Bruce Webber

I'm in! A #globalchange #ecologist focusing on #conservation solutions at the nexus of landscape change, species #invasions and native species resilience - 🌱🐜🐈🐊. Mostly in 🇦🇺 and a thing for the tropics.

Long-range population connectivity & limited restrictions on gene flow have shaped the evolution and diversification of flying-foxes across the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Our #newpaper has implications for conservation, speciation & #biosecurity risk. 🌐🌏 #bioinvasions 📖OA: doi.org/10.1111/eva....

Flying-foxes are highly mobile, but gene flow isn't uniform: isolation-by-distance in Pteropus alecto, panmixia in P. poliocephalus & P. scapulatus, and asymmetric hybridization shape their evolution and diversification 🦇🧬 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70329

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...

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.

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.

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! 🌐🌎🧪

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 👇

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...

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...

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...

"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...

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

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

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 🌏🌐

🌍 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

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...

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!

"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...

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

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.

"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...

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 🌐

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...

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

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. ❤️

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...

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...

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...

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...

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: https://ow.ly/jsVw50YuVUn Forum: https://ow.ly/psUS50YuVUm

#Ecology #Biogeography 🌐🌎

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-...

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 🌐🌏🧪

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.

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 🌐🌏

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...

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...

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...

"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...

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...

"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 🌏

The motto of #ESA2025 this year is "Biodiversity on the brink – BOLD ACTIONS for a resilient future" On Thu I'm presenting on a super bold, landscape-scale biodiversity project that will keep 10-25 species from being added to Threatened species list. Thu 1030! Big room! Comfy chairs! Great photos!