Sensitive numbers
You couldn’t really do ecology if you didn’t know how to construct even the most basic mathematical model — even a simple regression is a model (the non-random relationship of some variable to...
View ArticleMassive yet grossly underestimated global costs of invasive insects
As many of you already know, I spent a good deal of time in France last year basking in the hospitality of Franck Courchamp and his vibrant Systematic Ecology & Evolution lab at Université...
View ArticleFuture of conservation
Last year I posted about a paper that attempted to gauge the opinions of modern-day conservationists about the perceived role of conservation biology today and in the near future. My main point was...
View ArticleBring it back
Restoration of lost habitats and ecosystems hits all the right notes — conservation optimism, a can-do attitude, and the excitement of seeing biologically impoverished areas teem with life once more....
View ArticleOffshore Energy & Marine Spatial Planning
I have the pleasure (and relief) of announcing a new book that’s nearly ready to buy, and I think many readers of CB.com might be interested in what it describes. I know it might be a bit premature to...
View ArticleBiodiversity offsetting is off-putting
Biodiversity offsets are becoming more popular in Australia and elsewhere as a means to raise money for conservation and restoration while simultaneously promoting economic development (1). However,...
View ArticleHow to improve (South Australia’s) biodiversity prospects
If you read CB.com regularly, you’ll know that late last year I blogged about the South Australia 2108 State of the Environment Report for which I was commissioned to write an ‘overview‘ of the State’s...
View ArticleEnvironmental damage kills children
Yes, it’s a provocative title, I agree. But then again, it’s true. But I don’t just mean in the most obvious ways. We already have good data showing that lack of access to clean water and sanitation...
View ArticleThe politics of environmental destruction
You’d think I’d get tired of this, wouldn’t you? Alas, the fight does wear me down, but I must persist. My good friend and colleague, the legendary Professor Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, as...
View ArticleNew journal: Frontiers in Conservation Science
Several months ago, Daniel Blumstein of UCLA approached me with an offer — fancy leading a Special Section in a new Frontiers journal dedicated to conservation science? I admit that my gut reaction was...
View ArticleGrand Challenges in Global Biodiversity Threats
Last week I mentioned that the new journal Frontiers in Conservation Science is now open for business. As promised, I wrote a short article outlining our vision for the Global Biodiversity Threats...
View ArticleWorried about Earth’s future? Well, the outlook is worse than even scientists...
Daniel Mariuz/AAP Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Flinders University; Daniel T. Blumstein, University of California, Los Angeles, and Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University Anyone with even a passing interest in the...
View ArticleKilling (feral) cats quickly (and efficiently)
I’m pleased to announce the publication of a paper led by Kathryn Venning (KV) that was derived from her Honours work in the lab. Although she’s well into her PhD on an entirely different topic, I’m...
View Article… some (models) are useful
As someone who writes a lot of models — many for applied questions in conservation management (e.g., harvest quotas, eradication targets, minimum viable population sizes, etc.), and supervises people...
View ArticleAvoiding a ghastly future — The Science Show
Just thought I’d share the audio of an interview I did with the famous Robyn Williams of ABC Radio National‘s The Science Show. I’d be surprised if any Australians with even a passing interest in...
View ArticleCitizens meet coral gardening
It is possible to cultivate corals in the sea like growing a nursery of trees to restore a burned forest. Cultivated corals grow faster than wild corals and can be outplanted to increase the healthy...
View ArticleAnd this little piggy went extinct
Back in June of this year I wrote (whinged) about the disappointment of writing a lot of ecological models that were rarely used to assist real-world wildlife management. However, I did hint that...
View ArticleA cascade of otters
Carnivores are essential components of trophic webs, and ecosystem functions crumble with their loss. Novel data show the connection between calcareous reefs and sea otters under climate change. For...
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