Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 1d

Like a canary in coal mine…

More than half of world’s bird species in decline, as leaders meet on extinction crisis

Biodiversity losses are growing, the IUCN reports as summit opens, but green turtle’s recovery ‘reminds us conservation works’

www.theguardian.com

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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 1d

🌊I caught up with veteran oceanographer Sylvia Earle, who recently turned 90.

"What really caught my imagination, even as a child, was the extraordinary diversity of life in the sea. Creatures that have no counterpart on the land, like starfish".

📺Watch here
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEsb...

Sylvia Earle at 90 – The ocean pioneer on a lifetime of discovery and Hope Spots

YouTube video by Times Radio

www.youtube.com

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Small Mammal Specialist Group @iucn-small-mammals.bsky.social · 1d

Want to learn about the wonderful Malagasy Giant Jumping Rat? 😍
Check out this film that is just out (6min 15secs onwards for the MGJR) youtu.be/A0JSjcm9V4I?...

Filming Madagascar's Rarest Animals | MPB Films

YouTube video by MPB

youtu.be

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 1d

Devastating news: the Slender-billed Curlew has just been declared extinct. This Slender-billed Curlew is from "A history of the birds of Europe, not observed in the British Isles" (1863). #SciArt by Benjamin Fawcett #ExtinctionIsForever www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42530095

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Dr Alex Bond @thelabandfield.bsky.social · 1d

Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today.

Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology

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International Wader Study Group @waderstudy.bsky.social · 18h

Today IUCN has officially declared the Slender-billed Curlew extinct, marking the first known global extinction of a formerly widespread migratory bird species whose range included mainland Europe, North Africa, and West Asia.

Read more here ⬇️
www.unep-aewa.org/fr/node/6632

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Prof Susie Maidment @tweetisaurus.bsky.social · 1d

After we published the new specimen of #Spicomellus a few weeks ago, we were contacted by George Blasing, who said he'd bought some on the commercial market, and wanted to return it to Morocco. It arrived last week. Thanks George for doing the right thing in the name of science!

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 1d

with the official IUCN listing for the slender-billed curlew now being Extinct here is the rather sad piece I wrote about what went into this decision

I tried to include everything we know about their behaviour and biology, which is tragically little 🪶🧪
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

A picture of two slender-billed curlews in the Natural History Museum's collections.

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BirdLife International @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social · 1d

🚨2025 #RedList Update🚨

We have reassessed 1,360 bird species. Out of the 11,185 species assessed worldwide: 

⚠️11.5% are globally threatened.

📉61% have declining populations.

But restoring habitats will help put these species on a path to recovery.🌱

Read more👉 www.birdlife.org/red-list-upd...

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reversethered.bsky.social @reversethered.bsky.social · 3d

#ReverseTheRed is at the IUCN World Conservation Congress! You are cordially invited to join us in the Reverse the Red Species Pavilion for five days of engaging sessions. We hope to see you in Abu Dhabi! Review the agenda here:
www.canva.com/design/DAG0C...

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Wildlife Conservation Society @wcs.org · 3d

Tomorrow, the IUCN Congress begins and IUCN is poised to quickly pass a motion aimed at curtailing crimes impacting the environment.

It’s “an opportunity to align science, policy, and action in defense of nature and people,” says WCS's Joe Walston.

Read more: newsroom.wcs.org/News-Release...

IUCN World Conservation Congress Poised to Commit to Coordinated Action Against Environmental Crimes

Abu Dhabi, UAE, October 8, 2025—The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will soon adopt a motion aimed at curtailing crimes impacting the environment at the IUCN World Conservation C...

newsroom.wcs.org

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Coralie Palmer @coraliejp.bsky.social · 3d

@protectspecies.bsky.social @iucnshark.bsky.social @iucnseahorse.bsky.social @sscmarine.bsky.social

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WWF UK @wwf.org.uk · 5d

The Amazon and its wildlife, like jaguars and river dolphins, depend on both healthy forests and healthy rivers.

A new WWF-led study has mapped important shared spaces with high species abundance, helping scientists identify where roads and dams should NOT be built. 🐬

Left side: jaguar looking through green leaves at water's edge. Right: river dolphin jumping out of water. Text reads: new research maps important shared spaces for Amazon wildlife.

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European Environment Agency @eea.europa.eu · 5d

🌿 On #WorldHabitatsDay Europe’s habitats are in trouble.

