Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️
Social-ecological systems scientist | fair weather adventurer | full-time fool
Currently @ Thriving Oceans Hub, University of Sydney 🦘
Research: scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&use…
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Just a few quotes from the Declaration of Independence
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️New paper out today in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com by the #GlobalSharkTrends team: Bending back the curve of shark & ray biodiversity loss; Read the paper here: rdcu.be/eZ9n9 @sfu.ca @sfubiosciences.bsky.social @earth2ocean.bsky.social
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️One court decision, two different headlines. Guardian on the left, NY Times on the right. Which one more directly conveys information and the stakes to the reader?
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️🚨Job alert! The ENDOW project is hiring a Research Officer in Research Database Management, to be based at @lsemethodology.bsky.social. Oversee & expand our database & contribute to research on social & economic inequality. Deadline 15 February. Share & reach out! jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Yet another example of what happens if we allow LLMs to become a form of epistemic grounding for society.
- Really fun to go on ABC News Australia to talk about @tom-pienkowski.bsky.social, @morenamills.bsky.social, and my new paper (along with several coauthors not on bluesky). See more here: www.nature.com/articles/s41.... @catalyzconserv.bsky.social @sydney.edu.au @ic-cep.bsky.social
- Out today in @natecoevo.nature.com 'Conservation abandonment is a policy blind spot'. Co-led by me and @tom-pienkowski.bsky.social as part of @catalyzconserv.bsky.social at @ic-cep.bsky.social & @imperialsci.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Also, see some great write-ups by SBS news: www.sbs.com.au/news/article... and Oceanographic: oceanographicmagazine.com/news/conserv...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Check out @ranjmurali.bsky.social's new paper "Understanding multiple pathways of the impacts ofsocio-economic shocks on large carnivores" in plain language! relationalthinkingblog.com/2025/09/18/p...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️We're hiring a climate scientist here at @umassboston.bsky.social in the School for the Environment! employmentopportunities.umb.edu/boston/en-us... - more on the call in the image and its alt text. COME JOIN US! #climatescience
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️[COMMENTARY] “Now is the time for Zanzibar’s government to reexamine past and future investment decisions to ensure they respect Zanzibar’s natural heritage and conserve it for future generations,” says a new op-ed. ** Views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
- Another nice write up on our letter in Science, this time through @mongabay.com and with some great images. news.mongabay.com/2025/10/zanz...
- Nice write-up by The Citizen on our recent letter in @science.org. They do a great job presenting the counterargument made by developers: www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/zan...
- