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Bruce Webber

@drbrucewebber.bsky.social
4.4K followers 876 following 253 posts

Global change ecologist: conservation, bioinvasions & climate change 🌳🐜🐈🐊 | adventurer | coffee enthusiast | photographer (views my own) linktr.ee/drbrucewebber

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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Which species will you be voting for in the 2026 ABC Australian insect of the year? Vote here: www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10... My vote goes to the gold Christmas beetle (Anoplognathus aureus) from FNQ. Sadly, this stunning beetle could be in decline: invertebratesaustralia.org/christmas-be...
The gold Christmas beetle (Anoplognathus aureus).  Found in far north Queensland from Rockhampton to Cape York.
Photo: Lachlan (iread @ iNaturalist)
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
An awkward juxtaposition from @news.abc.net.au's website this morning shows the disconnect between global change observations from around the world and the choices being made around actions to avert this crisis. We must hold decision makers accountable for their willful destruction of the planet.
A screen grab of ABC News Australia's website showing an article on 'unprecedented' glacier melting from global warming next to a news release stating that the G7 will release 100 million barrels of oil to help curb soaring prices.
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Mike DiGirolamo @mikedigirolamo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I wrote about what the late scientist Rachel Carson teaches us about integrity and moral clarity in science and writing. This was inspired by my conversation with journalist and writer Megan Mayhew.
mikedigirolamo.com
Integrity And Moral Clarity — Mike DiGirolamo
The moral clarity that your integrity gives you is worth every painful step.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
In an era of predatory journals, substandard reviewing and AI slop, the peer review process is becoming increasingly frustrating. This Freudian slip in our latest cover letter draft might just be the new word that we are all looking for, where revisions and reviews are dominated by rebuttals! 🌐🌎🧪
A new word: revut (verb) /rɪˈvʌt/ : to argue repetitively that statements or claims are not true in order to correct or improve an idea, piece of writing etc.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Passionate about cat management and biodiversity? Interested in making a difference to animal welfare? Come and join the @wafcwg.bsky.social as our Senior Project Coordinator. Applications close 27 Aug! Please share. Details 👇
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Philippa Nikulinsky is a botanical artist and illustrator who's artistic works, scientific drawings and incredibly detailed field notes provide a rich insight into Western Australia's floristic diversity. The magic that can happen when science and art come together! www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08...
Nikulinsky's artworks span decades of change in the West Australian landscape. (ABC Science: Peter de Kruijff)Much like a botanist, Philippa has notebooks filled with plant specimens. (ABC Science: Peter de Kruijff)
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Vote for your favourite Australian wildflower as part of a fantastic floral festival for National #ScienceWeek. The fascinating science behind these blooming beauties is as incredible as their visual impact. Which flower will win? www.abc.net.au/news/science...
abc.net.au
These 10 Aussie wildflowers have superpowers. Pick your favourite
Move over waratahs and banksias! These 10 flowers from the unsung understorey are not just pretty faces, they have surprising tricks up their sleeves.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The way that fire moves in the landscape is rapidly changing, so the question is whether strategies used by flowers in the past to survive will work in an era of rapid climate change. @peterdekruijff.bsky.social for @news.abc.net.au. #botany #scienceweek www.abc.net.au/news/science...
Seed collecting takes members of the RBGV team to far-flung parts of Victoria like this trip to harvest from a stringybark tea-tree (Gaudium jingera). (Photo: RBGV/Jacqueline Felstead)
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"The greatest question we confront, possibly the greatest question humanity has ever confronted, is whether we can hit the social tipping points before we hit the environmental tipping points." - @georgemonbiot.bsky.social for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/membership/2...
theguardian.com
Don’t despair about what’s happening to our planet. That’s what they want you to feel
There are social tipping points when the seemingly impossible suddenly becomes inevitable. Good journalism plays an essential role in helping drive these shifts and shows us how real change can happen
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
That's an unfortunate case of whataboutism you have there!
