Ros Kennerley

We have developed a framework to help decision makers. The paper uses a series of engaging case studies from the UK, including European Bison🦬, Moor Frogs, and Dalmatian Pelicans, to highlight why each part of the framework is important to consider for any conservationist.

Historical data 📖🦴📉are essential for planning species reintroductions. They can help conservationists to define whether a species can be interpreted as native under modern environmental conditions, and whether its former population status, ecology, and causes of extinction are adequately understood.

New paper out!
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: u𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

A successful annual meeting at the weekend for @piedflynet.bsky.social, with around 60 keen attendees there to hear about last season's results, @cateden91.bsky.social's research on spotted flycatchers, the Two Moors Pine Marten project, and to generally feel geed-up about the season ahead!

Written evidence can be inaccurate and open to different interpretations. There's an interesting thread here about some of the reasons why the written accounts for European tree frogs may not be reliable: threadreaderapp.com/thread/16692...

🌍 The late Gustavo Fonseca’s legacy lives on through the Fonseca Leadership Program.

The GEF & @wcs.org invite applications for the Young Leaders in Africa Fellowship, which supports top African conservationists for Master’s/Ph.D. studies.

To learn more: wcs.org/about-us/gra...

​​🇯​​🇺​​🇸​​🇹 5️⃣ ​🇩​​🇦​​🇾​​🇸​ ​🇱​​🇪​​🇫​​🇹​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇦​​🇵​​🇵​​🇱​​🇾 !​

🧪🌿Reconstructing the trophic ecology of Caribbean mammals: new baselines to understand island evolution, extinction & conservation🐀🌴

blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...

Three frogs to be reintroduced to West Acre 'pingos' The money will be spent on breeding thousands of frogs and managing their release in 2026.

This is the height of ecological illiteracy and shows how wannabe zookeepers have taken over UK nature conservation. Evidence for native status of these species is incredibly tenuous; releasing them into one of our most ancient & irreplaceable ecosystems would be crazy.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🚨Caribbean mammal PhD opportunity🚨

🧪🌿Reconstructing the trophic ecology of Caribbean mammals: new baselines to understand island evolution, extinction & conservation🐀🌴

@uor-research.bsky.social, @zslofficial.bsky.social, @nhm.org, and with me at Durrell!

blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...

And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct Australia’s only known shrew has been declared extinct. Its loss emphasises the need for national protection of Australia’s rare and unique wildlife.

And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct
theconversation.com/and-then-the...
A great article by SMSG member Prof. John Woinarski.

Genetic evidence for invasive rat‐caused vegetation damage has implications for endemic Caribbean mammal management Conservation translocations of the Bahamian hutia, a threatened Caribbean rodent, have prompted concerns about vegetation damage. Extensive vegetation damage reported on John Higgs Cay (Turks and Cai...

Fieldwork for this was back in 2018, so it's great to finally have it published. Huge thanks to the fantastic ecologists at Department of Environment and Coastal Resources
in Turks & Caicos, colleagues at @nhm-london.bsky.social, and of course Sam at @zslscience.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1002/2688...

Closing date tomorrow, an exciting PhD linking insects with demography of aerial foraging birds such as House martin based @uniexecec.bsky.social in Cornwall.

Operation Turtle Dove’s view on the release of captive-bred Turtle Doves as a conservation measure - Operation Turtle Dove Operation Turtle Dove is a science-led conservation partnership working to reverse the decline of Turtle Doves in the UK by restoring habitat and addressing key threats. Learn why captive-bred release...

Very firm statement on releases of captive-bred Turtle Doves, from Operation Turtle Dove inc @rspb.bsky.social & @naturalengland.bsky.social:
*Doesn't meet IUCN guidelines
*Risk of disease/genetic pollution
*Irresponsible aims
operationturtledove.org/captive-rele... 1/2 #ornithology #ukbirding

Durrell return threatened gecko species to Mauritius Durrell Conservation says it cared for and bred 30 lesser night geckos at Jersey Zoo for five years.

Well done Nik and all the team in Mauritius!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

After a 10 year (!) hiatus, I'm happy to be bird ringing again. Thanks to @piedflynet.bsky.social for taking me on as a trainee!!!
A juvenile barn owl was not a bad starter bird....

Student Conference on Conservation Science - Welcome SCCS helps young conservation scientists gain experience, learn new ideas and make contacts that will be valuable for their future careers.

25th Student Conference in Conservation Science, Cambridge, 31 March – 2 April 2026. Looking for postgraduate students and early-career conservation scientists, in a broad range of fields, to apply to present talks or posters on their work.
www.sccs-cam.org

🔈 APPLICATIONS OPEN...

