Robert Fletcher

We were ready for a new chapter and the timing worked out well. It has been a big (and not always easy) change at this career stage for us, especially with family.

It has been an overall positive for us but I don’t think it is a realistic possibility for many.

Please repost!

I am looking for a passionate and hard-working PhD student to work in southern Africa on experimental defaunation and rewilding of megafauna. See the link below for more information:

@camzoology.bsky.social @conservation.cam.ac.uk

A Robin perches upright on a branch, chest puffed out and beak open mid-song. Its stance and expression convey urgency: a symbol of nature’s voice calling out as the future of England’s planning system hangs in the balance.

Today, the Planning Bill returns to the Lords. And the future of nature in England’s planning system is on the line. 🌳⚠️

Peers must back the amendments* that protect wildlife, ensure accountability, and build nature back into our homes & communities.

*130, 140 & 245, 114, 148

Last week, the Indiana University administration asked their student newspaper not to print any news stories in the Homecoming edition. When the faculty advisor refused, IU fired him and ended paper printing. So students at the Purdue paper printed the IU edition and drove it down to Bloomington!

Less than 1 month left to submit abstracts for what is always the *best* conference on climate change impacts on biodiversity. Intimate conference size but truly global participation; highly recommend for 1st-timers and returnees.

Using automated acoustic monitoring, citizen science, and centuries of ornithological research and understanding to quantify ecological integrity at scale.

The BirdsPlus Index, a novel method for assessing site-level conservation values.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Bird migration is changing. What does this reveal about our planet? – visualised Bird migrations rank as one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Thanks to GPS tracking, scientists are uncovering extraordinary insights into ancient and mysterious journeys – and new threats that are re...

Bird migration is changing. What does this reveal www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Start of the new term and excited to be teaching Conservation Science @camzoology.bsky.social

Working with these talented students gives me hope about our future

Anyone thinking that having a car or two is ''quality of life'', should pay a visit to Paris to experience a city where a car is not only 'not necessary' but even a burden.
Paris was transformed by improving public transport, extending bike lanes, and by converting streets to green spaces. Amazing.

Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today.

Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology

Destabilization of Earth system tipping elements - Nature Geoscience A review of observation-based evidence suggests that four interconnected Earth system tipping elements have moved towards their critical thresholds, highlighting the need for better monitoring and increased mitigation efforts.

A new Nature study on the four horsemen of the climate-tipping-points apocalypse: "the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the South American monsoon system and the Amazon rainforest."

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

Fate of the last female great auk is finally solved DNA and historical sleuthing have traced the extinct bird’s remains to a museum in Ohio

Such a sad story, but good that it can be told in full in museums now.
doi.org/10.1126/scie...

Look at her go!
#invertebrates 🌿

New on global conservation science:

Most bird species overlap with Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), yet gaps remain, especially for northern and temperate species. Expanding KBA coverage could better safeguard global avian diversity.

Lansley et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

Image: Jane Goodall at TEDGlobal 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Photo by Erik (HASH) Hersman

Remembering Jane Goodall 1934 – 2025

Primatologist, conservationist and alumna of this department. An inspiration to us all.

bit.ly/3VNtR0Y

The Crown Princess Victoria Professorship in Biodiversity - Academic Positions Seeking an internationally recognized scientist for a prestigious professorship in biodiversity. Lead groundbreaking research, interdisciplinary collaboratio...

University of Gothenburg announces a strategic professorship in biodiversity with an interdisciplinary profile
academicpositions.com/ad/universit...

How can we ... use machine learning to enhance anti-poaching measures? Features a quote and photo of Charles Emogor. Read the blog post to find out more.

📢 New blog! @charlesemogor.bsky.social uses machine learning to enhance anti-poaching across sub-Saharan Africa.

Working with @anil.recoil.org, @fletcherecology.bsky.social and @milindtambe-ai.bsky.social, he is developing models to help rangers patrol effectively.

