Thomas Pienkowski

@mattcscience.bsky.social absolutely smashing an interview on ABC News Australia about our new paper on conservation abandonment

📄 Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... (email me for a copy if needed, t.pienkowski[at]kent.ac.uk)

🔓 Open pre-print: osf.io/preprints/so...

Imperial study highlights overlooked crisis of conservation abandonment | Imperial News | Imperial College London As COP 30 gets underway today in Belem, Brazil, Imperial researchers warn about the abandonment of conservation initiatives.

Co-authored by Imperial's @tom-pienkowski.bsky.social , Matthew Clark, Cecylia Watrobska & @morenamills.bsky.social the @ic-cep.bsky.social, the research warns that the failure to sustain existing conservation efforts could jeopardise international biodiversity & climate goals.

ow.ly/NQ3N50Xqoba

Diagnosing scaling bottlenecks in 10 community conservation initiatives in southern and eastern Africa Scaling area-based conservation, including initiatives led or comanaged by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, is a flagship goal of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Conserva....

Massive cross-institutional paper out today, bringing in almost 40 co-authors across 20 institutions and 9 countries 🌍. Led by @tom-pienkowski.bsky.social.
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Conservation abandonment is a policy blind spot - Nature Ecology & Evolution Amidst the collective push to establish nature conservation initiatives, little attention has been paid to ensuring that they persist over time. The abandonment of conservation commitments is a blind ...

Out today in @natecoevo.nature.com 'Conservation abandonment is a policy blind spot'. Co-led by me and @tom-pienkowski.bsky.social as part of @catalyzconserv.bsky.social at @ic-cep.bsky.social & @imperialsci.bsky.social

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

Conservation impacts and hidden actions in a randomized controlled trial of a marine pay-to-release program Pay-to-release program encouraged live release of endangered marine taxa but led some fishers to increase catches of those taxa.

Very pleased to share this paper, fantastically led by @hollieboothie - a rare example of an #RCT of incentive-based conservation intervention. I think this paper is a textbook example of why they are valuable: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Plain Language Summary: Why landowners choose to restore Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. Restoration within the Atlantic Forest Global Biodiversity Hotspot.Credit: Paulo Molin. By Thomas Pienkowski, Anna Freni Sterrantino, Anazelia Tedesco, Matt Clark, Pedro H. S. Brancalion, Arundhati…

Oops, plain language summary is here: relationalthinkingblog.com/2024/11/27/p...

Just seen this new study in @thelancet.bsky.social. Great bit of work. Shocking results: "Palestinian Ministry of Health underreported deaths due to violence by 41% and that 3% of the population has died due to violence"
www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/n...

Full paper: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Spatial predictors of landowners' engagement in the restoration of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

8/n Check out our plain language summary here: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10..... Shout out to collaborators, including the Catalyzing Conservation group (Morena Mills, Matt Clark… ), University of São Paulo (Pedro Brancalion…), and the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact.

7/n We discuss strategies for accelerating engagement. Eg, cross-party agreements to ensure the persistence of environmental legislation across administrations. Targeted incentives – such as better small-scale finance and improved land tenure – to better engage smallholders in the poorest regions.

6/n However, smaller landowners and those in poorer areas risk being marginalised from the Atlantic Forest restoration agenda, highlighting the need for more inclusive and equitable restoration strategies.

5/n These patterns suggest that landowners are influenced by a combination of economic incentives, legal requirements, and support from restoration organizations. Larger landowners, who may have more resources and face greater pressure to comply with environmental laws, are more likely to restore...

4/n Landowners with large properties and high cattle densities are more likely to restore. Properties with water bodies or near urban areas are also more likely to be restored. On the other hand, properties in remote, rugged, less populated, and poorer regions are less likely to be restored.

3/n We combined data from over 220,000 farms and restoration documented by the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact, drawing on insights from Diffusion of Innovations Theory, in a large spatial analysis.

2/n We wanted to know why some landowners in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil – a globally important biodiversity hotspot – choose to restore forests while others do not. Exploring such drivers can help inform more effective and socially equitable restoration scaling strategies.

1/n New paper relevant to those interested in scaling forest restoration: Spatial predictors of landowners' engagement in the restoration of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (doi.org/10.1002/pan3...)

Over the next few weeks, I plan to post some of the work I've been involved in over the last year that I've been most excited about!

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!