Josie South
Fishkop. Assoc. Prof. URKI Future Leaders Fellow. Invasion & conservation scientist. Slightly feral. (She/her 🏳️🌈)
- Reposted by Josie South"Leadbitter et al. 2025 calculates that replacing wild-caught seafood protein with the current mix of livestock protein would cost the Earth roughly 5 million km2 in land, about the size of the Amazon rainforest, an apt comparison since most land cleared for food comes from tropical forests." 🌏🐟
- Reposted by Josie SouthMany Indigenous philosophies acknowledge respect & reciprocity between people & nature. Affective ties to land & home are also at the heart of Tamazirt thinking of Amazigh communities in Morocco. Tamazirt could serve as an Indigenous anchor point for rural revitalisation. 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s132...
- For the first time ever I’ve had someone (a senior co-author in fact) complain about the inclusion of an acknowledgment statement recognising the indigenous displaced people of the region we focus on in our manuscript. Poor form & baffling behaviour/reasoning from someone who should be better.
- Reposted by Josie SouthReading in journal club: Developing a predictive science of the biosphere requires the integration of scientific cultures @bjenquist.bsky.social et al. www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
- Reposted by Josie SouthInterested in thermal biology? Please join our new and growing grass roots initiative, the Thermal Ecology Alliance, initiated by @patricepottier.bsky.social. 🧪🐟🦑🌡️ Sign up here: www.thermalecologyalliance.org#participation Check who already signed up: www.thermalecologyalliance.org#community
- Reposted by Josie SouthA recent Science Advances special issue focused on #aquaculture, but seemed to have missed the mark in a multitude of ways. My incredible colleagues and I wrote this sweeping Open Access opinion article (with 80 citations!) in response. Hope it's useful! 🐟 🦐 🎣 doi.org/10.1111/raq....
- Reposted by Josie SouthNew rules for a rat-race. I my opinion, all this micro-accounting (= internal author struggles), inhibits effective collaboration. Science increasingly turns to a goal-oriented bureaucracy, away from an open art-like exploration, curiosity and thruth-seeking. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Reposted by Josie SouthExplore Dr @josiesouth.bsky.social 's work on invasive species, climate change and sustainable food systems. 🐟 bit.ly/46TbcXZ
- This week was full of training, workshops and seminars. @leopoldadrianus.bsky.social taught the group ecomorphology, @ecoinvasions.bsky.social gave an insightful lecture on context dependent invasion impacts
- & we ran a workshop on how to upscale conclusions in invasion science with a team of biomechanics, network ecologists, engineers & invasion scientists
- @leopoldadrianus.bsky.social teaching @universityofleeds.bsky.social post grads the ins and outs of fish eco morphology
- Reposted by Josie SouthCrayfish in Journal of Biogeography We analyse how natural and human historical events have shaped the diversity of Austropotamobius crayfish Strikingly, lots of taxonomic work remains to be done Great team, led by Lucian Pârvulescu @ebdonana.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- Reposted by Josie SouthThey're back. oilprice.com/Latest-Energ... H/t @drpauldorfman.bsky.social
- Reposted by Josie SouthIndonesia's peatlands are home to endangered orangutans, as well as economically important fish species. They also help prevent flooding and drought, lower local temperatures and minimise saltwater intrusion. Choose #sustainable #palmoil to save #orangutans! www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/li...
- Reposted by Josie SouthWhat was known (& IV) This shipment fits biogeographical patterns (a NW Italian crayfish lineage inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula) and several other evidences of non-nativeness, as explained in this paper onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- Reposted by Josie SouthCooperation between ecologists and historians has allowed a robust reconstruction of the historical introduction of the Italian crayfish, Austropotamobius fulcisianus, to Spain in the late-16th century @ebdonana.bsky.social @um.es New OA paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- Reposted by Josie South
Our search for invasive crayfish barriers includes more than just dams or irrigation diversions. Because the virile crayfish is intolerant of stream drying (doi.org/10.1086/725318), intermittent reaches could present barriers to upstream spread to permanent streams in the mountains. - Reposted by Josie SouthMy problem with the original paper is its reckless application of invasion concepts to human migration. That would've been fine had it unambiguously showed how scientifically inappropriate such comparisons were, rather than offer weak critiques & claim that insights were to be gained from them. 1/🧵
- Painful to see how our comprehensive, interdisciplinary review on the dangers of comparing biological #invasions to human migration was misinterpreted and decontextualized. We share the same vision, and urge for discussion rather than villainization. Below our response. doi.org/10.1093/bios...