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Indeed! It's coming soon.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Agreed, but that credible approach was mostly based on physical examination of gut contents, which this research reveals to be conservative.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
We actually need better cat containment laws than the ACT. They regret including a grandfathering clause. A initial transition period of widespread and substantial education (limiting punitive action to repeat offenders) is a better approach, as used in other regions.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
A #newpaper reveals that feral cats in Australia likely kill far more Australian native animals than previously thought. DNA analysis picked up more small and soft bodied prey compared to traditional gut content assessments. theconversation.com/feral-cats-l... #bioinvasions
theconversation.com
Feral cats likely kill far more Australian native animals than we thought: first DNA analysis
We cannot fence the whole of Australia. Therefore, we need to know which species are most at risk from cats.
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WA Feral Cat Working Group @wafcwg.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
It's International Cat Day, make it a day to care more about pet cats. Share your views on the WA Cat Act review using our guidance based on the latest scientific knowledge: tinyurl.com/wacatact Be part of a better future for pet cats, wildlife and people in Western Australia. #bioinvasions
An image of a pet cat resting on a couch celebrating International Cat Day and asking people to share feedback on the WA Cat Act review via the following link: https://tinyurl.com.wacatact
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WA Feral Cat Working Group @wafcwg.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Have you submitted your feedback on the WA Cat Act review (due 31 Aug)? Guidelines to help: wafcwg.org.au/wp-content/u... Advice on urban myths & fallacies: wafcwg.org.au/wp-content/u... This is your chance to shape the future of cat welfare & responsible pet ownership in WA. #bioinvasions 🌏🌐
A pet cat paws at a note pad and computer with a cup of black coffee nearby.
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Phoenix Species Project @phoenixspecies.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
🌍 Meet the Phoenix Species Project, a new global effort to help recover 100 of the world's most threatened species. Launched by @bezosearthfund.org & @rewildorg.bsky.social, support from Leonardo Dicaprio, Age of Union & the Todd Graves Family Foundation. Follow along: phoenixspeciesproject.org
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WA Feral Cat Working Group @wafcwg.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
WA is reviewing its Cat Act and wants your feedback. The @wafcwg.bsky.social have prepared evidence-based content to use for answering their questions. For the sake of cats, people and wildlife, we need to get this right. Read up and submit your views before 31 Aug! wafcwg.org.au/media_post/w...
Make a contribution to the future of responsible cat ownership in Western Australia. Prepare your own submission to the Cat Act review using our guidelines.Make a contribution to the future of responsible cat ownership in Western Australia. Prepare your own submission to the Cat Act review using our guidelines.

Our highest priority recommendations include:
• A centralised registration and management system for cats (and ideally all pets).
• Early age sterilisation no later than four months of age.
• Mandatory permanent containment at the state level.
• A significant education campaign for all aspects of responsible pet cat ownership.
• A clearer binary approach to terminology (owned, unowned) across WA’s cat-related policy and legislation.
• Consistency in laws across the state, including consistent enforcement, numbers of cats a household can own and the reporting of cat management metrics.
• Use-based cost sharing to support centralised cat management facilities. 

Download the full recommendations from our WAFCWG website.
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WA Feral Cat Working Group @wafcwg.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
The Cat Act is being reviewed in Western Australia, public comment is open. Next week the WA Feral Cat Working Group will be publishing our guidance on the changes needed to improve responsible pet cat ownership in Western Australia. We encourage you to use our guidance to shape your submission!
A content grey cat sits on a couch looking at the camera.
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WA Feral Cat Working Group @wafcwg.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
"The overwhelming majority of people now understand the science and all the robust evidence that shows us cat containment done well is better for pet cats, better for wildlife and better for people" www.swtimes.com.au/news/regiona...
