🌿 SCB Europe Region seeks nominations for its Board (8 seats, 3-year term starting January 2026). We're especially looking for people to lead membership and education committees. Open to SCB members in Europe, apply by October 15th! For more information, see conbio.informz.net/InformzDataS...

🚨 First call! 🚨 European Congress for Conservation Biology (Leiden, the Netherlands in July 6th to 10th 2026) is open for proposals: symposia, panels, workshops & training on effective biodiversity conservation. Deadline Oct 31st 2025 👉 eccb26Leiden.eu #ECCB2026

The 8th European Congress for Conservation Biology will take place in Leiden, NL! They will explore how #biodiversity can be safeguarded effectively in the long term. First call is open now! Check out: eccb26leiden.eu/calls/ for more info, we are looking forward to your contributions!

New on global conservation science: Public engagement is vital for biodiversity but barriers e.g. lack of knowledge, misaligned values & low personal relevance persist. Tailored approaches are needed in different contexts. Gregg et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

🌍 Call open for #ECCB2026! The 8th European Congress for Conservation Biology (Leiden, July 6–10 2026) seeks proposals for symposia, panels, workshops & training. 📅 Deadline: Oct 31, 2025 🔗 eccb26leiden.eu/calls/ Join us in building effective biodiversity conservation.

New on global conservation science: Artificially mimicking ecosystem engineers, e.g. beaver dams, can restore processes and aid species recovery, but unintended impacts are possible ➡️ more research on effectiveness, scalability & trade-offs Goss et al. in Cons. Biol. doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on European conservation science: Climate change will reshape European bat communities: losses in the south, gains in the north, changes in functional diversity. Conservation should target key traits, habitats & connectivity. Fialas et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on European conservation science: 25-year study of amphibians in Italy shows abundance data detects declines sooner but with more uncertainty compared to occupancy data. Data types together give stronger extinction risk assessments. Falaschi et al. in Cons. Biol. doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on European conservation science: Satellite & field data reveal 25 years of change in Italian coastal dunes: vegetation encroachment, shifts in habitat types and forest homogenization show succession and management needs. Cini et al. in Conservation Science and Practice doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

New: Strong global support for the 30x30 conservation target *Data from 5 continents (N=12k) show 82% in support of 30x30 *2 experiments find highly consistent expansion policy preferences, incl. prioritization of nature and rich countries bearing higher costs Out now OA in @pnas.org. Viz. below.

New on European conservation science: Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas cover only <30% of megafaunal predators. Species distributions vary greatly, leading to drastically different spatial conservation priority areas. Boyse et al. in Conservation Science and Practice doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

New on conservation science: Coexistence with large carnivores is a conservation challenge. Revisiting Volterra principle (more mortality on both prey and predators leads to more prey & fewer predators) can inform modern conservation strategies. Boyce et al. in Cons. Biol. doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on European conservation science: Unsown strips in winter fields boosted skylark breeding success, prey density & habitat use without reducing yields. ➡️ adopt strips at large scale to aid skylark conservation in farmland. Blösch et al. in Cons. Science and Practice doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

New on European conservation science: North Sea offshore wind farms can increase artificial light pollution, posing risks to migratory birds and bats. Anticipatory marine governance is needed to reduce impacts. Walsh et al. in Conservation Science and Practice doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

New on global conservation science: 🌳Biodiversity-sensitive urban design 🌳 Urban nature must go beyond green space. Rethinking nature as a design opportunity, not a constraint, can help cities thrive for both people and wildlife. Visintin et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on global conservation science: Protected areas can safeguard genetic diversity but benefits vary by species, body size & connectivity. Limited data availability hinders systematic incorporation of genetic diversity into PA design. Schmidt et al. in Conservation Letters doi.org/10.1111/conl...

New on European conservation science: Wolf-dog hybridization can rapidly increase without intervention. Model shows sterilization or removal of hybrids reduces admixture. Success depends on mate choice, immigration & mortality by humans. Santostasi et al. in Cons. Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on European conservation science: Reptile diversity in western Mediterranean peaks 15–40 years post-fire, especially in afforested areas. Pyrodiverse landscapes boost richness, but more frequent fires may be harmful to reptile communities. Santos et al. doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

Gender imbalances among top-cited scientists: Gender gaps in science are narrowing but slowly. Men still outnumber women 2.3x among top-cited authors (down from 6.4x in the past). Just 18% of fields have gender parity. Progress varies widely by discipline and country. doi.org/10.1371/jour...

SCB Europe board is visiting the next city and university to host ECCB. The conference planning is well under way, stay tuned!

SCB Europe Region's Policy Committee in @peopleandnature.bsky.social: Science played a key role in EU debates on nature and agrochemical laws but misinformation & economic interests shaped outcomes. E.g. open letter from 6000 scientists helped pass Nature Restoration Law. doi.org/10.1002/pan3...

Just a bit over a year until the next ECCB, put the dates in your calendar ✍

We received exceptional applications for the 2025 SCB Europe Early Career Conservation Award and decided to award two candidates. Congratulations to the winners Dr Hanna Pettersson (University of York UK) and Dr Volen Arkumarev (Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds / BirdLife Bulgaria) 👏🥳

New on global conservation science: Empowerment is central to people-centered conservation but rarely defined or grounded in theory. A review finds rhetoric often outweighs practice & research often focuses on communities in the Global South. Petriello et al. in Cons. Biol. doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

Who else is presenting at #ICCB2025 ? So many exciting talks and posters in the program! Repost this slide and let us know when / where to find you!

