Ian Thompson
@iantho.bsky.social
Once practiced natural resources management and conservation, in government. Now largely an interested observer in Australia
Now here’s a use where AI could complement human eyes and be useful. Shark recognition can, probably not perfect but neither are humans. When spotted, they simply chase them away with a boat if they look threatening. A Grey Nurse on a reef is not a threat, but a Great White on a bait ball might be.
Twice as effective as nets: shark-spotting drones to become ‘permanent fixture’ on Queensland beaches
Twice as effective as nets: shark-spotting drones to become ‘permanent fixture’ on Queensland beaches
State government says expanded use of shark nets and drum lines will continue despite evidence of deadly impact on other marine life
*
Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here
Queensland will roll out shark-spotting drones to more beaches, after a major study found drones detected more than double the number of sharks caught in adjacent nets.
But while drones would become a “permanent fixture” of the state’s shark-control operations, the Department of Primary Industries said Queensland would continue to rely on “traditional measures like nets and drum lines”, despite evidence of their deadly impact on dolphins, whales, turtles and dugongs. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Now here’s a use where AI could complement human eyes and be useful. Shark recognition can, probably not perfect but neither are humans. When spotted, they simply chase them away with a boat if they look threatening. A Grey Nurse on a reef is not a threat, but a Great White on a bait ball might be.
Reposted by Ian Thompson
International Day of People With Disability is coming up, and as a rural non-binary person with disability who works in disability support I would like to suggest your organisation please invite me to speak (or at least invite me to the brunch)
November 6, 2025 at 9:08 AM
International Day of People With Disability is coming up, and as a rural non-binary person with disability who works in disability support I would like to suggest your organisation please invite me to speak (or at least invite me to the brunch)
Reposted by Ian Thompson
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Antarctic scientists have documented the fastest retreat of a glacier in modern history, after it lost eight kilometres of ice in just two months.
Antarctic scientists have documented the fastest retreat of a glacier in modern history, after it lost eight kilometres of ice in just two months.
Antarctic glacier shrinks at fastest pace in modern history
Antarctic scientists have documented the fastest retreat of a glacier in modern history, after it lost eight kilometres of ice in just two months, according to a new report.
www.abc.net.au
November 4, 2025 at 7:47 AM
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Antarctic scientists have documented the fastest retreat of a glacier in modern history, after it lost eight kilometres of ice in just two months.
Antarctic scientists have documented the fastest retreat of a glacier in modern history, after it lost eight kilometres of ice in just two months.
Reposted by Ian Thompson
This research is particularly relevant for Australia - the Varroa mite infestation sweeping across the national honeybee colonies is largely virus-free. If there are additional illegal #bee imports that bring in viruses, this will only increase the impact.
November 4, 2025 at 10:28 AM
This research is particularly relevant for Australia - the Varroa mite infestation sweeping across the national honeybee colonies is largely virus-free. If there are additional illegal #bee imports that bring in viruses, this will only increase the impact.
Reposted by Ian Thompson
Research shows that ‘Long-unburnt snow gum forests (now) comprise ~1% of snow gum forests in the Alps’. The forests that our parents knew are now largely gone.
It’s strange how quickly this calamitous state of affairs has become ‘normal’.
themountainjournal.com/2025/11/04/s...
It’s strange how quickly this calamitous state of affairs has become ‘normal’.
themountainjournal.com/2025/11/04/s...
November 3, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Research shows that ‘Long-unburnt snow gum forests (now) comprise ~1% of snow gum forests in the Alps’. The forests that our parents knew are now largely gone.
It’s strange how quickly this calamitous state of affairs has become ‘normal’.
themountainjournal.com/2025/11/04/s...
It’s strange how quickly this calamitous state of affairs has become ‘normal’.
themountainjournal.com/2025/11/04/s...
Reposted by Ian Thompson
Frankincense and myrrh feature prominently in many religious occassions, including the visit of the Three Wise Men to the Baby Jesus. Read about these amazing tree products at Our Trees.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
The Three Wise Men brought frankincense and myrrh across vast distances to celebrate the birth of Christ. They also brought gold, which was less valuable.
The dry season in Sudan has begun, so the yo...
substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Frankincense and myrrh feature prominently in many religious occassions, including the visit of the Three Wise Men to the Baby Jesus. Read about these amazing tree products at Our Trees.
These are good
Delighted my YouTube channel has >1/4 million views and >5k subscribers. Keen to find new audiences especially students and practitioners. Also keen for new subjects either in UK or online interviewing someone in the field. Ideas welcome!
youtube.com/@bill_suther...
youtube.com/@bill_suther...
Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts
My mission is to explain the natural world and how to protect it. I am a conservation scientist determined to improve the planet. Each short video will explain an ecological concept and describe why ...
youtube.com
November 2, 2025 at 9:50 AM
These are good
Reposted by Ian Thompson
This really is a MUST READ.