- Reposted by Josie South🧪🦣🏺 Who wants to hear a story about biotech billions, unscientific claims, and shoddy smear tactics attacking women in science*? Thread 🧵 *which, for legal clarity, are totally denied as being connected
- Reposted by Josie SouthNew paper out on the dangers of using patterns across spatial climate gradients to predict what will happen with changing climate. That includes species distribution modeling. Space-for-time substitution can be misleading in sign, not just the magnitude of effects. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Reposted by Josie SouthSacred sites & cultural practices key to #Indonesia fish conservation. 🇮🇩 🐟 This helps highlight the crucial importance of #culture and #community in ensuring the sustainability of #conservation projects. news.mongabay.com/2025/07/sacr...
- Reposted by Josie SouthOrangutan Land Trust has been an influential part of this success. Your support makes a real difference! "Indonesia’s forest conservation success comes not just from political will, but also from corporate efforts and pressure from civil society groups." news.mongabay.com/2025/07/wher...
- Reposted by Josie SouthHappy to share that if you are interested in large sample hydrology datasets and specifically water quality data you can now check our now officially published dataset: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
- Aquarium trade fisheries are fraught with bad opinions and misconceptions. Usually targeted at communities who know the environment inside out but exploit it for much needed livelihoods. Trade and conservation don’t have to be mutually exclusive onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
- Ornamental fisheries can be described as wicked problems where solutions are difficult to agree upon. But here we set out a pathway to inclusion of all parties which can support co-developed conservation outcomes where no one feels isolated or excluded from the fishery.
- The Betta burdigala project has been exceptionally successful in navigating increasingly complex problems and we want other communities to benefit from this approach to inclusive conservation
- Conservation must be twinned with habitat protection - the peat swamps of Bangka are being destroyed by illegal palm oil plantations See our video here, on the mission to save Betta burdigala vimeo.com/1077004302 @shoalorg.bsky.social @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social #forgottonfishes
- Fish are a critical source of accessible food - but non-native species disrupt ecological networks. This could have unprecedented outcomes for nutrient and toxin accumulation when aquatic food is consumed by humans, with socioeconomically variable outcomes doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
- We demonstrate pathways by which non-native species could inadvertently cause nutritional and health deficits - an enormous yet understudied aspect of biological invasions which may be experienced more/less by different subsets of society.
- In promoting non native species aquaculture, are we actually putting vulnerable people more at risk from malnutrition? @zarahpattison.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social @cp-trendsecolevol.bksy.social
- Reposted by Josie SouthWhy it takes so long before stricter rules come around PFAS, while it is clear that they are harmful byteseu.com/1217908/ Why it takes so long before stricter rules come around PFAS, while it is clear that they are harmful …
- Reposted by Josie SouthAmazing news!!!! I did not know DecaNet @decanet.bsky.social was on BlueSky!!!! 🦀🦀🦀 www.decanet.info/index.php
- Reposted by Josie SouthAnother paper out! Co production of research with academia, government, NGOs, and other conservation groups!
- Translating #Conservation research into meaningful action requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders 🤝. This #Perspective includes case studies & guidance for co-produced research. #CoProduction With emphasis on generating effective & inclusive outcomes. ➡️ doi.org/10.1093/conp... 🌎 🧵
- Reposted by Josie SouthMy letter ‘‘Awkward wording. Rephrase’’: linguistic injustice in ecological journals, published in @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social, has 100 citations in GS I received dozens of messages from all over the world sharing linguistic injustice experiences. Nice sense of group www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
- Reposted by Josie SouthAnalysis by @wclnews.bsky.social & @theriverstrust.bsky.social levels of PFOS in freshwater fish in England are so high, if someone eats 1 portion each month, this would exceed the "safe" threshold for people to eat over a year. PFOS is classed by WHO as "possibly carcinogenic".