New on global conservation science: Seagrass & kelp beds need better impact-mitigation tools. A review of 47 methods shows gaps in valuing these habitats, especially kelp. New flowchart helps managers to identify most suited tools. Pausch et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

Stephen Venn joins the SCB Europe Board! Thank you to all members who voted in the election for the open seat in the SCB Europe Board. Stephen @stiivi1.bsky.social is affiliated with the University of Lodz (Poland) & University of Helsinki (Finland) and will start as board member in August 2025.

📣SAVE THE DATE📣 The European Congress of Conservation Biology (ECCB) 2026 will be held in Leiden, 6–10 July! The theme of the conference is “Effective Conservation Science”. Join global experts to explore effective conservation science through keynotes, workshops, field trips, and more.

New on European conservation science: Free-ranging domestic cats occur deep in the forests, with >10% occupancy even 1 km from homes. Their presence near edges suggests persistent risks to biodiversity well beyond suburbs. Nyheim et al. in Conservation Science and Practice doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

New on global conservation: Zoos & aquariums can positively shift conservation knowledge, attitudes and intentions. While effects vary, evidence shows zoos can influence visitor behavior ➡️ zoos have a role in biodiversity outreach. McNally et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on European conservation science: Adult presence doesn’t guarantee amphibian population viability. When resources allow, monitoring both adults and reproduction gives far better insight. For limited budgets, adult-only data may suffice. Lo Parrino et al. in Cons. Biol. doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

Science shouldn't get lost in translation! Ignoring non-English studies skews global data. Including them raised invasive species cost estimates by 214 billion $ and added 249 species & 15 countries to the list. Multilingual research ➡️ better decisions! doi.org/10.1016/j.sc...

Congratulations to the two awardees for the best oral presentations during the 2nd Conference in Conservation Biology for ECRs by @scbitaly.bsky.social: Andrea Zampetti (student award) and Andrea Cristiano (postdoc award) from Sapienza University 🥳 The awards were sponsored by SCB Europe.

New on global conservation: National political ideologies shape biodiversity outcomes. Democracy boosts protected areas while nationalism & socialism correlate with more threatened species. Conservation must engage across ideologies. Jones et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on global conservation science: Conservation planning just got more powerful: the prioritizr R package offers flexible, scalable tools to optimize protected area expansion using real-world constraints & data. Practical, fast & open. Hanson et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

The 2nd Conference in Conservation Biology for #ECR is officially over, what a blast! > 170 young researchers gathered to talk about conservation 🦋 I'm grateful for all the connections and to all the members of the organization, it's always a pleasure 🌿 @scbitaly.bsky.social @scbeurope.bsky.social

New on European conservation science: In complex farmland landscapes, boosting flower availability in existing habitats supports pollinators as much as adding new habitat. In simpler areas, more habitat is key for pollinator recovery. Fijen et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on European conservation science: Urban impervious surfaces sharply reduce reproductive success in great & blue tits. 50% increase near nests can halve number of fledglings ➡️ cities shape reproductive outcomes for wildlife. Corsini & Szulkin in Conservation Letters doi.org/10.1111/conl...

New on global conservation science: IUCN & GBIF data show major mismatches in assessing threatened vertebrates in protected areas. To strengthen PA strategies, we need more accurate, regionally nuanced, and unbiased biodiversity data. Cordier et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

🍄 🧪🌍 #CitizenScienceMonth ends today, so I thought I'd share our review published last year in @consletters.bsky.social "The Power of Citizen Science to Advance Fungal Conservation" #citizenscience #conservationscience #conservation #ICYMI conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

New on global conservation science: Parasites are vital to ecosystems but often overlooked in conservation. Bridging social science and philosophy can shift perceptions and support strategies that protect both parasites and their hosts. Brown et al. in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on European conservation science: New study maps adaptive trajectories for 39 of Europe’s most threatened mammals, e.g. Iberian Lynx, revealing key regions for future persistence are underrepresented in current conservation areas. Alagador in Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

New on global conservation science: Ecotourism can support wildlife conservation if we minimize its impact. Research on animal behavior helps to understand effects and guide more sustainable, wildlife-friendly tourism practices. Chock et al. in Cons. Sci. Pract. doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

New on global conservation science: 🌱🤝 What does environmental "stewardship" really mean? Researchers uncover hidden assumptions shaping conservation efforts and call for more inclusive approaches. Golden et al. in Conservation Letters doi.org/10.1111/conl...

New on European conservation science: Concrete-heavy habitats drastically reduce the reproductive success of two urban bird species in Warsaw, Poland. More greenery & natural surfaces could help mitigate these effects. Corsini & Szulkin in Conservation Letters doi.org/10.1111/conl...

New on global conservation science: Protected areas help wildlife but do they safeguard genetic diversity? Survey of mammals&fish finds major gaps, risking species' long-term survival. Better genetic monitoring is needed! Schmidt et al. in Conservation Letters doi.org/10.1111/conl...

New on global conservation science: 🌍🦎 Wildlife trade threatens global biodiversity, yet most focus is on illegal trade. Legal trade lacks oversight, data & sustainability checks. We need holistic, global action —urgently. Hughes et al. in Conservation Letters doi.org/10.1111/conl...

Reminder for all early career conservationists: the nomination deadline for our award is in a week! Reminder for all conservationists: please share the information with your network!

New on global conservation science: Systemic justice-equity-decolonization-indigenization-inclusion change in universities: ❗develop educational opportunities ❗focus efforts on critical moments ❗design payment programs Yasué et al. in Cons. Biol. conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

New on global conservation science: Society for Conservation Biology's mission includes disciplinary diversity but most nonmembers think SCB focuses on biology. We need to promote disciplinary diversity! Winkler-Schor et al. in Conservation Biology conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...