Blogs

Female saigas aggregating - with a view of a farm in the background.

Aggregating for a Secure Future? Lessons from a Saiga Expedition in the Ural Steppe.

The campsite at the Taldapan oasis in the Western Kazakhstan Province

As the moon light started shimmering over the flat expanse of the steppe, our tabletka (an old classic Russian vehicle commonly used in these areas) finally came to its penultimate stop: we had arrived at camp. There I joined an international team of researchers…

Environmental Impact and Social Justice: The 2018 IAIA conference

See Victoria's profile here

Last week it was time to head to sunny South Africa for the International Association for Impact Assessment 2018 conference (IAIA18). It was also a lovely excuse for me to go home for 10 days to see family, friends and horses!

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Figure 1: Geese and Konik ponies in the Oostvaardersplassen. The death of a large number of large herbivores in this nature reserve raises the question whether the area can be seen as a successful rewilding project or whether it is a failed experiment (photo credit: Staatsbosbeheer).

Oostvaardersplassen – how wild can it be?

A silent march, crosses, a coffin – things you would not normally expect in a nature reserve. However, they now appear in the Oostvaardersplassen. This Dutch nature reserve is an internationally celebrated flagship example for rewilding in nature conservation. A range of large herbivores (including Konik ponies, red deer and Heck cattle) have been introduced to the…

Saving Pangolins from Extinction

This blog was originally posted via BBC two here as part of a new documentary on pangolins

Pangolins are in crisis, with all eight species threatened with extinction. This means that an entire taxonomic Order, the Pholidota, faces going the way of the dodo. Fortunately, pangolins are starting to receive the attention and conservation action that they deserve and there…

"Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" Where to find optimism for the Aral Sea?

Fishing vessel, Muinak, 1970 (by Vadim Madgazin).

Nukus, the little-known capital of Karakalpakstan region, Uzbekistan, has a remarkable and unexpected collection of modern art, created by Igor Savitsky in this remote refuge at a time when such art was discouraged by the Soviet state. Wandering around it, I saw…

Are we going any further? Contemplating the impacts of livelihoods-conservation initiatives

See Peter's profile here

I was brought up by and have lived with poor people in the rural village near the border of Kibale National Park (NP) in Uganda. I witnessed the Eviction of people from Mpokya in 1992 which was annexed to the Kibale NP when I was young. At home, we housed a few evicted individuals for…