EcosystemEngineer
@ecosystemengineer.bsky.social
Sam Osborne
Advocating for all herbivores and megaherbivores, forest structures, vegetation structures, fast-track structural renovations, restoring ungulate migrations throughout all of Europe and beyond.
Advocating for all herbivores and megaherbivores, forest structures, vegetation structures, fast-track structural renovations, restoring ungulate migrations throughout all of Europe and beyond.
Try forest grazing, it improves forest structure, wildlife and the soils.
November 12, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Try forest grazing, it improves forest structure, wildlife and the soils.
Try some mega-herbivore inspired impacts by pruning the trees that have palatable leaves from ground level up to 4 or 5 metres high and by trampling some of the vegetation.
Both techniques improve the structural complexity and provide super habitats.
Both techniques improve the structural complexity and provide super habitats.
November 11, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Try some mega-herbivore inspired impacts by pruning the trees that have palatable leaves from ground level up to 4 or 5 metres high and by trampling some of the vegetation.
Both techniques improve the structural complexity and provide super habitats.
Both techniques improve the structural complexity and provide super habitats.
For me it's all about herbivores and forest structure, get these two things organised and even a dormant quiet forest comes back to life quite naturally.
November 11, 2025 at 1:05 AM
For me it's all about herbivores and forest structure, get these two things organised and even a dormant quiet forest comes back to life quite naturally.
So now we need to navigate our way out of this mess and humans eating even more plants than they currently do is not a viable strategy.
As I said be before, I'm a herbivore specialist. I study their roles in functioning ecosystems and their behaviours.
What do you know about herbivores?
As I said be before, I'm a herbivore specialist. I study their roles in functioning ecosystems and their behaviours.
What do you know about herbivores?
November 8, 2025 at 7:32 PM
So now we need to navigate our way out of this mess and humans eating even more plants than they currently do is not a viable strategy.
As I said be before, I'm a herbivore specialist. I study their roles in functioning ecosystems and their behaviours.
What do you know about herbivores?
As I said be before, I'm a herbivore specialist. I study their roles in functioning ecosystems and their behaviours.
What do you know about herbivores?
Crops gave us the first organied economies (see Richard Hudson) and now here in 2025 the resources that feed the 8.2 billion people economy are over-stressing the ecosystem.
Real herbivores, whether wild or domesticated are really not the culprits.
Real herbivores, whether wild or domesticated are really not the culprits.
November 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Crops gave us the first organied economies (see Richard Hudson) and now here in 2025 the resources that feed the 8.2 billion people economy are over-stressing the ecosystem.
Real herbivores, whether wild or domesticated are really not the culprits.
Real herbivores, whether wild or domesticated are really not the culprits.
Sorry to disappoint you, but crops are the danger.
They're the main driver of the exponential human population growth that's seen 1 billion leap to the current 8.2 over the last 200 years.
It's all connected to how food availability through the winter months governs herbivore populations.
They're the main driver of the exponential human population growth that's seen 1 billion leap to the current 8.2 over the last 200 years.
It's all connected to how food availability through the winter months governs herbivore populations.
November 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Sorry to disappoint you, but crops are the danger.
They're the main driver of the exponential human population growth that's seen 1 billion leap to the current 8.2 over the last 200 years.
It's all connected to how food availability through the winter months governs herbivore populations.
They're the main driver of the exponential human population growth that's seen 1 billion leap to the current 8.2 over the last 200 years.
It's all connected to how food availability through the winter months governs herbivore populations.
Also, ecology, or life is everywhere, if you care to look.
I know all the all narratives intimately and speaking as a herbivore specialist I find them all to be counter-productive, especially when so many people who don't understand herbivores regurgitate them ad nauseam
I know all the all narratives intimately and speaking as a herbivore specialist I find them all to be counter-productive, especially when so many people who don't understand herbivores regurgitate them ad nauseam
November 8, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Also, ecology, or life is everywhere, if you care to look.
I know all the all narratives intimately and speaking as a herbivore specialist I find them all to be counter-productive, especially when so many people who don't understand herbivores regurgitate them ad nauseam
I know all the all narratives intimately and speaking as a herbivore specialist I find them all to be counter-productive, especially when so many people who don't understand herbivores regurgitate them ad nauseam
Livestock occupy roughly one third of habitable land and this is not the cause, nor does it explain why wild mammals only make up 2% of global mammal biomass.
Also most of the highly fertile land is taken up by crops, grown in soils that were originally created by large herds of herbivores.
Also most of the highly fertile land is taken up by crops, grown in soils that were originally created by large herds of herbivores.
November 8, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Livestock occupy roughly one third of habitable land and this is not the cause, nor does it explain why wild mammals only make up 2% of global mammal biomass.
Also most of the highly fertile land is taken up by crops, grown in soils that were originally created by large herds of herbivores.
Also most of the highly fertile land is taken up by crops, grown in soils that were originally created by large herds of herbivores.
None of the anti-livestock narratives make any real sense and they can all be debunked with basic ecology.
November 8, 2025 at 6:33 PM
None of the anti-livestock narratives make any real sense and they can all be debunked with basic ecology.
All Kirsten Dirkson films are excellent and they're definitely worth checking out.
November 7, 2025 at 11:40 PM
All Kirsten Dirkson films are excellent and they're definitely worth checking out.
Do you bring herbivores in periodically to create even more structural complexity?
November 7, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Do you bring herbivores in periodically to create even more structural complexity?
November 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM
For every influence the predators might have, the herbivores provide hundreds or even thousands.
Take the average forest, anywhere in the world, most of them are now structurally dysfunctional due to a lack of herbivores.
