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drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts
@drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
2.1K followers 380 following 1.4K posts

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

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Environmental science 35%
Geology 19%
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drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · Nov 24
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

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 7h
BBC News - Fight fake news and defeat climate deniers, Brazil's Lula tells UN talks
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Fight fake news and climate deniers, Brazil's Lula tells UN talks
The world must "defeat" climate denialism and fake news, Brazil's President Lula da Silva tells UN climate summit.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 8h
BBC News - Fly-tipping costs taxpayers almost £500k a year
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Hull City Council spends almost £500k to tackle fly-tipping
Hull City Council says fly-tipping is a "deep source of frustration" for people living in the city.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 8h
BBC News - 'Going to space reset my priorities in life' - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
'Going to space reset my priorities in life'
Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut in space, shares how seeing the Earth from above made her realise what was important in her own life.
www.bbc.co.uk

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 8h
BBC News - UK red kites bring Spanish cousins back from the brink - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK red kites bring Spanish cousins back from the brink
A project to revive red kite populations in south-west Spain sees new mating pairs and chicks.
www.bbc.co.uk

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 2d
Deep-sea mining risks for sharks, rays, and chimaeras www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 4d
BBC News - Bird flu virus spreading in UK could be worst yet, expert warns farmers
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Bird flu: Expert tells farmers to prepare for the worst as virus spreads
A top virology expert tells the BBC that the "super-infectious" avian influenza virus could mutate.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 4d
BBC News - COP30: World leaders take aim at Trump for climate inaction
www.bbc.com/news/article...
COP30: Starmer warns 'consensus is gone' on fighting climate change
World leaders address COP30 climate summit in Belém and take aim at Trump record on climate change.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 7d
BBC News - China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show
www.bbc.com/news/article...
China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show
Sheffield Hallam University apologises to Professor Laura Murphy for restricting her academic freedom.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 7d
BBC News - Netherlands to return stolen ancient sculpture to Egypt
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Netherlands to return stolen ancient sculpture to Egypt
The 3,500-year-old stone head was likely stolen during the Arab Spring uprising.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 7d
BBC News - Firms ordered to reduce forever chemicals in drinking water for 6m people - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Firms ordered to reduce forever chemicals in drinking water for 6m people
The persistent pollutants which build up in the environment have been linked to serious illnesses.
www.bbc.co.uk

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 8d
BBC News - What is COP30 and why does it matter?
www.bbc.com/news/article...
What is COP30 and where and when is it taking place?
World leaders will soon gather for the annual UN meeting on how to tackle climate change.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 8d
BBC News - Rare wolf spider rediscovered on Isle of Wight after 40 years - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Rare wolf spider rediscovered on Isle of Wight after 40 years
The team that found the tiny orange-legged arachnid have named it the white-knuckled wolf spider.
www.bbc.co.uk

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 8d
BBC News - Bats are seeking sanctuary in churches - but they're making an unholy mess
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Bats are seeking sanctuary in churches - but they're making an unholy mess
A new study estimates that about half of all churches in England have bats living in them.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 8d
BBC News - Devastation on repeat: How climate change is worsening Pakistan's deadly floods - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Devastation on repeat: How climate change is worsening Pakistan's deadly floods
The BBC speaks to those who have lost everything in this year's monsoon season and finds out why it will likely happen again.
www.bbc.co.uk

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 12d
BBC News - South Korea's fishermen keep dying. Is climate change to blame?
www.bbc.com/news/article...
South Korea's fishermen keep dying. Is climate change to blame?
An increase in deadly incidents has been partly caused by climate change, an inquiry found.
www.bbc.com

Reposted by David L. Roberts

greenpeaceuk.bsky.social
Greenpeace UK @greenpeaceuk.bsky.social · 12d
You might not agree with every protest you see, but these anti-protest laws could stop you having your say on anything from disability rights, employment rights or even your local library shutting.

