Oliver L. Phillips

ForestPlots

@forestplots.bsky.social

1K followers 1.5K following 150 posts

Tropical forests in our time - people, trees and climate. Posts by Oliver Phillips.

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Oliver Lawrence Phillips is a British ecologist who specializes in tropical forests and is currently Professor of Tropical Ecology in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds. He is noted for his work coordinating large-scale, collaborative research projects that study how humans have changed the world's tropical forests, and the implications for climate change. .. more

Environmental science 64%

Geography 16%

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ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · Oct 30

Forest measurements are more important than ever.

“Dedicated teams working in the field to collect vital ground-truth data are essential to the success of our missions” - Simonetta Cheli #ESA Director of Earth Observation. Find out more in our latest newsletter.
sway.cloud.microsoft/pdXbVpmWR2Io...

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips, Tony R. ‎Walker, Marcus Grant , and 2 more Oliver L. Phillips, Tony R. ‎Walker, Marcus Grant, Juan Rocha, Patrick O. Waeber

Glen Dunlap @glendunlap.bsky.social · 3d

There are so many fucked up things with the current administration that it's hard to focus on one but this recent move is basically a death sentence for the planet. I've been involved with more boots on the ground actions over the years than I can count and this really bums me out.

EPA reverses long-standing climate change finding, stripping its own ability to regulate emissions

The agency announced it is repealing its 2009 conclusion that greenhouse gases warm the Earth and endanger human health and well-being.

www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Emilio Vilanova, Martin Ehbrecht

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 6d

Increasing tree mortality over time in Australian forests

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

Pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent - Nature Plants

Eight decades of forest plot monitoring show a pervasive increase in tree mortality across Australia’s forest biomes driven by climate change, jeopardizing their role as enduring carbon sinks.

www.nature.com

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 7d

Hi, this looks to be an Acer (maples, sycamores)

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Oliver L. Phillips , and 3 more Katharine Hayhoe, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Oliver L. Phillips, Peter Thorne, Jonathan Wolff, Robert Marten

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 8d

Amsterdam will ban fossil fuel and meat advertisements in public spaces and on public transport starting May 1st. 🥳

The European city banning all fossil fuel and meat adverts in public

Amsterdam initially proposed the move in 2020, becoming the first city in the world to do so.

www.euronews.com

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 10d

Payment‐based open access is biasing ecology against participation from the Global South
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

Judith Monroe @judithmonroe.bsky.social · 12d

The path teaches if you let it.

#SlowDown #NatureAsTeacher #FindYourRhythm

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 17d

This mid-sized tropical nation has more land than 13 European countries put together.
image: Hugo Xavier Pillco

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 17d

The sheer size of the tropics is underestimated by many.

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 17d

The sheer size of the tropics is underestimated by many.

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 18d

Climate change could lead to 123 million additional malaria cases and 532,000 deaths between 2024 and 2050. Extreme weather events are identified as the primary driver. The findings emphasize the need for climate-resilient malaria control strategies and robust emergency response systems.

Projected impacts of climate change on malaria in Africa - Nature

Projected impacts of climate change on malaria burden in Africa by 2050 highlight the urgent need for climate-resilient malaria control strategies and robust emergency response systems to safeguard pr...

www.nature.com

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 18d

Our deepest relationships with nature are not intellectual, but emotional and physical. The more we interact directly with nature, the happier we will be and the more deeply we will see it.

Sensing Forests Directly: The Power of Permanent Plots t.co/i4Uuh8wgSG

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips, Maya A. Zomer

The International Association for Vegetation Science @iavs5.bsky.social · 19d

🔥 Postdoctoral Opportunity | Fire, Seeds & the Cerrado 🌱
The Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology (UNESP, Brazil) is offering a postdoc position to study how fire regimes and climate warming shape seed traits and germination in Cerrado species.
👉 Learn more: tinyurl.com/hf9yd98f
#Ecology #Traits

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips, Emilio Vilanova

Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 20d

The Yanomami, an Indigenous group from the Amazon, is confronting surges in #malaria amid increasing illegal gold mining in their territory. Read 'Investigating the Yanomami malaria outbreak: gold mining and malaria': doi.org/10.1098/rsbl... #BiologyLetters

Reposted by Emilio Vilanova

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 20d

environment.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/news...

Our new paper uses the Power of Plots to reveal how tropical forests are changing: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Forty years of tracking trees reveals changes in Amazon and Andean Forest diversity

New research reveals significant recent shifts in tree diversity among the tropical forests of the Andes and Amazon, driven by global change.

environment.leeds.ac.uk

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

Pierre-Michel Forget @pmforget.bsky.social · 23d

On commence déjà à percevoir les effets de + 1,0 oC. Pas besoin d’attendre d’être à +1,5 oC en moyenne (dépassé en 2024) pour agir.

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 24d

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

The results highlight the many ways that Amazon–Andes forests are changing and why large-scale ecosystem integrity is essential to maintain diversity. Northern Andean forests, if protected, could serve as a vital refuge for species displaced by climate change.

Tree diversity is changing across tropical Andean and Amazonian forests in response to global change - Nature Ecology & Evolution

This study examines long-term changes in species richness across tropical forests in the Andes and Amazon. Hotter, drier and more seasonal forests in the eastern and southern Amazon are losing species...

www.nature.com

Reposted by Brian J. Enquist, Mathias Disney, Pieter A. Zuidema , and 7 more Brian J. Enquist, Mathias Disney, Pieter A. Zuidema, Jonathan A. Myers, Tommaso Jucker, Emilio Vilanova, Andrew Hacket‐Pain, Martin Ehbrecht, Julen Astigarraga, Belén Fadrique

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · 24d

Tree diversity is changing in the Amazon and Andes.

