David Roberts
@drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
Reader in #Biodiversity #Conservation @dice-kent.bsky.social; Research interests #extinction, spp id, #orchid #ecology, #wildlifetrade inc @wildlifetrade.bsky.social; APHAgovuk #Wildlife Inspector & SAB member; own views tinyurl.com/bd3r7tsp .. more
Reader in #Biodiversity #Conservation @dice-kent.bsky.social; Research interests #extinction, spp id, #orchid #ecology, #wildlifetrade inc @wildlifetrade.bsky.social; APHAgovuk #Wildlife Inspector & SAB member; own views tinyurl.com/bd3r7tsp
Environmental science
35%
Geology
19%
Pinned
This starter pack is open to all current & former students & staff of the Durrell Institute of #Conservation & #Ecology (DICE) @dice-kent.bsky.social go.bsky.app/5tT1i8y
Probe after golden eagle found in Borders with shotgun injuries
Four-year-old Hamlet was discovered injured by a gamekeeper on an estate in Stanhope, near Tweedsmuir.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Probe after golden eagle found in Borders with shotgun injuries - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'Rare sighting' of walrus on rocks off Elie
The walrus was spotted near Elie on 31 January but it was not made public in order to protect the animal from onlookers and drones.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - 'Rare sighting' of walrus on rocks off Fife coast
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Ipbes report: Nature loss could spell extinction for businesses
Experts call for urgent action by businesses to restore the natural systems that keep them running.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Ipbes report: Nature loss could spell extinction for businesses - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
New study uses Neanderthals to demonstrate gap between generative AI and scholarly knowledge
Technological advances over the past four decades have turned mobile devices and computers into the world's largest library, where information is just a tap away. Phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatche...
phys.org
Neat demonstration of how artificial so-called intelligence is taking us backwards.
"ChatGPT produced content most consistent with the 1960s and DALL-E 3 in the late 1980s and early '90s."
#AI - see @shannonvallor.bsky.social's work for important thinking on this
phys.org/news/2026-02...
"ChatGPT produced content most consistent with the 1960s and DALL-E 3 in the late 1980s and early '90s."
#AI - see @shannonvallor.bsky.social's work for important thinking on this
phys.org/news/2026-02...
BBC News - Lenwade animal garden at dinosaur park to close over rule changes - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Lenwade animal garden at dinosaur park to close over rule changes
A visitor attraction says its animal garden needs major work to meet new requirements for zoos.
www.bbc.co.uk
Was discussing the new zoo rules yesterday. Some bits, some bits bad such as having to check every animal every day. Id like to see how that will work or is in the best interest of say tiny frogs or caecilians where you'd have to strip the enclosure or have very basic enclosures to make it workable
Lenwade animal garden at dinosaur park to close over rule changes
A visitor attraction says its animal garden needs major work to meet new requirements for zoos.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Lenwade animal garden at dinosaur park to close over rule changes - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'My life was transformed when I got rare sheep disease on holiday'
Caithness famer Sally Crowe was left bedbound for almost two years and struggled with the after-effects of Q fever for more than a decade.
www.bbc.co.uk
Q Fever zoonotic disease
BBC News - 'My life was transformed when I got rare sheep disease on holiday'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
BBC News - 'My life was transformed when I got rare sheep disease on holiday'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Japanese city cancels cherry blossom festival over badly behaved tourists
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Japanese city cancels cherry blossom festival over badly behaved tourists
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by David L. Roberts
Seven satellite-tagged Hen Harriers lost on English grouse moors in 2025
The RSPB has announced that seven satellite-tagged Hen Harriers are suspected or confirmed to have been illegally killed in England during 2025, renewing calls for licensing of all gamebird shooting to tackle raptor persecution.
bit.ly
The RSPB has reported that seven satellite-tagged Hen Harriers are suspected or confirmed to have been illegally killed in England during 2025, all on or close to land managed for grouse shooting:
UK’s £8bn research fund faces “hard decisions” as it pauses new grants
UKRI boss Ian Chapman said it had been told by the government to
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - UK's £8bn research fund faces 'hard decisions' as it pauses new grants
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by David L. Roberts, Michelle Everson
NEW: Dear Washington Post journalists, I’ve written this for you.
Last year @theguardian.com gave away our news title & binned 100+ journalists. It sucked!
But we fought back & you can too. First a strike, then a new masthead @thenerve.news Fuck Bezos. There is another way 👊👊👊
1/
Last year @theguardian.com gave away our news title & binned 100+ journalists. It sucked!