"My nan used to say scientists will never catch up to us, we're too old," she says, as rain falls on the dry lake bed known as Lake Mungo.
How ancient knowledge is making modern science sit up and pay attention
How ancient knowledge is making modern science sit up and pay attention
'Scientists will never catch up to us': Ancient knowledge helps drive modern science
From dinosaur footprints to volcanic eruptions, First Nations knowledge is helping to drive modern science.
www.abc.net.au
November 1, 2025 at 12:11 AM
This really is a MUST READ.
Information sharing matters. This is open access. Isabelle Onley, Phil Cassey and Melodie McGeoch are Australian.
A study by I. R. Onley, P. Cassey, & M. A. McGeoch shows that biodiversity data sharing platforms are key to managing biological invasions. Closing the "knowing-doing" gap can create better conservation outcomes. 🌍
Read the full article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-025-03058-1
Read the full article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-025-03058-1
November 1, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Information sharing matters. This is open access. Isabelle Onley, Phil Cassey and Melodie McGeoch are Australian.
A good news story. These kids are fantastic. Lyrebird medley any one? Sound up. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Students compete in revived Bird Olympics - ABC listen
It's not your average school competition. The kids from the bush are back, competing in an age old tradition - the noble art of bird calling.
www.abc.net.au
October 31, 2025 at 8:30 AM
A good news story. These kids are fantastic. Lyrebird medley any one? Sound up. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Reposted by Ian Thompson
Easy to dismiss as vibes based investing but hope and aspiration were a key part of what drove early economic growth in the 18th C
Mokyr noted the idea of a better tomorrrow was such a break from the past that it merited risk-taking
We definitely need more optimism
Mokyr noted the idea of a better tomorrrow was such a break from the past that it merited risk-taking
We definitely need more optimism
I’ve written for @financialtimes.com about the need for belief in the future to get things built on.ft.com/47cO3Qs Why optimists build better infrastructure
Why optimists build better infrastructure
History credits the Victorians for their grand — and enduring — schemes but we need our eyes on the future to emulate them
on.ft.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Easy to dismiss as vibes based investing but hope and aspiration were a key part of what drove early economic growth in the 18th C
Mokyr noted the idea of a better tomorrrow was such a break from the past that it merited risk-taking
We definitely need more optimism
Mokyr noted the idea of a better tomorrrow was such a break from the past that it merited risk-taking
We definitely need more optimism
An Australia Halloween. Manna gums and Angophoras can make spooky shapes of giants. Then when you add big bad banksia men, mountain devils and gum it babies, who needs decoration. I am told there are fairies in the spring orchids and flowering herbs too.
Spooky eucy! Let’s celebrate the haunting beauty of Australia’s gum trees this Halloween | Jess Harwood
Spooky eucy! Let’s celebrate the haunting beauty of Australia’s gum trees this Halloween | Jess Harwood
From skeletal spectres to portals to the underworld, eucalypts have the power to thrill and chill
The spooky season is upon us and, while Halloween is not a longstanding tradition here down under, we love treats, dressing up and telling ghost stories. Halloween is here to stay, so why not make it a truly Australian festival?
If you’ve ever caught sight of an owl roosting in an old, hollowed-out eucalypt or the silhouette of twisted gum branches reaching like fingers across the moon and felt a touch of mystery and magic, then consider the haunting side of Australia’s beloved trees: Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:32 AM
An Australia Halloween. Manna gums and Angophoras can make spooky shapes of giants. Then when you add big bad banksia men, mountain devils and gum it babies, who needs decoration. I am told there are fairies in the spring orchids and flowering herbs too.
Reposted by Ian Thompson
Reposted by Ian Thompson
Australia 🤝 Ireland
voting is better when paired with food
voting is better when paired with food
The home of the O'Donovan family is being used as a polling station in Coolmoyne, Co Tipperary. Around 250 people are eligible to vote at the house and after they cast their ballot, they will be treated to a cup of tea, a slice of apple or rhubarb tart, or a scone | More: rte.ie/b/1540324
October 24, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Australia 🤝 Ireland
voting is better when paired with food
voting is better when paired with food
Magpies are friends. They are so curious and entertaining with their songs and antics
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
'Jekyll and Hyde': How to win over Australia's most polarising bird
Culturally revered in Dreamtime stories but feared by cyclists, the magpie has a "Jekyll and Hyde" presence in our suburbs. But one expert says there are ways to win them over — even if you're magpie ...
www.sbs.com.au
October 23, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Magpies are friends. They are so curious and entertaining with their songs and antics
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
This hornet has invaded Europe from Asia. Probably has its eye on North America and Australia next. Not good for native pollinators and honeybees or us. Hitchiker. France thinks it came in boxes of clay pots. Hard to eradicate if established. So need to keep a eye out at ports and warehouses
Yellow-legged hornets have been found Glenfield and two other spots in Auckland. We don't want these here! They're twice the size of our other introduced wasps, kill and eat honeybees and lots of native species, and have a nasty sting. www.mpi.govt.nz/news/media-r...
