James Bullock
banner
jmbecologist.bsky.social
James Bullock
@jmbecologist.bsky.social
Applied ecologist working on the ecological emergency

Studying ecosystem restoration, rewilding, dispersal, spatial ecology, ecosystem services, agro-ecology, global change. Views are my own & personal/unofficial
Always worth repeating this point

And the appalling detail of how the British government recompensed slave-owners on the abolishment of slavery
(Guardian book review)
September 21, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Travel broadens the mind, but flying destroys the planet

Sad to see the Guardian advertising carbon-intensive holidays for rich folk
September 17, 2025 at 6:33 PM
The day paradise put up a parking lot

This local semi-wild riverside meadow being despoiled with artificial surfaces

Apparently to help people walk & cycle through nature
September 10, 2025 at 7:27 AM
We saw a spectacular Chicken-of-the-Woods fungus today at the @RSPB Arne Nature Reserve

Named apparently for its flavour when cooked
August 31, 2025 at 4:39 PM
We applied and validated the InVEST nutrient retention model across Europe

Nutrient pollution in intensive agricultural regions is predominantly from fertiliser use

But for large areas, the main source of N pollution is through atmospheric deposition
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
August 27, 2025 at 8:26 AM
SSP3 anybody?

Nationalism, trade wars, environmental degradation, breakdown of society

The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways outline potential societal futures. SSP3 is generally seen as the worst
August 27, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Should I be concerned that this is exactly what meetings in my office look like?
August 23, 2025 at 9:49 AM
I wonder if you’re thinking of sundews - which are found in the wetter parts of Holt?
August 22, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Sad sight of the burnt expanse of Holt Heath in Dorset
August 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
In talking about nature recovery, we have to remember how much has been lost in a very short time

Our map of loss of chalk grassland, heathland & woodland in Dorset over less than a century
doi.org/10.1111/ecog...
August 17, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Fascinating in the current drought to see deep-rooted species like yarrow & plantain doing well in grasslands

A simple illustration of how diversity leads to resilience
August 15, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Builder: “We’ll plant trees because we really care about the environment …

… What? We’re supposed to water them too?”

Wyatt Homes in Wimborne
August 3, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Spending time on the bare, heavily grazed hills of the Peak District,

it is good to see the occasional example of what a relaxation of livestock levels could bring
July 31, 2025 at 8:24 AM
There are 5 key drivers of biodiversity loss

Climate change; Land/Sea use change; Invasives; Over-exploitation; Pollution

Importantly, they interact synergistically to exacerbate nature degradation

So don’t dismiss any individual driver as being of lesser importance
doi.org/10.1002/fee....
July 23, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Join our BES workshop on Movement Ecology & Rewilding

As Rewilding seeks to create more natural ecosystems

An understanding of the Movement Ecology of species becomes central

Yet the 2 research areas are not well linked

We aim to address that!

Book at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/more-movem...
July 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
This is what happens if you leave a pot unplanted

Pesky trees
July 20, 2025 at 4:04 PM
A challenge for analysing climate change impacts is that biodiversity data has limitations

While we found strong spatial signals between long-term temperature & bee losses/gains,

our ability to detect responses to local temperature anomalies was limited
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
July 17, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Once again, we find context specificity in ecological responses to environmental drivers

Here, we find temperature, precipitation & fire shape woody vegetation dynamics in grasslands, but the key processes vary across sub-Saharan Africa
zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
July 15, 2025 at 7:55 AM
A nice bit of scrubby grassland - an ecosystem which increases ecological complexity in our landscapes

Providing a wide range of habitats for plants & animals

Yet is often seen as degraded grassland or a transitional state to woodland
July 14, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Interesting visit to @realfarmed.bsky.social today

A regenerative agriculture demonstration farm

I found this field of wheat especially interesting - a local variety developed from ancient types

Needs no fertiliser & yields at about 3 tonnes
July 10, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Wall lizard?

I first thought it was a Sand lizard, but it don’t look right. And it was on a sea cliff rather than heath or dune

Actually, seen on the ‘Salt Path’ (SW Coast Path) - where nothing is quite what it seems…
July 8, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Totally agree. There seems to be the idea that regen ag will do the trick. See our response to a BES report
July 3, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Sadly, not called the Hedgehog Moth
July 3, 2025 at 12:38 PM
There’s nothing like an Exmoor woodland
June 29, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Introducing lynx to GB?

We need science, not just wishful thinking - so, a modelling study

“The release site is critical to ensure low extinction risk & population expansion

Aberdeenshire, Galloway, Kielder Forest had robust reintroduction success under diverse conditions”
doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
June 26, 2025 at 6:29 PM