Find out more: bit.ly/4mMs3Av

Happy to say that I just finished the page proofs on the upcoming 2nd Edition of Spatial Ecology and Conservation Modeling!

Wow, that took some time (over 700 pages in this edition!)

Should be out in November!

We are seeking an ornithologist/modeller for a 2-year POST-DOC in Turin. Using archaeological remains, we will reconstruct past avian communities to understand the impacts of climate change and human pressure on birds through time. For details see cutt.ly/irN76QDZ PLEASE RT. #ornithology #AviArch

Two decades with Ecography: a farewell and a new beginning Click on the article title to read more.

After two decades @ecography.bsky.social , I’m signing off. We grew the journal’s scope, navigated a smooth shift to OA, and kept community at the centre. Grateful to authors, reviewers and colleagues. Warmest wishes to my successor, @cnmeynard.bsky.social doi.org/10.1002/ecog...

Economic loss from the White House's NSF FY 2026 Proposed Budget

New from #SCIMaP - analysis of the White House’s Proposed FY 2026 National Science Foundation Budget.

Take-home: Slashing NSF by >50% will lead to ~$11 billion in economic loss and extensive job loss and reduced training opportunities in communities nationwide.

Report: osf.io/e8rnc

a 🧵

iDiv Annual Conference 2025 Dear iDiv community, We are pleased to invite you to the 9th iDiv Annual Conference, which will take place on 30 September and 1 October at Martin-Luther-University's Audimax. This year marks a specia...

Excited to the upcoming iDIV conference, where I will deliver a keynote on biodiversity modelling under climate change @idiv-research.bsky.social

conference.idiv.de/event/3/page...

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Nature Recovery Strategy: Ambitious Vision, Critical Gaps Cambridgeshire is one of England’s most nature-depleted counties. Its new Local Nature Recovery Strategy is a significant step forward — but also a reminder of how much more we need to do.

www.linkedin.com/pulse/cambri...

Glimmer of hope: Sought-after lost bird rediscovered in India After more than 20 years, the Critically Endangered Jerdon’s Courser has been documented again.

Lost bird rediscovered! 🙌

After more than 20 years, the Critically Endangered Jerdon's Courser has been documented again by a team of Indian birdwatchers. 🎉

Find out more about the ‘Search for Lost Birds’ here 👉
www.birdlife.org/news/2025/09...

Interior Proposes to Rescind Public Lands Rule, Restoring Balanced, Multiple-Use Management  | U.S. Department of the Interior The Department of the Interior is proposing to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule, aligning with Secretary Doug Burgum’s commitment to restoring balance in federal land manageme...

The BLM is seeking to eradicate the Public Lands Rule, which allows the conservation to be included in land use planning. There are a lot of areas of critical environmental concern in BLM land. It's in the federal register and the public commenting period has started. Please comment!

The amazing Karen Gallardo-Cruz is looking for a field technician to study Barn Owl responses to tractor noise!

The position will be in Lodi, CA this spring/summer (mid-March to late-June). $20-23/hr and housing provided. Check out the job ad here:

karp.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/u...

Choosing where we source the food that we eat makes a difference to the environment, but how much? After churning through 100s of petabytes of data, we now know the answer varies by three orders of magnitude for species extinction risks! Paper out in Nature Food: www.nature.com/articles/s43... 🌍

Please share with your big picture colleagues.
Join us @umontreal.ca as an Assistant Professor of Global Change Biology.
rh-carriere-dmz-eng.synchro.umontreal.ca/psc/rhprpr9_...

Images: a diver collecting community data on soft corals in Japan; trophallaxis between ants; ashy mining bee visiting oilseed rape flowers. Credit: Steven Falk

Are you a prospective postgrad looking for a research project?

Check out our brand new list of postgrad projects for 2026-27.

From animal weapons 💥and rewilding, to neuronal plasticity and invitro fertilisation 🧪 the breadth of topics is tremendous.

Find out more: bit.ly/3VxHscv