Belen Fadrique leads our analysis in @natecoevo.nature.com w/ 400 plots + 40 years of RAINFOR records.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Hot, drier, more fragmented forests are losing species. Many in the Andes + western Amazon are gaining them.

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

Belen Fadrique @belenfadrique.bsky.social · 24d

New deadline: February 4th
Still time to apply!
www.liverpool.ac.uk/courses/expl...

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips, Simon L. Lewis, Jonathan Lenoir , and 7 more Oliver L. Phillips, Simon L. Lewis, Jonathan Lenoir, Pieter De Frenne, Mathias Disney, Jonathan A. Myers, Christine N. Meynard, Tommaso Jucker, Emilio Vilanova, Andrew Hacket‐Pain

Belen Fadrique @belenfadrique.bsky.social · 24d

Very happy to share this new article on Andes-Amazon tree diversity change. We found that over the last 4 decades, tree richness changed differently across the Andes-Amazon regions. Thanks to the many researchers across the world who made this possible!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Keep reading!

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · Jan 15

Forest biodiversity experiments test how species diversity affects forest ecosystem functioning. A Review in Nature Reviews Biodiversity discusses key findings from these experiments and puts them into context with observational studies from forests. go.nature.com/4sEQkfZ 🔒

This is figure 1, which shows the locations and types of 45 forest biodiversity experiments covering 72 sites globally.

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

Priestley Centre for Climate Futures @priestleycentre.bsky.social · Jan 15

🌳 Tropical forests can recover twice as quickly after deforestation if they have adequate soil nitrogen, according to new research led by the Uni of Leeds and Priestley members
climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/nitroge...

Recovering tropical forests grow back nearly twice as fast with nitrogen, new research shows

“Our study is exciting because it suggests there are ways we can boost the capture and storage of greenhouse gases through reforestation by managing the nutrients available to trees.”
- Priestley member Wenguang Tang, PhD researcher

Reposted by Julen Astigarraga

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · Jan 12

Forest Diversity, Biodemography and Global Change post-doc opportunity, ERC project led by Lalasia Bialic-Murphy apply.refline.ch/273855/1824/...
Individuals with skills in demographic or species distribution modeling, large language models or functional trait interpolation are encouraged to apply.

apply.refline.ch

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

Belinda Medlyn @bmedlyn.bsky.social · Jan 6

theconversation.com/yes-forest-t...

Yes, forest trees die of old age. But the warming climate is killing them faster

The warming climate is killing Australia’s forest trees at a faster rate. This offers a glimpse of what may lie ahead for forests globally.

theconversation.com

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips, Mathias Disney, Kevin J. Anchukaitis , and 3 more Oliver L. Phillips, Mathias Disney, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Elena Litchman, Jesse R. Lasky, Jacob I. Levine

Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · Dec 19

New postdoctoral fellowship opportunity! Please pass along. Excited to announce the launch of the Tom Lovejoy Fellowship Program at the University of Arizona for innovative research to protect species, sustain ecosystems, and promote a thriving planet lovejoycenter.arizona.edu/lovejoy-fell... 🧪🌐🌾

Application Process

Image
Woman behind a podium presenting.
Jessie Golding, BBCS postdoc, presenting at ICCB 2025.

Apply to become a Lovejoy Fellow by submitting your resume, cover letter, and contact information for three references through the University of Arizona Talent Portal (link upcoming) by the first review date of January 30, 2026.

Your cover letter should:

Identify 1-2 Lovejoy BBCS faculty you would be interested in working with and explain the primary research directions you would want to pursue in collaboration with this faculty member. You are strongly encouraged to reach out to faculty before submitting your application.
Describe your experience with or interest in inter- or transdisciplinary research.
Explain how this experience will positively impact your career trajectory.

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Oliver L. Phillips, A. E. Dessler , and 3 more Richard S.J. Tol, Oliver L. Phillips, A. E. Dessler, Mónica Medina, Gernot Wagner, Vincent Noël

Gavin Schmidt @climateofgavin.bsky.social · Dec 19

Scientists are supposed to be happy when their predictions are skillful, right?

Why do I not feel happy?

Time series of global temperature anomalies from 1980 to present with predictions for 2025 (made in Dec 2024), and 2026, along with the YTD estimate for the 2025 (with only one month to go).

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

Global Ecology 🌐 @global-ecology.bsky.social · Dec 19

🌐 Global Ecology feed Digest #44 Dec 15-19, 21 posts!

✨For the lazy (yes we are!) & friends who don't like social media but might benefit from this feed, here’s a DIGEST crafted with 💚 for you to share

👉 globalecologybs.github.io/feeddigest.g...

DM if you want to receive the link weekly

🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪

bluesky Global Ecology Feed Digest #44

Curated digest of the bluesky Global Ecology feed on biodiversity, ecosystems & conservation at large scales. Terrestrial, freswater & marine realms.

globalecologybs.github.io

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · Dec 17

2025 has the been the third warmest on record - behind 2023 and 2024.

Extreme Temperatures Around the World @extremetemps.bsky.social · Dec 16

November 2025 Globally,according to JMA -Japanese Meteorological Agency- had a temperature anomaly of +0.50C vs 1991/2020 norm and was the 3rd warmest on record behind 2023 and 2024.

Year-to-date 2025 is being reached these days by 2023 with the two years ending tied behind 2024

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips

Tim Baker @kofitim.bsky.social · Dec 17

Our research with the SECO project to understand the trajectory of the dry tropics depends on a team of wonderful people across the world, working in Peru, Brazil and beyond, in fieldwork, data management and lab analysis. Here are some of their stories:

www.leeds.ac.uk/directory-re...