Victoria Coulton considers biodiversity change in Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures. With a 2030 deadline, governments around the world are under growing pressure to fulfil the targets established by the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

Finding my way Into the Wild in Glasgow's west end on the way to the conference this morning @fossilbeetle.bsky.social @hannahfluck.bsky.social @kimjward.bsky.social

Andrew Gibson reflects on the importance of direct ecological experience for environmental scholarship while supporting an undergraduate fieldtrip to Lutkemeerpolder - a small organic urban farm in the Netherlands. Find out more: www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

A team led by @anthropocenebio.bsky.social and @sangerinstitute.bsky.social with researchers from South America has found that some butterfly and moth species reuse the same two genes to evolve near identical colour patterns 🦋 Open access paper in @plosbiology.org doi.org/10.1371/jour... 🔓 📄

Another fantastic programme of events just launched for this year's @yorkfestofideas.bsky.social including our talk with Mumta Ito, founder of Nature's Rights, on 8 June. Hear about Mumta’s journey from lawyer to pioneering advocate for nature. Book now: yorkfestivalofideas.com/2026/calenda...

Earlier this month postgraduate researchers from @york.ac.uk & @northumbriauni.bsky.social came together to organise a @northernenvhistory.bsky.social workshop on all kinds of ‘yuckiness’ & unwanted non-human life, including vermin, weeds, insects, fungi & mud. ➡️ www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

We've got another great opportunity to join our centre! We’re looking for a postdoctoral researcher to explore how rights of nature legal frameworks can be successfully implemented through governance, exploring biocultural relationships and biodiversity protection. sites.google.com/york.ac.uk/l...

Driven by a lifelong love for the natural world, Dominique Maucieri's research journey evolved from terrestrial fieldwork to marine ecology. She's now joined LCAB as a postdoc working on understanding biological responses to human-driven environmental change. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

It was a pleasure to co-convene a two day workshop on historical approaches to unwanted non-human life. It brought together researches from a range of periods and disciplines and fostered conversations on the challenges and opportunities of with working in this field. Many thanks to all involved!

📰 I have a new paper out with Peter Sands @anthropocenebio.bsky.social in Society & Animals - setting out the idea of a #PoliticalEcology of reanimating to understand current trends in #rewilding through the lens of individual animal lives brill.com/view/journal...

We are excited to be recruiting a number of new postdoctoral researchers working across a range of topics from biodiversity modelling and creative future visioning to cultural understandings of biodiversity and game design. Find out more and apply by 28 April: sites.google.com/york.ac.uk/l...

Tracey Hayes reflects on the (Super)naturecultures Symposium which brought together folklorists & ethnologists from across the North Atlantic region to explore vernacular conceptions of the natural world & humans’ relationship to it as expressed in folk tradition. ➡️ www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

Better late than never - we were delighted to host Maastricht University System Earth Science researchers at York recently. Our discussions were focused on identifying research synergies and priorities across a range of areas. Looking forward to where these conversations lead!

Marco Franzoi reflects on his Japanese Society for the Promotion of the Science fellowship and how a chance mention by a friend led to one of the most rewarding experiences of his academic and professional career. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

In these Anthropocene times, the concept of "resilience", i.e. the ability of systems/landscapes to bounce back from shocks, has become all the rage. Yet those who try to implement the concept on the ground will promptly run into questions, such as: Resilience of what, and according whom? 🧵

Created for our university community, the touch grass bingo card encourages you to slow down, unplug, & reconnect with nature on campus. Supporting sustainability, celebrating biodiversity & nurturing wellbeing. 🌿Download a card & head outside: drive.google.com/file/d/1cxZy...

Great questions! 🌍🌐🦊🙏 The Wild Imperative: Rewilding in the Anthropocene journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

New paper uses stable carbon isotopes from baobabs in Madagascar to reconstruct long-term rainfall records. Understanding long-term patterns in rainfall variability helps us to untangle the role of climate & people in driving vegetation change. ➡️Read more: www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise. It’s unlikely to be bears but if you're somewhere along the UK’s west coast you may just find yourself in a rainforest, or at least a temperate one. Kian Hayles-Cotton reflects on his PhD fieldwork. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

What can biodiversity patterns during the Black Death tell us about our relationships with nature? (hint: its not all bad!) Read more in our new paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🌏🧪🌐

Sarah Bezan & Peter Sands edit a special issue that examines de-extinction through the lenses of art and science. The issue considers the ways in which species revival depends as much on speculative imaginaries as it does on the hard genetic & ecological sciences. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

This Sustainability Week join LCAB and @york.ac.uk grounds staff to plant a blackthorn thicket on Campus East. 📆4 March 🕜13:30 - 16:00 Open to staff and students but places are limited so book now: www.york.ac.uk/about/sustai...

Researching God’s Acre: The Biodiversity of British Churchyards A widespread community initiative seeking to improve biodiversity in the UK is churchyard improvement schemes. @jessbotha.bsky.social considers why they're important & what we can learn from them www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

Exploring Community and Government forest #conservation in #Nigeria provide the evidence on how management, local security, and collaboration are essential for forest #sustainability @anthropocenebio.bsky.social @yesiuoy.bsky.social @uoyenvironment.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Clemency Cooper’s PhD research aims to understand how perceptions of the landscape have shaped the North York Moors, and how evidence of past change might influence decisions about its future character. @northyorkmoors.org.uk www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

LCAB at IPBES 12: Reflections from Manchester. An LCAB group attended #IPBES12 to observe proceedings, engage with stakeholders & learn more about how the platform works in practice. Find out more about what they learned: www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