📉 81% of habitats protected under EU law are in poor or bad condition — and most are still declining.

We need full implementation of environmental law, shows #EuropesEnvironment2025: www.eea.europa.eu/en/europe-en...

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Stephen Heard @stephenbheard.bsky.social · 5d

Probably the first time I've seen a pseudoscorpion featured on signage at a nature reserve. I approve! This is at Tromtö Nature Reserve, near Karlskrona, Sweden. (Photo from last May, I'm slow)

Sign reading (in Swedish) "Nature Reserve - Welcome to Tromso". There's a map of the reserve, and several illustrations of creatures found there.

Closeup of an illustration of tree-associated creatures, featuring the pseudoscorpion Anthrenochernes stellae. It's a tiny spider-like organism with two big scorpion-like pincers and an orange-brown body that looks a bit like a harvestman.

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IUCN SSC CEC Behaviour Change Task Force @iucn-bctf.bsky.social · 4d

Discover the IUCN CEC Journey at the 2025 World Conservation Congress.

A curated selection of key motions and inspiring events that highlight the vital role of education and communication in achieving conservation goals - iucn.org/blog/202509/...

#IUCNcongress #IUCNCEC

IUCN CEC Journey at 2025 World Conservation Congress

The IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (IUCN CEC) will be strongly represented at the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, October 9-15, 2025. To amplify the Commission’s pr...

iucn.org

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Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) @cms.int · 5d

Urials are one of the few wild sheep species naturally inhabiting vast elevation ranges. 🐏🏔️

In Pakistan’s Torghar Mountains, community-managed trophy hunting programs have doubled local populations, showing how sustainable use supports conservation & local livelihoods: www.cms.int/sites/defaul...

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BHL Australia @bhl-au.bsky.social · 5d

We’re hopping into #MarsupialMonday to appreciate the agile #wallaby 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴. A resident of Australia’s north, this wallaby can also be found in southern New Guinea.

www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/62576010

Contributed to BHL Australia by Museums Victoria

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Bronwen Scott @snailseyeview.bsky.social · 5d

I'm not telling you how to vote in the Australian Bird of the Year poll.

But Red Goshawk are absolutely magnificent and they're under threat.

Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 5d

Restricted now to the tropical north, the mysterious red goshawk is fast disappearing as a result of climate change and habitat loss. Find out more about this majestic bird – and vote for it now – in our Australian bird of the year 2025 poll.

Going extinct ‘right under our noses’: the quiet plight of Australia’s rarest bird of prey

Restricted now to the tropical north, the mysterious red goshawk is fast disappearing as a result of climate change and habitat loss

www.theguardian.com

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Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 6d

Australian bird of the year 2025: vote for your favourite #birdoftheyear in the Guardian / BirdLife Australia poll

From little penguins to (very big) cassowaries, every bird has its fans. Vote for your favourite in the 2025 Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll * See more Australian bird of the year content Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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marinefreshwater.bsky.social @marinefreshwater.bsky.social · Aug 28

Marine & Freshwater Research is officially on bluesky! We’ll share peer-reviewed articles about ecology and management of aquatic environments, marine and freshwater.
Make sure to follow to stay up to date with latest articles!
#MarineFreshwaterRes
www.publish.csiro.au/mf

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Society for Conservation Biology @society4conbio.bsky.social · 11d

A new Mongabay commentary piece explores how the field of #conservation can adapt with resilience, partnerships & optimism. #Conservation #ClimateAction #Biodiversity
news.mongabay.com/2025/09/navi...

Navigating conservation’s crisis (commentary)

Call it a crossroads. Ecological decline is accelerating in too many places at once; institutions that once limited the damage are wobbling; the information channels we rely on to coordinate action ar...

news.mongabay.com

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The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 11d

Predatory foxes and cats prowl South Australia’s national parks. But the successful reintroduction of an endangered bettong proves coexistence is possible.

These little bettongs were wiped out in South Australia a century ago. Now they’re thriving alongside foxes and feral cats

theconversation.com

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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 14d

Big mother whales have more daughters than sons www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🦑🌎🧪

Big mother whales have more daughters than sons

Archival whaling data reveal a sex bias in the offspring of long female whales.

www.nature.com

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Green almanac @greenalmanac.bsky.social · 14d

Over 14 million acres of the Maya rainforest are now protected under a tri-national agreement between Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. The scale is staggering, second only to the Amazon.

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