdfunding model, signing authors that other publishers overlooked. And then the money ran out…

"Hundreds of authors claim they are collectively owed more than £600,000. Some individuals say they are owed tens of thousands of pounds each." On the Unbound collapse: observer.co.uk/news/busines... via @theobserveruk.bsky.social #publishing

I love random stuff like this. 😂

📍Emo’s Puddle, Sofia. (Sadly dry on my pilgrimage.)

maps.app.goo.gl/sg7vhA93XbnY... #travel #Sofia #Bulgaria

The west ignores Rwanda’s dark side – and political prisoners like my mother pay the price | Rémy Amahirwa She was arrested after planning to run against Paul Kagame. It’s time democracies woke up to the true nature of his regime, says Rémy Amahirwa

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

On the failure of Jonathan Oppenheimer’s Brenthurst Foundation – by @simonallison.bsky.social for @thecontinent.org

Read it (for free) here: thecontinent.org/subscribe

Photo of a galaxy

Images like this will always blow my mind.

"Unlike previous images, which contain just a handful of hues, this one features thousands of colours, representing stars, gas [and] dust". – www.nature.com/immersive/d4... #space #science

Golden eagles were reintroduced to Ireland, but without prey they’re now struggling to thrive Rewilding isn’t just about reintroducing predators. Without prey and habitat restoration, even wild-looking landscapes can’t support them.

"Ecosystems aren’t static. What may have been viable habitat in the 1990s no longer meets the needs of a breeding eagle population today...Something those calling for the reintroduction of other top predators, including wolves, would do well to consider."

theconversation.com/golden-eagle...

Reporting on this topic for a Nature piece – please get in touch if you happen to be using digital twins for ecology research, HWC mitigation, etc.

(Thanks to those who have already reached out!)

First independent survey of deaths in Gaza reports more than 80,000 fatalities Results align with other efforts to count the number of people killed amid the ongoing conflict.

"The researchers estimate that in the 15 months up to 5 January, there were around 75,200 violent deaths in Gaza. Another 8,540 people died of non-violent causes as a result of the war." www.nature.com/articles/d41... via @nature.com

A photo of the annual re-plastering of Djenné’s Great Mosque.

The annual re-plastering of Djenné’s Great Mosque, 📸 via @thecontinent.org #Mali

Stop ignoring small-scale fisheries in economic models Economic policies are lacking in data on small-scale fisheries. A team of researchers is determined to change that.

"[Small-scale fisheries'] health is key to several [SDGs]. And yet, relevant data are often missing...Unless that changes, the marginalization of already-vulnerable people will only worsen, according to the project’s researchers." – nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01726-4 @natureportfolio.nature.com

If you’re an ecologist working with digital twin tech – or you know someone who is – please get in touch!
(And if not, pls share.) #ecology #conservation #digitaltwin #tech

Animals can’t talk like humans do – here’s why the hunt for their languages has left us empty-handed Many scientists see evidence of language in the sounds animals put together, but they may be kidding themselves.

"If we want to reach a better understanding of the fascinating communication systems of other animals, perhaps humans are not the best model." – theconversation.com/animals-cant...

First week in #Bulgaria! 🇧🇬
- Sofia is super green w loads of parks. (Also graffiti.) 🌳
- Bulgarian white cheese (sirene) with everything. 🧀
- I’ve been told complaining is a national sport, so that’s something Brits and Bulgarians have in common. 🤝

Sorry, we didn't send your invoice off for processing two months ago. No, we don't know when it will be paid. Oh and we don't pay late fees. 😵‍💫 #freelancelife

Book and coffee cup on balcony

First morning in Sofia, Bulgaria 🇧🇬

😂💅🏻

Indonesian woman turns to mangroves to fend off rising tides Pasijah's home is the only one remaining in this part of Rejosari Senik, a small village on Java’s northern coast that was once on dry land but is now submerged by water.

"I realised that after the waters began rising, I needed to plant mangrove trees so that they could spread and protect the house, from the wind and the waves." —https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/climate-change-indonesia-sinking/ via @reuters.com

#WalkableCities deliver: 38 extra minutes of daily exercise, 20% less crime, a 10% decrease in obesity and 7-42% home value gains vs. suburban sprawl. Residents also save $4K-$34K annually vs. car-dependent areas. Your 🩺 health, 💰 wealth and 🤝 community all benefit! #ActiveMobility

Fifty years ago, Junko Tabei became the first woman to summit Everest – why do so few people know her story? Despite the extraordinary feats of Tabei and many other adventurous women, sexism and misogyny in mountaineering have persisted for decades.

"Very few organisations, even in Japan, have thought to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest by a woman." theconversation.com/fifty-years-... @theconversation.com @yorkstjohn.bsky.social

AI-generated photo of a herd of buffalo-elephant hybrids, on the cover of an in-flight magazine.

Ah, the famous herds of wtf

UK-wide initiative launched to tackle marginalisation of working-class writers New Writing North’s literary venture The Bee includes magazine and podcast, and is supported by Michael Sheen Writing and publishing in the UK is in crisis, with a growing marginalisation of working-class people whose stories and experiences are not being heard, the backers of a new literary magazine and platform have argued. The Early May bank holiday has been chosen for the launch of The Bee, a UK-wide initiative that will include a website, literary magazine, podcast and outreach programme. Continue reading...

UK-wide initiative launched to tackle marginalisation of working-class writers

A novel entitled ‘James’ by Percival Everett.

Holiday reading – about halfway through and enjoying every page.

AU ‘Year of Reparations’ should look to the future and the past Reparations aim to repair relationships and prevent violence – a forward-looking approach could foster a more just global order.

"Societies built on slavery and colonial exploitation continue to grapple with racism, economic inequality and historical amnesia. Reparative justice offers these nations an opportunity to heal, confront their pasts, and rebuild relationships." – futures.issafrica.org/blog/2025/AU...