News & Stories – Page 4 – Oxford Nature Network

Selected News and Stories

How to save the Amazon

In honour of journalist Dom Philips and indigenista Bruno Pereira, a gathering of Indigenous leaders, human rights and environmental defenders, researchers, and practitioners came together on Earth Day to celebrate their lives and build hope for ‘How to Save the Amazon.’ The newly launched paperback version of the book ‘How to Save the Amazon’ uncovers […]

wildflower meadow with fields and trees in distance — Wildflower meadow in Oxfordshire. Photo Yadvinder Malhi

The great significance of observing nature in your back garden

Yadvinder Malhi shares his rediscovery of nature at the local level Like many, I have found solace and refuge in local nature over this year of pandemic and lockdown. When able to escape from Zoom calls and cabin fever, I’ve wandered and exercised in my local floodplain meadow of the Thames. I’ve used books and […]

For plants facing climate change, staying alive beats reproducing

Oxford researchers have found that plant resilience depends more on year-to-year survival than on growth or reproduction, with fluctuations in water availability emerging as the strongest environmental driver. A University of Oxford study has answered a deceptively simple question: what makes some plant populations more resilient than others to year-to-year environmental change? The answer surprised […]

Inspired by Nature. Powered by People

Celebrating a Remarkable Nature Festival 2026. On Saturday 27 June, as Oxfordshire experienced one of the hottest days of the year, hundreds of people came together for something worth celebrating: a festival that connected people with nature, with each other and with the inspiring work taking place to protect our environment. Despite the heatwave, The […]

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All Stories

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 […]

Sophus zu Ermgassen features in new Natural History Museum exhibition.

Oxford University researcher, Sophus zu Ermgassen appears in a wonderful new, free and permanent exhibition in London’s Museum of Natural History. You never need an excuse to visit this magnificent museum, and this exhibit should definitely be on your list of things to see when you next visit. Packed with contemporary science from our world-leading […]

Why ‘de-extinct’ dire wolves are a Trojan horse to hide...

Rich Grenyer, University of Oxford With wildlife populations globally 73% smaller on average than in 1970 and large mammals missing from much of the world, surely there’s never been a better time to “de-extinct” species? US biotech company Colossal Biosciences Inc claimed to do just that recently by resurrecting the dire wolf from Game of […]

Exploring Kenya’s Savannas: Insights from Megha Ojha’s Fieldwork

Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery postdoctoral researcher, Megha Ojha, recently embarked on an inspiring journey to Kenya. Here she visited the Natural State Research Centre, a non-profit organization actively working in the Kenyan savannas, a region of unparalleled ecological significance. Megha is a postdoctoral researcher in the Ecosystems Lab in the Environmental Change Institute, where […]

From Greening to Wellbeing

Researcher Wendee Zhang presented her research at a recent Healthy Ecosystems Restoration in Oxfordshire (HERO) meeting this week, she discusses spatial and social-economic disparities in school outdoor greenness and the impact on mental wellbeing and school attendance in children and adolescents, you can watch it here now.

man with a beard sits in a field with some long grasses in front of him, a border collie dog sits beside him — Professor David Macdonald CBE, FRSE. Credit: Cody Altizer

Linnean Medal 2025 awarded to wildlife biologist Professor David Macdonald

Professor David Macdonald CBE Professor David Macdonald, who founded the Department of Biology’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), has been awarded the Linnean Medal for long-standing and significant contributions to natural sciences. Through almost 40 years of wildlife research at WildCRU, David has contributed extensively to studies of a wide range of species including foxes, […]

Woman with a hat on looking through binoculars, green hills behind — Photo by Anna Keibalo on Unsplash

FIELDWORK RESEARCH ASSISTANTS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF...

We are recruiting up to three short-term research assistants this spring/summer to assist with biodiversity data collection near Oxford. Fieldwork assistants will join a small team surveying insects, plants, mammals and birds at Begbroke, north of Oxford, where the University of Oxford is planning a major infrastructure project. We’re looking for people with fieldwork experience, […]

Local volunteering opportunity

As climate change threatens cocoa production, why new efforts are...

This Valentine’s Day, millions of pounds worth of chocolate were exchanged as gifts, but researchers have found climate change and biodiversity loss threaten future global supplies of this treat. A new study led by the University of Oxford has found that cocoa production—the key ingredient in chocolate—is at risk due to climate change and low […]