The government must stop this attack on protest now. --> act.gp/43pAgnt
If you agree the govt should not strip away our right to protest, add your name
act.gp

Reposted by David L. Roberts, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott , and 3 more

snellarthur.bsky.social
Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 13d
Literally one of the greatest soft power brands on planet earth driven into the ground by successive British governments that embrace failure, decline and irrelevance.

on.ft.com/3Wq1XIT
British Council ‘selling everything it can’ to survive
Cultural body plans more job cuts, sale of assets and closure in 35 countries to stave off ‘financial peril’
on.ft.com

Reposted by David L. Roberts, Anthony Burke

mongabay.com
Mongabay @mongabay.com · 13d
More than half of Cambodia and Laos’ tree cover loss in 2024 was recorded inside protected areas, Mongabay’s Gerald Flynn reports.

In Cambodia, 56% of the nation’s tree cover loss was recorded within its protected area network last year. In Laos, the figure was 64%.
Most Cambodia & Laos tree cover loss in 2024 happened inside protected areas
More than half of Cambodia and Laos’ tree cover loss in 2024 was recorded inside protected areas, Mongabay’s Gerald Flynn reports. The findings were a result of Mongabay’s analysis of satellite data…
news.mongabay.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 14d
BBC News - Mpox cases in Europe prompt vaccine reminder
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Mpox cases in Europe prompt vaccine reminder
UK health officials are encouraging gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men to be vaccinated.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 15d
BBC News - Watch: Christmas Island red crabs begin annual migration - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
Watch: Christmas Island red crabs begin annual migration
The island off mainland Australia experiences the event every summer, when around 50 million crabs scuttle down from their homes to the beach to lay eggs.
www.bbc.co.uk

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 15d
BBC News - Joseph Banks: the man who collected the world
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Joseph Banks: the man who collected the world
The pioneering naturalist and botanist helped transform European knowledge of the natural world.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 15d
BBC News - Deepfake videos 'hidden' green impact - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Deepfake videos 'hidden' green impact says Oxford Uni lecturer
Platforms, including Open AI's Sora, have gone viral due to their ability to make hyper-realistic videos.
www.bbc.co.uk

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 15d
BBC News - 'Brothers in the forest' - the fight to protect an isolated Amazon tribe
www.bbc.com/news/article...
'Brothers in the forest' - the fight to protect an isolated Amazon tribe
Peru's Mashco Piro face a struggle to survive in the 21st Century, but locals want to help them.
www.bbc.com

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 16d
BBC News - Vulnerable deep-sea habitats to be mapped with AI
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Plymouth scientists win £2m to use AI in deep-sea mapping
The Deep Vision project aims to help shape legal protections for the habitats.
www.bbc.com

Reposted by David L. Roberts

royalsociety.org
The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 17d
Marianne North was a pioneering Victorian biologist and botanical artist. Her exposure to science at a very young age inspired her life-long passion for botany. Her talent gained the admiration of notable scientists, including Charles Darwin. She was born #OnThisDay in 1830. #WomenInSTEM

drdavidlroberts.bsky.social
David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 18d
BBC News - England's water companies get worst ever score over pollution - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
England's water companies get worst ever score over pollution
Thames Water - the UK's largest water company - was given the lowest one-star rating.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by David L. Roberts

georgeholmes.bsky.social
George Holmes @georgeholmes.bsky.social · 18d
The bison in Kent can be seen by some as a species 're'-introduction, because bonasus and priscus are so genetically and phenotypically close, or a taxon substitution, because they perform the same ecological function, or an introduction of another species altogether, just because it is cool.

Reposted by David L. Roberts

georgeholmes.bsky.social
George Holmes @georgeholmes.bsky.social · 18d
We assume that bonasus are a forest species, because that's were the remnant populations were - but they may have preferred grasslands, and only live in forests because they are the last refuge from human pressures. So the forest bison may not be truly at home in forests in Kent or anywhere else

Reposted by David L. Roberts

georgeholmes.bsky.social
George Holmes @georgeholmes.bsky.social · 18d
The Kent bison are European forest bison (bison bonasus). No bonasus remains have been found in Britain, but plenty of extinct Steppe Bison (Bison Priscus) remains have been dug up. How different these species were - genetically, phenotypically, ecologically, is contested.

Reposted by David L. Roberts

georgeholmes.bsky.social
George Holmes @georgeholmes.bsky.social · 18d
A fun visit to the University of Kent, to discuss species reintroductions. Here's me in front of the campus mural of a European Bison. There's a small herd of them living just three miles from this mural, but it is not a simple story of a 're' introduction.
Two men standing in front of a mural of a bison in forest