News & Stories – Oxford Nature Network

Selected News and Stories

Why are so few environmental criminals on Interpol’s ‘most wanted’...

Diogo Veríssimo, University of Oxford and Sally Sinclair, University of Kent Environmental crime is big business, often listed among the world’s top five criminal activities, just behind counterfeiting and drug crime. So it would be reasonable to think it is a big priority for global law enforcement. But our new research suggests this is not […]

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Call for activities for our inaugural Oxford Nature Festival

On Saturday 27 June 2026, we’re holding a festival celebrating nature, community, creativity, and discovery, right in the heart of Oxford. Events will take place at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, and outside in nearby green spaces. Across the University, and throughout Oxfordshire more widely, there is so […]

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Nature Network Coffee Mornings and Seminars – Hilary Term card

22nd Jan – Brigid Hains and Richard Fisher Science communication that makes sense. In this session, two experienced editors from the digital magazine Aeon will share advice and insights on how to develop, pitch and write long-form science essays for a general, global audience. Aeon’s mission is to explore and communicate knowledge that helps us make […]

Mapping forest resilience hotspots in South America

Researchers from Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute have developed a new way to assess the resilience of South America’s temperate forests — identifying where ecosystems are most likely to withstand environmental change, and where they may be most vulnerable. The study, led by Xiongjie Deng, ECI PhD student, and published in the International Journal of Applied […]

Professor Yadvinder Malhi named on ENDS Report Power List 2025

Congratulations to our colleague Yadvinder Malhi, Centre Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, Professor of Ecosystem Science at the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, and Senior Research Fellow at Oriel College, for appearing on the ENDS Power List for the second year running! A supporter of Yadvinder’s describes him as […]

Natalie Duffus recognised on the ENDS POWER LIST 2025

Congratulations to Natalie Duffus for being recognised on the 2024 the Ends Power List as an unsung hero! Asked to qualify Natalie Duffus’s contribution to the UK environmental sector, a nominator describes her as “a powerhouse in increasing public awareness around the ecological impacts of biodiversity net gain, and how to improve the policy both […]

Weed or wildflower – a case for ragworts

Written by Dr Cecilia Dahlsjӧ. A sea of wildflowers glistens in the morning dew, their petals slowly unfurling as they awaken from the stillness of the night. The sun warms the wings of hungry pollinators whose hum signals the start of a new day. What if these wildflowers weren’t the familiar faces of daisies and […]

How hedgehog droppings can be used to study biodiversity at...

By Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen (Dr Hedgehog), WildCRU, Department of Biology Biodiversity is vanishing before our eyes. It is important to monitor biodiversity loss to optimise and target the conservation efforts needed to mitigate this situation. But how? By using hedgehog poo of course! During my many nights of fieldwork radio-tracking the charismatic European hedgehogs […]

Nature-friendly farming budget swells in UK – but cuts elsewhere...

Written by Nathalie Seddon Nature in the UK appeared to receive a rare funding boost in the June spending review, with the government setting a spending target of up to £2 billion a year for England’s environmental land management (ELM) scheme by 2028-29. By steering public funds toward farmers who restore hedgerows, soils and wetlands, […]

Acoustic monitoring fieldwork in the Scottish Highlands

We have just completed two weeks of successful data collection in Caledonian pinewood in the Scottish Highlands. Using passive acoustic monitoring to survey bats and birds, and trialling a method for assessing invertebrates. As often happens with fieldwork, we had a clear reminder that you should always expect the unexpected and be prepared to adapt […]

Bridging Worlds: Reflections on the role of academia in addressing...

In a world facing accelerating biodiversity loss, Oxford Martin Visiting Fellow Leah Gerber hosted a panel conversation that brought together different voices focused on the role of academia in conservation. This grew from a January talk on Understanding pathways of knowledge to action in biodiversity conservation and a February talk about knowledge production for decision-making […]

From Urgency to Participation: It is important that nature recovery...

Allegra Bundy, MSc student in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, reflects on the participatory process and key findings of her dissertation project, ‘From Urgency to Participation: Navigating Complexities in Nature Recovery in the Scottish Highlands’. The project, which was awarded a distinction, was supervised by Dr Caitlin Hafferty and supported by the Leverhulme Centre for Nature […]

Biodiversity Network Coffee Mornings – Trinity Term

8th May: GLAM and biodiversity: Partnering for a sustainable future – Jon Ray The Gardens, Libraries, and Museums (GLAM) have set a biodiversity net gain target in line with the University’s goals. GLAM occupies over 50 buildings across Oxford, cares for over 21 million objects, specimens, and printed items, and receives over 3.5 million visitors […]

Nature Seminar Series – Trinity Term

Friday 6th May: Transforming Nature-based Solutions – Nathalie Seddon, University of Oxford Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly hailed as a means of tackling climate and biodiversity crises while benefiting society. Yet they’re often reduced to carbon-offset schemes or narrowly focused projects, overlooking their power for deeper systemic change. In this talk, I will explore how […]