swtimes.com.au
Cats carnage unchecked with legislation stuck in limbo
An estimated 18 million native animals and almost 4000 pet cats have been killed in the past five months, despite legislation capable of stopping the carnage sitting in limbo in Parliament.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Let's put nature at the centre of decision‑making! Join Bush Heritage Australia in Perth WA for our Allies For Nature breakfast to hear leaders from across sectors reimagining a nature‑positive future. 📅 31 Jul 📍 State Reception Centre, Frasers King Park 🎟️ bit.ly/4f1Ty7p
Join @BushHeritageAus in Perth WA for our Allies For Nature breakfast to hear leaders from across sectors reimagining a nature‑positive future.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
With cross-party support and a recognition of urgency, the inexplicable stalling of the WA Cat Act Amendment Bill is concerning. Please prioritise this bill and get it through, for the sake of all creatures great and small.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
👆 This work was one of those wonderful papers that had its origins in the free-ranging discussions that happen over morning coffee. No plans. No set goals. Just innate curiosity, sharing ideas, and a collective desire to try and think differently about a current problem! ☕
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
What does the fourth dimension of plant resource allocation mean for weed biocontrol? In a #newpaper, we propose a framework for quantifying how gall-inducing insects impact the G-R-D tradeoff & review the species that can contribute to effective biocontrol. 🌏🌐#BioInvasions Read the 📖: rdcu.be/fpbBL
A framework for establishing the impacts on plant fitness via reprioritization of available resources in response to classical bio-logical management. Impacts of biocontrol agents on host plants are depicted pre-agent (red sphere,  T0) and post-agent (blue spheres,  T1) exposure. For plants hosting non-gall-inducing agents (a,  b), finite plant resources (area of the triangle) are optimally partitioned between growth (G), reproduction (R), and defence (D) to maximise plant fitness. Note, overall plant tolerance (T) is optimized by varying investment over the D–G axis. Non-gall-inducing agents can impact negatively on fitness by either shifting investment away from growth and/or reproduction (a) or by reducing the plant’s overall resources (b). For host plants with gall-inducing agents (c,  d), finite plant resources (area of the pyramid), and in turn fitness, are additionally impacted through diversion of plant resources into the gall tissue sink (S), with response and counter-response between the agent and host driving investment partitioning toward and along the D–S axis (blue arrows)
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
"If people really knew the depth of the calamity facing us, they would demand more from their leaders at every level. ... It’s a host of accelerating, interconnected issues that together are creating a deeply unsustainable trajectory for our world." 🌐 paulhardistyauthor.substack.com/p/if-you-wan...
paulhardistyauthor.substack.com
If you want to understand what’s really happening today, follow the money.
Greenwashing schools. Coal over coral. Frightened boards and captured leaders. The deep duplicity preventing the fundamental change we need.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Recent claims that farm cats in Australia can control rodents on dairy farms are unconvincing. Our new paper critiques the basis of these claims. There is no case to be calling for tax incentives to support cats as working animals on Australian farms. 📖(OA): doi.org/10.3390/ani1... #bioinvasions 🌐
A relaxed cat looks at the camera with text overlay stating "Scant evidence for effective rodent control from working cats on Australian dairy farms."
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Come join the Urban Bushland Council WA for an important (and free!) evening focused on the future of responsible cat ownership and wildlife protection. 📅: Wednesday, 13 May 2026, from 6pm 📍: City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi Street, West Perth RSVP: www.bushlandperth.org.au/event/amendi...
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Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Quantifying harm posed by invasive species to animal welfare will reveal a moral problem for so-called "compassionate conservation", which demands protection for even invasive animals. Is it compassionate to allow invasive rats, mice, cats to injure & kill wildlife? #bioinvasion #invasivespecies
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
David Attenborough has been an inspiration to my family for four generations. His ability to craft a message has brought the natural world to billions of people. Happy 100th birthday Sir David! Thank you for helping us to realise what an incredible planet we have and need to keep fighting for. ❤️
Sir David Attenborough leans against a very large tree trunk as part of his series The Green PlanetA letter from David Attenborough
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Four new chameleon species described from Mozambique's sky islands. These tropical rainforest 'islands' are isolated on granite outcrops scattered across savanna plains and are further threatened by slash-and-burn land clearing. 🌐🧪🌏 via @theconversation.com theconversation.com/mozambique-s...