How can AI support biodiversity? 🤖🐝 Researchers from Computer Science and Ecology are teaming up to create a ChatGPT-style tool that gives farmers tailored advice on pollination. Grounding cutting-edge AI in real-world ecological knowledge. Learn more about the project 🔗 buff.ly/Tl2PUA3

From forests to reefs, biodiversity underpins the health & functioning of ecosystems, yet measuring biodiversity is not an easy task. Victoria's PhD research will compare different approaches & examine how they shape our interpretation of biodiversity trends. #IPBES12 www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

A new study reveals key challenges & recommends solutions for protecting biodiversity within oil palm landscapes. Corporate commitments to biodiversity protection are difficult to achieve; linking scientific guidance with local knowledge is key to success. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene... #IPBES12

Academics, policy makers and businesses are coming together this week at #IPBES12 in Manchester. LCAB researchers are official observers at this important plenary meeting which will have a particular focus on business and biodiversity and the nature-positive approaches companies can adopt.

Jamie Carr highlights the growing call for rights-based, locally led conservation and introduces his horizon scan on the realities - challenges, trade-offs and co-benefits - of implementing the Principles for Inclusive Nature Action in real-world contexts. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene... #IPBES12

A privilege to spend a day behind the scenes at @yorkmuseumstrust.bsky.social collections and the conversations it sparks - from #biodiversity changes to ecosystem restoration, from human environment interactions through to #art and engagement @ypsyork.bsky.social @anthropocenebio.bsky.social

Join us for a discussion and screening of UNRULY with @joenq.bsky.social; a South African theatre production exploring challenges of human-wildlife coexistence when tensions run high between people and baboons. Thurs 26 Feb | 10am or 3pm Book a place: www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

📢 New paper: Life on New Earth: biodiversity change & humanity in a novel future A counterpoint to collapse based narratives of biosphere futures by accounting for how ecological novelty, gains & past human experiences can help us navigate accelerating biodiversity change. doi.org/10.1098/rstb...

Eilidh Thompson introduces her PhD research into the decline of fish numbers in Ullswater. Piecing together sources of historical information, including fishing guides, romantic literature & newspaper reports, she hopes to be able to model the history of the lake. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

Andrew Hill reflects on the Theoretical Archaeology Group annual meeting where he presented the theory behind his current project titled ‘The Never-Wildwood: Humans and Beavers in Britain’s Woodlands in the Mesolithic and the Present’. @tag2025york.bsky.social www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

Funded by the China Scholarship Council, Dr Wei recently completed a 1-year visit to LCAB. The visit fostered interdisciplinary collaboration & contributed to our understanding of how society responds to environmental shifts, focusing on ecosystems & land-use trends. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

Rooted in environmental psychology, nature connection can be understood as an eighteenth-century phenomenon. Here Harrie Neal explores how nature connection has become a highly influential psychological framework across the environmental sciences and civil society. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

There's still just over two weeks left to apply to our workshop exploring historical approaches to non-human life. It will take place on 9-10th April 2026, and aims to bring together scholars across disciplinary divides. PGR and ECR support available thanks to the generosity of our sponsors!

New paper! Led by @jackhhatfield.bsky.social we looked at species driving biotic homogenisation (biological communities becoming more similar). onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... Current wisdom assumes expansion of human-associated common species is the cause of homogenisation, but is it?🌍🧪1/5

Find out more about Georgina Mitchell's recent trip to the Smart & Sustainable Planning for Cities & Regions conference. Georgina's research focuses on ‘urban rewilding’, which seeks to restore degraded ecosystems in urban spaces using minimal human intervention. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

New paper alert! Despite China’s landmark 2017 domestic ivory ban, demand hasn't vanished. The fab @molly-rc-brown.bsky.social's 2nd PhD paper out today reviews the deep-seated psychological and social reasons why demand persists. 🌍 🧪 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... 1/6

📣 Call for Abstracts | INQUA Congress 2027 📍 Lucknow, India | 🗓 Jan 28–Feb 3, 2027 Re-evaluating Long-Term Human–Biodiversity Relationships. Case studies & syntheses highlighting positive human–nature relations from archaeology & across the palaeosciences ⏰Deadline: 15 Feb 2026 🌏🧪🌐 #INQUA2027

New paper with @jonathan-gdon.bsky.social @cmbeale.bsky.social and Chris Thomas looking at species contributions to biotic homogenisation and differentiation. @anthropocenebio.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/geb....

We're heading into 2026 with a new Associate Director! We're thrilled @sabineclarke.bsky.social has agreed to take on this role after being a great LCAB supervisor for several years. Sabine takes over from the brilliant Mark Jenner. Find out more about Sabine's work: www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

Take a look at our blog on the essential contributions of women to fungal biodiversity data in the early 20th century. Meg Burgess discusses the importance of the history of mycology & how it affects understanding of scientific, working class, & domestic cultures. www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...

My first PhD paper is out today in Conservation Biology! @society4conbio.bsky.social Freely available to read here: doi.org/10.1111/cobi... Tldr 🧵 below!

Did you miss Rosie's #BES2025 talk on a novel metric for Novel Ecosystems? That's a pity...but don't worry, you can still catch up with the recording in the app! @anthropocenebio.bsky.social

Catch up on our sold out lecture with @tonyjuniper.bsky.social. Tony reflects on environmental legacy, current climate challenges and social inequalities before considering how we might tackle some of these issues. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y24-...

Increasing human ecological impact over the Holocene (11,700 - 150 years ago) led to biodiversity gains in Europe. Why? From ~8,500 years ago, the spread of farming created heterogeneous, habitat-rich landscapes that enhanced biodiversity. Read our new paper: dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.... 🌏 🧪