...for BOU Small Research Grants & Career Development Bursaries

Application deadline: 31 Oct 2025

Full details via links ⬇️

Grants: bou.org.uk/funding/s...

Bursaries: bou.org.uk/funding/c...

#ornithology 🪶

Postdoctoral Research Assistant - Hainan Gibbon Project in London Zoo | ZSL View details and apply for this Postdoctoral Research Assistant - Hainan Gibbon Project vacancy in London Zoo. ZSL is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) to work on a long-term proj...

A new postdoctoral research position for @zslscience.bsky.social's Hainan gibbon conservation programme is being advertised! Job description here:
careers.zsl.org/vacancies/47...

Ecologists are spending less time in the field. That could be a problem. Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. There was a time when an ecologist’s education was not complete with...

Seems like a happy coincidence that I read this bsky.app/profile/mong... article, on the day I'm starting a 3-week trip to explore the amazing flora and fauna of Alejandro de Humboldt National Park in eastern Cuba.

news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

This small stout mouse has short limbs. Its fur is brown above with long black guard hairs that give it a grizzled appearance. It is grey-brown underneath and has a distinctive pale ring around its eye.

This small stout mouse has short limbs. Its fur is brown above with long black guard hairs that give it a grizzled appearance. It is grey-brown underneath and has a distinctive pale ring around its eye.

#RodentOfTheDay Desert Mouse (Pseudomys desertor)

"This small stout mouse has short limbs. Its fur is brown above with long black guard hairs that give it a grizzled appearance. It is grey-brown underneath and has a distinctive pale ring around its eye."

Ph/Inf: www.sharkbay.org/publications...

April 4th is World Rat Day!

We're sharing a few facts about some of the world's wonderful yet at-risk rats, including:

🐀Malagasy Giant Jumping Rat
🐀Elvira Rat
🐀Tokudaia spiny rats
🐀Sulawesi's rats

Read more here: small-mammals.org/2025/04/04/w...

IUCN Wild Parrot Specialist Group - Application for Membership to IUCN SSC WPaSG Membership Application

Are you a parrot conservation researcher/field biologist/planner/indigenous person/local expert? Do you want to make a huge impact on the future of parrot conservation in the wild? This might be for you.
www.iucn-wildparrot-specialist-group.org/home/applica...

Science and Research Coordinator at Durrell | Durrell Science and research at Durrell is fundamental to our mission in ensuring that our actions and decisions are always based on evidence.

2 positions available at Durrell!

Science and Research Coordinator at Durrell (Jersey) | deadline 9th April
www.durrell.org/get-involved...

Conservation Training Manager | deadline 13th April www.durrell.org/get-involved...

BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Professor Carl Jones, conservation biologist Professor Carl Jones, biologist, shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren Laverne.

Professor Carl Jones on Desert Island Discs!
I was lucky enough to contribute to the Pink Pigeon and Echo Parakeet programmes in Mauritius and learnt a huge amount there.
These days I get to work with Carl at Durrell and always appreciate his conservation insights.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

PhD opportunity with me (RSPB) at Sheffield Hallam combining ecology (building-nesting birds esp. Swift) + building design & planning (Net Zero goals & retrofit). We need a strong student interested in both! Is that you? url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/cNyjCR636C... Please repost.

There's not long left for this small mammal specific funding round!

Last month we were thrilled to contribute to the development of a trans-national action plan for the Iberian Desman. Many thanks to the organisers IUCN Med, MITECO, and the IUCN CPSG.
small-mammals.org/2025/02/18/t...

Hispaniolan Solenodon Solenodon paradoxus Brandt, 1833 This comprehensive species-specific chapter covers all aspects of species’ biology, including taxonomy, distribution, genetics, morphology, life history, ecology, behavior, parasitology, human t...

@abigazzard.bsky.social, Dr Alexis Mychajliw, and I have just had our species chapter published:

𝗛𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙭𝙪𝙨 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘁, 𝟭𝟴𝟯𝟯

It features in Guevara, L., León-Tapia, M.Á. (eds). Handbook of the Mammals of Middle and South America. Springer, Cham.
doi.org/10.1007/978-...

After dodging the various crystal and witchcraft shops and homeopathic offerings of Glastonbury, we headed up to the Tor for some spectacular views over the levels. It was a time for reflecting on the huge changes that have happened to this landscape over the last two thousand or so years.

We also stopped off at Meare Fish House, the only surviving monastic fishery building in England. The lakes in early times produced large amounts of valuable fish for trading, so much so that in the 14th century Glastonbury Abbey built the house for fish-salting and drying.