But we fought back & you can too. First a strike, then a new masthead @thenerve.news Fuck Bezos. There is another way 👊👊👊
1/
Reposted by David L. Roberts
Editor of Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
Why not become the editor of Oryx? Is such an exciting opportunity. eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
Flawed economic models mean climate crisis could crash global economy, experts warn
States and financial bodies using modelling that ignores shocks from extreme weather and climate tipping points
www.theguardian.com
William Nordhaus received the Nobel Memorial Prize for these flawed economic models, and Bjorn Lomborg built a highly lucrative career on them.
They told rich and powerful people what they wanted to hear.
While helping to consign us all to catastrophe.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
They told rich and powerful people what they wanted to hear.
While helping to consign us all to catastrophe.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Carmarthenshire rare egg hunt finds record number of butterflies
The brown hairstreak butterfly is receiving a population boost as its habitat is left to grow wild.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Rare egg hunt finds record number of butterflies
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The rare Hampshire chalk stream 4x4s can legally use for fun
Campaigners want to stop vehicles legally driving along a 200m section of chalk stream in Hampshire.
www.bbc.co.uk
Ridiculous given how threatened chalk streams are globally!
BBC News - The rare Hampshire chalk stream 4x4s can legally use for fun - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
BBC News - The rare Hampshire chalk stream 4x4s can legally use for fun - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Vast seagrass meadows will shield Humber coastline
Trials to restore the saltwater plant to the Humber Estuary are hugely encouraging, experts say.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Vast seagrass meadows will shield Humber coastline - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by David L. Roberts
Environmentalists decry ‘crushingly disappointing’ Pfas action plan for UK
Ministers’ proposals to tackle ‘forever chemicals’ fail to match tougher stance taken in Europe, say experts
Environmental campaigners have criticised a “crushingly disappointing” UK government plan to tackle “forever chemicals”, which they warn risks locking in decades of avoidable harm to people and the environment.
The government said its Pfas action plan set out a “clear framework” of “coordinated action … to understand where these chemicals are coming from, how they spread and how to reduce public and environmental exposure”. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
Environmentalists decry ‘crushingly disappointing’ Pfas action plan for UK
Fast fashion blamed for closing Devon clothing and textile banks
The Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd says the decision was part of a
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Fast fashion blamed for closure of clothing banks
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Microplastics in the air can be more prevalent in rural areas - study
A University of Leeds academic who led the research says they were
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Microplastics in the air can be more prevalent in rural areas - study - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'Forever chemical' testing to be ramped up amid growing concerns.
Increasing testing for PFAS is part of the UK's first ever national plan for tackling the substances.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - UK launches plan to tackle 'forever chemicals' amid growing concerns
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
AI 'slop' is transforming social media - and there's a backlash
Social media has been flooded with fake, AI-generated images and videos. But will the majority of users actually care?
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - AI 'slop' is transforming social media - and there's a backlash - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Rare fungus spotted for first time in 50 years
Mushroom hunters on the Isle of Man are left marveling at the rediscovery of Cobalt Crust fungus.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Rare fungus spotted for first time in 50 years - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Lake District mountain ringlet butterfly 'hard to track'
The mountain ringlet is only found high in the remote and hard to reach Cumbrian peaks.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Lake District mountain ringlet butterfly 'hard to track' - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Warning after birds glued down by sticky rodent traps
A robin damaged his wing and two starlings were covered in glue after getting stuck in traps laid out for mice.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Warning after birds 'glued down' by sticky traps
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns
António Guterres says the international body could run out of money by July due to members' unpaid fees.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Natural Resources Wales issues stark warning over wildlife loss and polluted rivers
A major Welsh environment report calls for action across society so people can live more sustainably.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Natural Resources Wales issues stark warning over wildlife loss and polluted rivers - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Gamekeeper fined for threatening to kill hen harrier on moors
Court hears Racster Dingwall was caught discussing shooting the birds by secret cameras.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Gamekeeper fined for threatening to kill hen harrier on moors - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Arrests made over Oxfordshire's supersized illegal rubbish dump
The Environment Agency says the arrests are a
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Arrests made over supersized illegal rubbish dump
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse
Archaeological finds from the planned HS2 train line have been shown exclusively to the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC News - Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by David L. Roberts, Steve Peers
Homicides at lowest level in nearly 50 years, ONS statistics show
The 499 homicide cases in the year to September were the lowest in England and Wales since 1977.
www.bbc.co.uk
Let's hope this positive news gets as much attention as the people who try to convince us that the UK is a murder ravaged hellscape.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...