Nadzikambia franklinae from Mount Namuli. Werner Conradie, CC BY
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Vale Peter Raven - renowned botanist and advocate for sustainability. "To understand the interconnectedness of life is, in his view, to recognize the consequences of disrupting it." via @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social for @mongabay.com 🌐🌏 news.mongabay.com/2026/04/pete...
Peter Raven in 2010 at Missouri Botanical Garden. Photo credit: Kristi Foster, courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Perth book launch, Thu 16 Apr: Paul Hardisty's The Hope provocatively blurs the lines between fact and fiction in an era of unprecedented global change. Is it timely inspiration for navigating current geopolitics or prophetic insight into the future we face? Tix: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/perth-book...
Perth event, Thu 16th April: The Western Australian launch of Paul Hardisty's latest book The Hope is on this week. Tickets are still available. 
This is the third novel in a series that provocatively blurs the lines between fact and fiction in an era of unprecedented global change. 
Is this series timely inspiration for navigating through the current geopolitical situation or a prophetic insight into the future we are hurtling towards? Come and listen to find out.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Rather than focus on managing our dependence on oil, we need to think about how to end it. 6 things Australia should do to tackle the energy crisis rather than just building bigger fuel reserves. via @theconversation.com theconversation.com/6-things-aus...
theconversation.com
6 things Australia should do to tackle the energy crisis rather than just building bigger fuel reserves
The government’s response to the fuel crisis has been to reassure us normality will resume. Amid global uncertainty, that’s not enough.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @pnas.org · 17/03/2026
New tech is transforming how we measure biodiversity—turning data into decisions requires shared standards. 📊 A new PNAS Updates post highlights two Perspectives from the 2025 US–UK Scientific Forum: ow.ly/jsVw50YuVUn Forum: ow.ly/psUS50YuVUm
PNAS – How to improve biodiversity measurement
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Frederico Mestre @fmestre.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
#Ecology #Biogeography 🌐🌎
geekcologist.wordpress.com
Why Common Species Matter: Rethinking Conservation Through Food Webs
Conservation efforts have traditionally been focused on saving the rarest, most threatened species, and for good reason. But what if our singular focus on endangered species is causing us to overlo…
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Alberto Alemanno @alemanno.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Europe spent years debating whether the energy transition was affordable. Spain quietly answered the question: gas now sets its electricity price in only 7% of hours. Strategic autonomy doesn’t arrive via summit communiqués. It’s built in advance — in wind farms, solar parks, and grid investment
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
It's a good portion of the present too Martin!
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
When >50% of a UNESCO-listed national park is torched by bushfires, significant management challenges follow. Victoria Laurie in @ausgeo.newsmast.social.ap.brid.gy on what's ahead for conservation in Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia. www.australiangeographic.com.au/opinion-and-...
Tallyongut (Royal hakea; Hakea victoria) near Queelup (West Mount Barren), Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia. Photo: Bruce Webber.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Thanks @rgleadow.bsky.social, I enjoyed working on this one! It was led by the very talented Melinda Trudgen and involved two legends of ecophysiology/ecology, John Scott and Hans Lambers.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The interplay between climatic niche and spatial distribution can inform the management of non-native invasive species. Our findings reveal that the invasion risk for species with small geographic ranges may be greater than assumed. Read more (OA): doi.org/10.1016/j.ec... #bioinvasions 🌐🌏🧪
CLIMEX Match Climate Composite Match Index (CMI) overlaid with Tipuana tipu distribution location records, projected globally. Insets show the native range, part of South America, part of southern Africa, southwest Australia, and an area of eastern Australia with high levels of cultivation and/or naturalisation. Areas with an orange-red colour (CMI 0.8–1) had high CMI values. Areas with a blue colour (CMI 0.6–0.8) had a climate with moderate CMI values. Records of T. tipu are shown as open circles. Pink circles represent records of plants within the native range. All other colours represent plant records in the non-native range, with purple representing cultivated plant records, yellow representing non-cultivated plant records, green representing records with both cultivated and non-cultivated plants and brown representing plant records where the cultivation status was indeterminate.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Are you looking to make a difference to cat management in Western Australia? Do you know someone who is? The @wafcwg.bsky.social are recruiting an Executive Officer. Come and work with us! Please share, tag, or contact me directly to discuss the job opportunity. Applications due Sun 8 Mar 2026.