October 23, 2025 at 8:27 AM
This hornet has invaded Europe from Asia. Probably has its eye on North America and Australia next. Not good for native pollinators and honeybees or us. Hitchiker. France thinks it came in boxes of clay pots. Hard to eradicate if established. So need to keep a eye out at ports and warehouses
Reposted by Ian Thompson
You always know when a project “starts” because it is announced with self-congratulatory fanfare, but not how it "exits"...
Ultimately, this paper emphasises that responsible exits are a crucial part of ethical and effective conservation philanthropy.
www.franciscoblaha.info/blog/2025/10...
Ultimately, this paper emphasises that responsible exits are a crucial part of ethical and effective conservation philanthropy.
www.franciscoblaha.info/blog/2025/10...
Conceptualising Responsible Exits in Conservation Philanthropy — Francisco Blaha
As I dive deeper into EM (Electronic Monitoring), an area that I have been working with for a while now , I’m not surprised anymore about the dozens of EM trials over the last decades that have taken...
www.franciscoblaha.info
October 22, 2025 at 10:11 AM
You always know when a project “starts” because it is announced with self-congratulatory fanfare, but not how it "exits"...
Ultimately, this paper emphasises that responsible exits are a crucial part of ethical and effective conservation philanthropy.
www.franciscoblaha.info/blog/2025/10...
Ultimately, this paper emphasises that responsible exits are a crucial part of ethical and effective conservation philanthropy.
www.franciscoblaha.info/blog/2025/10...
The Canberra Times seems to be discouraging plastic grass beloved of the neat team. The neat team would be horrified at the thought of a meadow. Carefully selected native grasses and flowering herbs might be a half way house. Have a paddock not a lawn
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Don’t even think about decking! How to create a nature-friendly low-maintenance garden
Garden getting you down? Tempted to just pave or concrete over the whole thing and put your feet up? There are more enjoyable and eco-friendly alternatives, from miniature meadows to giant borders
www.theguardian.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:38 AM
The Canberra Times seems to be discouraging plastic grass beloved of the neat team. The neat team would be horrified at the thought of a meadow. Carefully selected native grasses and flowering herbs might be a half way house. Have a paddock not a lawn
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Love him or not George Monbiot does think. “In seeking to address our great predicaments, we should be, as much as is humanly possible, open-minded, open-hearted, receptive to evidence, argument and persuasion.”
In any discussion of food and farming, unless your solution can be scaled to feed 8 billion people, you shouldn't be taken seriously. Unfortunately, cottagecore fantasies that would feed only the richest consumers, leaving billions to starve, are all too common.
www.monbiot.com/2023/10/04/t...
www.monbiot.com/2023/10/04/t...
The Cruel Fantasies of Well-Fed People
The astonishing story of how a movement’s quest for rural simplicity drifted into a formula for mass death
www.monbiot.com
October 14, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Love him or not George Monbiot does think. “In seeking to address our great predicaments, we should be, as much as is humanly possible, open-minded, open-hearted, receptive to evidence, argument and persuasion.”
If you have kindergarteners this Wainwright children’s prize shortlisted book Flower Block, Lanisha Butterfield (author), Hoang Giang (illustrator) is a good read on the power of gardens wainwrightprize.com/shortlisted/...
October 14, 2025 at 10:20 AM
If you have kindergarteners this Wainwright children’s prize shortlisted book Flower Block, Lanisha Butterfield (author), Hoang Giang (illustrator) is a good read on the power of gardens wainwrightprize.com/shortlisted/...
A good news story to start the week
October 12, 2025 at 11:47 PM
A good news story to start the week
Reposted by Ian Thompson
Can I just say that this is a beautiful and thrilling public example of Black community care? One member of the community has experienced a carceral lockout and the entire architecture is being reoriented to bring him home. 👏🏽👏🏽
Correct! This week we built a fallback mechanism to query slingshot, constellation, and the PDS directly.
For now it is limited "read only". Soon enough you'll be able to interact with Link on blacksky.community
For now it is limited "read only". Soon enough you'll be able to interact with Link on blacksky.community
October 12, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Can I just say that this is a beautiful and thrilling public example of Black community care? One member of the community has experienced a carceral lockout and the entire architecture is being reoriented to bring him home. 👏🏽👏🏽
Reposted by Ian Thompson
Third attack on a culturally significant site within the North East over the past six months, with another tree destroyed by fire in the Northern Beaches in April and the vandalism at Paradise Falls in the King Valley in May www.farmernews.com.au/news-news/lo...
Loss of culturally significant tree devastates community - Farmer News
www.farmernews.com.au
October 11, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Third attack on a culturally significant site within the North East over the past six months, with another tree destroyed by fire in the Northern Beaches in April and the vandalism at Paradise Falls in the King Valley in May www.farmernews.com.au/news-news/lo...