News

The accelerating rise of AI-generated fraudulent academic papers is fuelling an existential crisis for evidence synthesis. But AI also presents hope – both in speeding up literature searches, and in detecting these very same phony papers. In a comment piece published in Nature yesterday we suggest a way to safeguard evidence synthesis against the r…

With over 10,000 species, reptiles exhibit an extraordinary range of life histories and inhabit a wide variety of environments. However, many are at risk of extinction with 21% listed as threatened by the IUCN - there is an urgent need for effective conservation action. A recent study, which examined the 700+ studies in the Conservation Evidence da…

Understanding Land Management in the Cairngorms National ParkTo better understand how land is managed across the Cairngorms National Park, in 2024 we conducted a survey of 18 landholdings, covering nearly 40% of the park area. Our survey gathered insights into land management practices, enterprise types, financial sustainability, and employment.htt…

The quest for a perfect understanding of the causes of species decline can get in the way of good options for immediate action when it comes to conservation.A framework to tackle this issue is described in a new paper published in the journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence, co-authored by Prof Jeremy Wilson, Director of Science, RSPB and Prof Rh…

Insect biodiversity change is an important research focus for our Agroecology Group.  Widespread declines in insect biodiversity have been attributed to a diverse set of anthropogenic drivers, but the relative importance of these drivers remains a puzzle.  One aspect of the group's research, as part of the GLITRS project, has focussed on combining …

With the world facing a biodiversity crisis, conservationists need accurate evidence to help them decide how best to protect species and habitats. But the information they require is scattered across thousands of scientific studies. Can AI tools like Chat GPT help them find it more quickly and reliably than humans?That's the question a multi-discip…

We are delighted to share the news that Professor Robert Fletcher, who is co-leader of our Conservation Science Group, has been made a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. ESA Fellows are elected for their exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions to their field.  This year, the ESA Governing Board has confirmed eight new life-…

Congratulations to Prof William Sutherland, Director of Research and co-leader of the Conservation Science Group, which is located within the Conservation Research Institute, who has been elected a member of the American Philosophical Society.The APS is the oldest learned society in North America, founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin to bring toget…

The University of Cambridge's Masters in Conservation Leadership programme recently continued its long-standing tradition of field learning with a visit to the National Trust's Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, England's most famous fen and the Trust's very first nature reserve.This year's cohort of international conservation professionals had th…

Amid the hype about AI’s potential to turbocharge human abilities, researchers in Cambridge’s Conservation Research Institute are leading conversations to make sure we advance witheyes wide open.Have you ever persisted in following your SatNav even when you knew you were going in the wrong direction?If so, you’ll know that placing all your trust in…

Over 194 million birds and 57 million mammals are killed annually on European roads and up to 1 billion birds die every year from building collisions in the United States.Connectivity, the free movement of organisms of all kinds, from amoebas and algae to waxworms and wildebeest, across landscapes is essential to the survival of many species and ec…

A recent paper published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, co-authored by Jonathan Timperley, the CRI's Prof Edgar Turner, and Dr Michael Pahskevich, describes how oil palm farming methods in Liberia affect arthropod diversity, and suggests strategies to protect these key animals and help ensure the long-term sustainability of t…

Insects are the dominant animal life-form on our planet and an essential part of our ecosystems. Yet, despite reports of catastrophic insect declines and potentially imminent ‘insectageddon’, the global state of insect biodiversity remains unclear due in part to a massive lack of data.A study published this week in the journal, Science, led by UKCE…

AI can do in seconds what might take a team of experts a year. This is why we must harness it to reverse the damage we’ve done to the planet.An opinion piece by Anil Madhavapeddy, Professor of Planetary Computing in the Department of Computer Science and Technology, as a part of Shaping AI for everyone at the University of Cambridge.We need to act …

A major review of over 67,000 animal species has found that while the natural world continues to face a biodiversity crisis, targeted conservation efforts are helping bring many species back from the brink of extinction. The study draws on data from the IUCN Red List, the world’s largest database of species conservation status. The researchers say …