David Oakes

Famous faces set to ‘supercharge’ movement for nature’s recovery | The Wildlife Trusts The Wildlife Trusts announce new vice president, David Oakes, alongside two inspiring new ambassadors, Inka Cresswell and Louis VI

David Oakes: "Our country is one of the most nature depleted on the planet.... Where our governments fail, it is the duty of The Wildlife Trusts and its supporters to step up to save our unique and irreplaceable wild places..."
www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/famous-...

Very proud to announce my new role with @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social:

www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/famous-...

NEW EPISODE!

@davidoakes.bsky.social is in the Galápagos speaking with Professor Diana Pazmiño, a marine biologist and conservation geneticist focused on sharks, rays, and the community at the heart of the archipelago.

Listen here: www.treesacrowd.fm/diana-pazmino/

Galápagos episodes of @treesacrowd.bsky.social coming (very) soon…

Until then, watch this conversation I had with my friends on Santa Cruz at the @darwinfoundation.bsky.social:

youtu.be/MSEHgjcmUaM?...

Can we come up with a name for them?

Moth runways
Pixie hedgerows
Vegan tremors
Worm ramparts

…?

@robinince.bsky.social - Bravo.

New Episode!
❄️🐻‍❄️❄️
The Secret Trade in Polar Bears
🐻‍❄️❄️🐻‍❄️
How do you save an animal everyone thinks is already protected?! David talks with award-winning filmmaker, @abrahamjoffe.bsky.social, who's trying to do just that.
www.treesacrowd.fm/abraham-joff...

New Episode!
🦧🦍🐒
Primates, Policy, & the Power of CITES
🙉🙈🙊
A conservation conversation from the CITES COP, where self-confessed “CITES nerd”, @iris-ho.bsky.social, reveals how primate sanctuaries, trade treaties & policy tweaks can transform the fate of wildlife
www.treesacrowd.fm/abraham-joff...

Manta Trust patron David Oakes is at CITES CoP20 explaining why CITES is vital and why manta & devil rays need the highest protection under Appendix I.

🔗 Visit our website to learn more about manta and devil rays, and the threats they face: www.mantatrust.org

Intial thoughts from CITES CoP 20, Samarkand 🌍 A few days into CITES CoP20 here in Samarkand, and the experience has been both eye-opening and deeply thought-provoking. I’m proud to be here as an ambassador…

A short insight into my day in Samarkand at CITES CoP 20.

Please watch all of it.
Please share.

vimeo.com/1140099514

David travels to Assam’s Kaziranga Tiger Reserve to meet Dr Bhaskar Choudhury of Wildlife Trust of India (@wti-org-india.bsky.social). They talk elephant rescues from monsoon floods, 10-yr journeys back to the wild & what it means to live alongside “elephant gods”. www.treesacrowd.fm/wildlife-tru...

The eyes of the world should be on Ecuador tomorrow. The Trump-backed government is holding a referendum to permit US military bases in the Galapagos, and allow changes to the country's unique constitution to facilitate mining, threatening the rights of nature and indigenous people. Disastrous! 🦤🐢🌎

Housing secretary tells Labour MPs to vote down planning bill amendment Amendment restricts protection for animals to allow faster house building

Watching Labour MPs take a wrecking ball to nature makes me so angry & so sad. Their action tonight voting down amendments to the #PlanningBill intended to protect wildlife & habitats from destruction is so reckless & so counterproductive. People didn’t vote Labour for this 👇

Yup…

…called it. What a sad day for British nature and British politics.

When the bill returns to Parliament, should Labour whip the vote against art.130, they are proudly saying that Labour are not a party that gives a damn about nature.

For a nation of nature lovers; our govt is tone deaf.

Write to your MPs now, please.

Photograph of Short-snouted Seahorse with weed in background © Paul Naylor

Sussex Wildlife Trust celebrates success in legal battle to stop Marine Conservation Zone dumping as licence is quashed

sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/sussex-...

Short-snouted Seahorse © Paul Naylor

When the bill returns to Parliament, should Labour whip the vote against art.130, they are proudly saying that Labour are not a party that gives a damn about nature.

For a nation of nature lovers; our govt is tone deaf.

Write to your MPs now, please.

New paper - Learning about a topic by interacting with AI chatbots rather than following links provided by web search can produce shallower knowledge

Just saying ...

academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

I met some extraordinary people at the IUCN WCC; I was even fortunate enough to record one of the conversations…:

The shame of living where moving from Environment Sec. to Housing Sec. is seen as a promotion.

The double shame of living where the integrity of our politicians shift according to the labels written on their office door.

Remind your local MP: With no Nature, there’s no roof that can shelter them.

Government U-turns on support for bird-friendly swift bricks in new homes Housing minister Steve Reed refuses to back mandating measure, despite giving support while in environment job

A mandatory swift brick for every new home won't be supported by Housing Secretary Steve Reed. That's quite a u-turn from the former Environment Secretary. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Yep - @greenparty.org.uk just secured my vote.

Come for the environment; stay for their social agenda.

And for the naysayers; you tried Blue (a lot), Red isn’t going all that well… so maybe in three years, it’ll be time to go Green.

The Planning Bill pretends to help developers. In reality, it will only create chaos Sally Hayns, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, explores why Part 3 of the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill is far from the “win-w...

Is anyone pleased with the Planning Bill?

Wildlife Groups are (rightly) ‘displeased’.

The Govt. continues to spout hyperbolic claims of “unshackling” Britain.

And NOWHERE can I find quotes from anyone in the building sector who is genuinely excited!

www.propertyreporter.co.uk/the-planning...

But I doubt the builders would build them - not enough ***profit*** in it for them.

If a Govt genuinely supported construction of Actually Affordable homes, where people need then, with the correct infrastructure, and access to vital nature - instead of sprawling estates of 4/5 bed homes built on floodplains 15 miles from the only GP & school - then I might consider voting for them

The hope that quashing environmental protection will kickstart UK building is a derided fallacy. Building stops when ppl can’t afford houses:

“…the market remains uncertain…” Taylor Wimpey

“…we saw build costs increase by around 33%… house price inflation (is) flat.” Persimmon

It’s
Not
Newts!

That said; with a united backing, I would call on @wclnews.bsky.social to coalesce around a strong and bold vision that is uncompromising in placing nature and the environment at the top of their agenda.

Anything less than a united voice is proving easily batted away by a government prioritising *Planning* above the *Environment*.

@wclnews.bsky.social is our best current mechanism to mount an opposition.

I call on all British eNGOs (big & small) to work together to refocus the Labour govt.

In Abu Dhabi since yesterday attending the World Conservation Congress of #IUCN which will end on 15 October 2025. Great place to learn and meet #conservationists and #naturelovers @davidoakes.bsky.social

PLAN:

1. Locate 2nd/3rd homes on the UK mainland worth in excess of £1m.

2. Rehouse all inhabitants of Isle of Wight into these properties (reimburse previous owners with gratitude and certificate saying they’ve provided a social good.)

3. Rewild IoW - including reintroduction of Lynx & Wolves.