News & Stories – Page 5 – Oxford Nature Network

Selected News and Stories

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How to make sure the nature credits you buy are...

Sophus zu Ermgassen, University of Oxford Global leaders have committed to halting and reversing the ongoing degradation of nature within the next few decades. But with tight public budgets, governments around the world are looking towards nature markets as one way to attract more private investment into nature. Nature markets are systems for measuring an […]

What happens if you try to map an entire country’s...

Alice Stuart, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery explores some of the work being carried out within the CBA Reimagining Nature Finance fellowship to understand financial flows to nature. How much finance is flowing in service of life? This feels like it should be a relatively straightforward question, and an important one, […]

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 […]

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Walkers in Wytham Woods are helping to understand fungi and...

This blog is long overdue; I promised to write it in January. What’s inspired me to get tapping on the keyboard today is that yesterday I had the privilege of seeing Merlin Sheldrake speak in the morning, and watched his film (narrated by Björk!) in the evening. For those of you who don’t know the […]

Ecology and beyond: A conversation with Prof. Sandra Diaz

Prof. Sandra Diaz is an Argentine ecologist whose work in ecology has been as insightful as it is multifaceted. In this brief interview, we speak about her journey as an ecologist, exploring her experiences in both scientific research and policy-making efforts for global conservation. With a background rooted in the study of plant functional traits, […]

Migratory animals face mass extinction – but as a conservationist...

Author: Dan Challender The world is facing three planetary crises: biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental pollution. Recognised threats to biodiversity include habitat loss and overexploitation but new analyses suggest that migratory species are faring particularly badly. The global extinction risk is increasing for all migratory species. Importantly, however, there is cause for optimism. I’m writing […]

Developers in England will be forced to create habitats for...

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Authors: Natalie Duffus PhD Candidate, Conservation Policy, University of Oxford. Sophus zu Ermgassen Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oxford. England’s new environmental policy, biodiversity net gain, went live on February 12. Most new developments – everything from a few […]

Generating Evidence to Foster Nature-Based Solutions in Peru

The report provides empirical evidence for NbS in the Peruvian context and offers policy recommendations that prioritize investments in resilient and sustainable economies. The launch event attracted a diverse audience, including policymakers from the Peruvian Government and practitioners affiliated with prominent local and international NGOs. This confluence of stakeholders’ perspectives underscores the report’s relevance and […]

small buff colour saiga antelope calf lies on a dirt path — Ej saw her first baby saiga on a dirt track in the vast wilds of Kazakhstan

Conservation works – with persistence, coalition-building, good faith, and a...

Author: EJ Milner-Gulland With so much bad news it can be easy to let the good news slip by and focus on the many challenges that conservationists face. But it’s important to celebrate and share our successes, and also to share insights about what lies behind them so that we can learn together; that’s a […]

Dr Sophus zu Ermgassen wins NERC Impact Award : Early...

“Shaping the design and implementation of England’s new biodiversity net gain policy” Researchers whose work has had a significant, wide-reaching impact on the economy, society or environment were celebrated at NERC’s 2023 Impact Awards this week. Dr zu Ermgassen works in the Dept of Biology and his research has raised public awareness about England’s biodiversity […]

Man in a short sleeved shirt stands in a field — Sophus has been nominated for NERC Impact Award

Sophus zu Ermgassen nominated for NERC Impact Award

We’re proud to be working alongside Sophus zu Ermgassen, who has been nominated for a NERC Impact Award. His research has helped to balance development with nature recovery by informing England’s biodiversity net gain policy. Sophus is a finalist in the NERC Impact Awards 2023, which shine a spotlight on the UK science at the […]

Fixing the gaps in England’s ‘biodiversity net-gain’ policy

England will soon introduce one of the world’s most ambitious biodiversity policies in “Biodiversity Net Gain”. This policy effectively mandates that any new development leaves biodiversity in a better state than before it was constructed. It was initially meant to go into effect in November, but the government has pushed back its implementation until 2024. […]

3 mena and a woman with a wolly hat on stand under a multi coloured umbrella — BBC's Countryfile comes to Wytham Woods

BBC Countryfile investigates the ash dieback at Wytham Woods

The threat of ash dieback on our ecosystems was the focus on BBC Countryfile Professor Yadvinder Malhi, Ecosystems Research Programme Leader at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) and Tom Atkins, Researcher at the ECI’s Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, shared what they’ve learned during a four-year study at the University-owned Wytham Woods. BBC presenters Hamza […]

Catch Wytham Woods on Countryfile on 5 November

Earlier in October, the BBC Countryfile team returned once more to Wytham Woods to film for an upcoming episode, part of the 12-month Wild Britain initiative that’s aimed at galvanising support for saving the UK’s endangered wildlife. Ellie Harrison and Hamza Yassin visited the Woods, with the latter climbing into their canopy to learn more […]

Green fields, hedegrows and blue sky above — Could the next State of Nature report bring more positive news?

State of Nature: Ecologists have collected the evidence, now it’s...

In an article written for the British Ecological Society, Yadvinder Malhi reflects on the Sate of Nature report, published yesterday, September 27th. The latest State of Nature Report rings yet another alarm bell on the biodiversity crisis in the UK, showing major declines in many species since monitoring began in 1970. Since this date, species […]