- Reposted by Josie SouthA step forward on the use of #cameratrapping for #wildlife monitoring. Now underwater! besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
- Reposted by Josie SouthAnd so it goes on. I used to think that people who described humanity as a plague were a bit nutty. I'm beginning to think their view is not far from the truth....
- - PFAS forever chemicals above proposed safety limits in nearly all English rivers, lakes & ponds, study finds - levels of internationally banned PFOS in fish were 322 times above proposed safety limits on average Our new article out now: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Reposted by Josie SouthCross-ecosystem nutrient fluxes can influence recipient food webs. @cbenkwitt.bsky.social &co's study of #NutrientSubsidies shows that dynamic metrics better revealed flow & effects of #seabird derived nutrients through #CoralReef food chains @lec-reefs.bsky.social @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/44RFyJk
- Reposted by Josie SouthMuch of the invasive species literature confuses causes (mechanisms) & consequences (impacts) We introduce a comprehensive typology of 19 impact types across 6 levels of biological organisation (individuals to ecosystems) doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... #invasivespecies #ecology #ecologicalimpacts
- We ran about the Kruger National Park chasing invasive crayfish last year & found spreading populations in the Sabie, Sand and Crocodile rivers Rapid ecological impact assessment suggests no measurable change on presence/absence of fish & inverts onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
- Based on standardised surveys over almost a decade across Southern Africa, we predict abundance to increase 10fold in the next 5 years We are at a critical time point for implementing management to slow spread before it is truly too late
- We also provide a standardised dataset of African freshwater crab occurrence across a swath of Southern Africa
- Reposted by Josie SouthSludge used as fertiliser on farmland can contain harmful chemicals that scientists suspect are entering food chain www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Reposted by Josie SouthNew publication alert 🌊 Blue swimming crab is one of the most important fisheries in #Indonesia and women are leading the way, creating innovative solutions to waste Women's groups building more #inclusive #resilient and #sustainable fisheries ⤵️ doi.org/10.3389/focs... @envdefensefund.bsky.social
- Reposted by Josie SouthElon Musk casually, and illegally, dismantled USAID. According to a new study in the Lancet, that action will lead to *14 million* premature deaths between 2025 and 2030. Again: Elon Musk is directly responsible for 14 million coming deaths. 4.5 million will be children.
- Reposted by Josie SouthNew paper alert: 42 ecological traits for all 6,000+ valid species of #Neotropical_freshwater_fishes, the most diverse continental vertebrate fauna on Earth. A foundation for future studies on the ecology and conservation of tropical aquatic biodiversity. nature.com/articles/s41...
- Protected areas should be a buffer against external pressures on biodiversity - but what happens when they don’t? Read about our mission to protect the iconic rivers of the Kruger National Park from biological invasions saiab.ac.za/a-race-again...
- Reposted by Josie South“What if I told you there are fish in the forest, beneath the leaves?” @josiesouth.bsky.social, Lecturer in Aquatic Ecology 🎞️ Have you watched the impactful film yet? Find out how research is helping to protect a critically endangered fish species bit.ly/4kktTYa
- Reposted by Josie SouthThe global food system sustains billions of lives, but it frequently fails to promote health, protect rights, and support nature. A new report by UNEP and @chathamhouse.org underscores the systemic barriers that must be overcome to achieve #GlobalGoals. www.unep.org/news-and-sto...
- Reposted by Josie South🦣 New paper: Megafauna with large size & flat-footedness + less related to tropical African/Asian fauna were more likely to go extinct in recent prehistory; consistent w direct hunting including pre-sapiens human filtering👣👉 doi.org/10.1111/geb.... #Megafauna #Extinction #TraitEcology #Palaeoecology
- Reposted by Josie SouthFunding opportunity for students and staff at UK universities or other non-profit institutions within the UK, which have a focus on research, conservation or education of cichlids 🐟 DEADLINE: 31 July britishcichlid.org/ian-fairweat...