Take the average forest, anywhere in the world, most of them are now structurally dysfunctional due to a lack of herbivores.
November 5, 2025 at 4:23 PM
For every influence the predators might have, the herbivores provide hundreds or even thousands.
Take the average forest, anywhere in the world, most of them are now structurally dysfunctional due to a lack of herbivores.
Take the average forest, anywhere in the world, most of them are now structurally dysfunctional due to a lack of herbivores.
Predators don't create the complex and dynamic habitat structures in the vegetation that wildlife and plants are most adapted to, this is one of the many roles that herbivores provide and it also explains why human beings are so crap at it.
November 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Predators don't create the complex and dynamic habitat structures in the vegetation that wildlife and plants are most adapted to, this is one of the many roles that herbivores provide and it also explains why human beings are so crap at it.
I totally agree and the thing about 'land use' relating to livestock is exposed as a flawed evaluation when we realise that non-livestock land currently supports very few if any herbivores.
Removing livestock from livestock land won't increase wild herbivores on non-livestock land.
A child of 4..
Removing livestock from livestock land won't increase wild herbivores on non-livestock land.
A child of 4..
November 5, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I totally agree and the thing about 'land use' relating to livestock is exposed as a flawed evaluation when we realise that non-livestock land currently supports very few if any herbivores.
Removing livestock from livestock land won't increase wild herbivores on non-livestock land.
A child of 4..
Removing livestock from livestock land won't increase wild herbivores on non-livestock land.
A child of 4..
Spain has a network of livestock routes that date back to Roman times, or possibly earlier.
The Vias Pecuarias.
Livestock farmers and pastoralists are the most qualified and experienced stewards of herbivores, they could oversee future migrations, no problem.
bsky.app/profile/vere...
The Vias Pecuarias.
Livestock farmers and pastoralists are the most qualified and experienced stewards of herbivores, they could oversee future migrations, no problem.
bsky.app/profile/vere...
No son ñus, ni es el Serengetti, ni la pradera americana. Son Vacas y Toros trashumando por La Mancha, les quedan 200 km para llegar a su destino, llevan otros 200 km de migración. #GanaderiadeAliciaChico. #ViasPecuarias #trashumancia.
November 5, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Spain has a network of livestock routes that date back to Roman times, or possibly earlier.
The Vias Pecuarias.
Livestock farmers and pastoralists are the most qualified and experienced stewards of herbivores, they could oversee future migrations, no problem.
bsky.app/profile/vere...
The Vias Pecuarias.
Livestock farmers and pastoralists are the most qualified and experienced stewards of herbivores, they could oversee future migrations, no problem.
bsky.app/profile/vere...
No problem, we have the technology to make them part of the migratory route.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlif...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlif...
Wildlife crossing - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 5, 2025 at 11:43 AM
No problem, we have the technology to make them part of the migratory route.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlif...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlif...
With the use of special migratory fencing, this could easily become a reality.
Imagine a race-course like in the grand national, minus the jumps, but about 200 miles long and with beefed up fence posts and rails, running through farmland and forests and along many rivers and water bodies, etc.
Imagine a race-course like in the grand national, minus the jumps, but about 200 miles long and with beefed up fence posts and rails, running through farmland and forests and along many rivers and water bodies, etc.
November 5, 2025 at 11:34 AM
With the use of special migratory fencing, this could easily become a reality.
Imagine a race-course like in the grand national, minus the jumps, but about 200 miles long and with beefed up fence posts and rails, running through farmland and forests and along many rivers and water bodies, etc.
Imagine a race-course like in the grand national, minus the jumps, but about 200 miles long and with beefed up fence posts and rails, running through farmland and forests and along many rivers and water bodies, etc.
All of our trees, vegetation and wildlife are adapted to the impacts of large herbivores and since their extinctions the quality of most habitats has declined.
This decline has been made worse by man managing vegetation by predatory principles, which are very different those of real herbivores
This decline has been made worse by man managing vegetation by predatory principles, which are very different those of real herbivores
November 5, 2025 at 11:27 AM
All of our trees, vegetation and wildlife are adapted to the impacts of large herbivores and since their extinctions the quality of most habitats has declined.
This decline has been made worse by man managing vegetation by predatory principles, which are very different those of real herbivores
This decline has been made worse by man managing vegetation by predatory principles, which are very different those of real herbivores
Question- How much land does nature currently use?
Answer- All of it, and it uses it in any & every way that it's able to.
Just for the fact that it might not be full of highly visible trees and large animals doesn't mean it's not there, just ask any micro-biologist about the human gut biome
Answer- All of it, and it uses it in any & every way that it's able to.
Just for the fact that it might not be full of highly visible trees and large animals doesn't mean it's not there, just ask any micro-biologist about the human gut biome
November 5, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Question- How much land does nature currently use?
Answer- All of it, and it uses it in any & every way that it's able to.
Just for the fact that it might not be full of highly visible trees and large animals doesn't mean it's not there, just ask any micro-biologist about the human gut biome
Answer- All of it, and it uses it in any & every way that it's able to.
Just for the fact that it might not be full of highly visible trees and large animals doesn't mean it's not there, just ask any micro-biologist about the human gut biome
Try elephant as a good alternative.
The Somerset levels would benefit from them and they just happen to be part of our traditional and evolutionary diet.
The Somerset levels would benefit from them and they just happen to be part of our traditional and evolutionary diet.
November 5, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Try elephant as a good alternative.
The Somerset levels would benefit from them and they just happen to be part of our traditional and evolutionary diet.
The Somerset levels would benefit from them and they just happen to be part of our traditional and evolutionary diet.