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Prof Ros Gleadow FAA 💙💚 @rgleadow.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
“the last heatwave between January 5 to 10 was made over 5 times more likely due to global heating” #ClimateEmergency #HeatWaves theconversation.com/where-did-so...
theconversation.com
Where did southern Australia’s record-breaking heatwave come from?
Australia’s northwest is well known for its heat. But this furnace-like area can deliver heatwaves to the southeast, thousands of kilometres away.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
An avoidable cat-astrophe in Western Australia. Every month ~800 pet cats and ~4M birds, mammals & reptiles die because current policy prevents pet cats from being contained. This paper reveals broad support for change: 78% of local govts want containment laws. Let's get this done. #bioinvasions 🌐🌏
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
A new paper in @pacificconsbio.bsky.social reveals that preventing pet cats from roaming remains a significant but important challenge. Our findings reveal that change is long overdue for Western Australians to rethink what it means to be a responsible pet cat owner. OA: doi.org/10.1071/PC25...
A content cat lies in a hammock in an enclosed catio to protect it and wildlife from the dangers of roaming.  This photo accompanies a new publication in the journal Pacific Conservation Biology on the benefits of cat containment.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Feral cats and foxes really have driven many Australian mammals to extinction. Claims these introduced predators aren't responsible don't stack up. Protecting our unique species will be even harder if feral cats and foxes are given a free pass to keep killing. 🌐🌎 theconversation.com/yes-feral-ca...
theconversation.com
Yes, feral cats and foxes really have driven many Australian mammals to extinction
Decades of evidence link foxes and feral cats with extinctions of Australian mammals. Claims these introduced predators aren’t responsible don’t stack up.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
It's also incredible that BioScience published the original paper! Some might call it conservation vandalism - this is more than just an academic argument, it's also about the survival of many of Australia’s remaining mammal species.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Introduced foxes and cats have had a devastating impact on Australia's mammals. This threat to biodiversity has been widely recognised, documented and acted upon by scientists, policy makers and land managers. Here we refute recent assertions to the contrary. Read more (OA): doi.org/10.1093/bios...
Timing of extirpation of a native mammal population from a location relative to the time of arrival of feral cats at that location. Data are taken directly from Supplement 1 in Wallach and Lundgren (2025), using the last record of the native species, and the earliest arrival date from the range of arrival dates of cats to that location. Based on this information, extirpation of a native mammal occurs before cats arrive in only two cases, and these are where Wallach and Lundgren (2025) arbitrarily give the last record dates of 1788 and 1789 (i.e., time of European colonization, in 1788) for undated subfossil material. Of the 178 cases given in the Supplement, eight are omitted from this graph because: they were repeats of another row (n=4), there is no date for the last record of the species (n=1), the species is still present at the location (n=2), or the species never occurred at the location (n=1).
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
"Too frequently, leaders are chosen not because they exhibit the right qualities for successful leadership but because they are willing to say and do whatever it takes to get to the top." - Paul Hardisty. What are your inspiring leadership lessons? paulhardistyauthor.substack.com/p/leadership...
paulhardistyauthor.substack.com
Leadership Matters
Now more than ever, the world needs good leaders. So why are there so many bad ones? My ten rules of leadership.
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Bruce Webber @drbrucewebber.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Extinction rarely departs with drama, it slips out the back door while we’re still debating the guest list. These records are made official on the Red List. "Conservation failures are often recognised only once they can no longer be reversed." via @mongabay.com: news.mongabay.com/short-articl...
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Holly Kirk @hollykirk.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
"Ferocious love" of the places & things we care about @drphilmccormack.bsky.social frames her work in environmental law and climate justice through her love of nature, which we share @ecolsocaus.bsky.social #ESA2025 🌏
Phil on stage in front of her title slide 'Laws that take us somewhere... good?'Good law is at least little subjective
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