- Reposted by Josie SouthA synthetic paper about fast vs. slow responses of ecological systems to changing climate, explaining how and why those responses can shift (even in sign) over time. Examples across scales and subdiscplines (population genetics, ecosystem ecology). besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- Reposted by Josie South“Having the freedom to defend science is a privilege. Those who have it owe it to everyone the world over to make their voices heard.” Our editorial calling for global academies to speak out like the Pontifical Academy just did - www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Reposted by Josie South🚨🚨🚨Blockbuster paper out today! Bear with me as I explain why this one is so important. 🤔 The *economic* anger about immigration is based on the false notion that immigrants take jobs or lower wages. A major misunderstanding behind this view is that immigrants only increase the supply of labor.
- Rivers were historically regarded as gods - but freshwaters and the species within them are rapidly being destroyed. Here we show how traditional knowledge and sacred sites offer sanctuary and reprieve for both humans and nature in Indonesia. doi.org/10.1002/aqc.... @shoalorg.bsky.social
- Reposted by Josie SouthAnglers pumping millions of dollars into New Zealand’s GDP byteseu.com/1124526/ Freshwater fishing is big business, with anglers here and overseas spending millions of dollars in New Zealand pursuing the sport. Each year, Fish & Game sells 100,000 freshwater angling licenses, …
- Reposted by Josie SouthLocal Action Partners 👉 Airlangga University @josiesouth.bsky.social 👉 Pusat Riset Konservasi Gajah dan Biodiversitas Hutan/Research Center for Elephant Conservation and Forest Biodiversity (PKGB) 👉 Hasanuddin University
- Reposted by Josie SouthLooking forward to this seminar by the great @oldenfish.bsky.social @uwsafs.bsky.social at @iea-udg.bsky.social @univgirona.bsky.social 26 June 12:30 iea.udg.edu/seminari-iea... @greco-udg.bsky.social
- Reposted by Josie SouthNew paper @peopleandnature.bsky.social We define Nature-based Solutions and societal adaptations to biological invasions. We explore the concept and it’s application @jcsvenning.bsky.social @anordonez1.bsky.social @rajatrastogi.bsky.social besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
- My group led 50 researchers, practitioners & policy makers in a workshop on barriers and solutions to linking academics with practitioner priorities today @bes-invasiongroup.bsky.social annual meeting. How lucky am I to have such a competent & awesome team.
- What a great day! Really enjoyed leading the discussion for this workshop together with the rest of the @universityofleeds.bsky.social @josiesouth.bsky.social team, @matt-harwood96.bsky.social @emma-baker.bsky.social & James Hodson 🦞✨
- Reposted by Josie SouthThis was not an easy one. 🚨 A recent article by Ahmed et al. (2025) attempted to draw parallels between biological invasions and human migration. While intended to explore interdisciplinary insights, the analogy raises serious conceptual and ethical concerns. 🧵
- Reposted by Josie SouthI can't say this was a particularly enjoyable paper to be involved in, but I think we were right to write it
- A very diverse bunch of scholars - from across biology, conservation, and migration studies - wrote this piece on the very obvious, yet not quite obvious enough for some, dangers of comparing invasive species and human migration. academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
- Reposted by Josie SouthAs an ecologist who moved to the UK for studies during the worst of the Brexit chaos, seeing a peer-reviewed(!) article compare international scholars to invasive pests, brought back unpleasant memories. Words have power & it is important to speak up even if we simply need to spell out the obvious!
- A very diverse bunch of scholars - from across biology, conservation, and migration studies - wrote this piece on the very obvious, yet not quite obvious enough for some, dangers of comparing invasive species and human migration. academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
- Reposted by Josie SouthA recent article in Biol Reviews by Ahmed et al (2025) warns against 'deleterious' comparisons between human migrations & biological invasions, yet makes a series of scientifically dubious comparisons, described as "potentially fruitful to explore". See our critique: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
- Reposted by Josie SouthA very diverse bunch of scholars - from across biology, conservation, and migration studies - wrote this piece on the very obvious, yet not quite obvious enough for some, dangers of comparing invasive species and human migration. academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
- Reposted by Josie SouthMy Canadian university, Queen's, is offering TWENTY 4-year funded PhDs (40k CAD/yr) for a student of ANY citizenship who has been accepted at a top 100 US university but have had offer rescinded OR are reconsidering offer due to US policy. Details found here👇 www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc...
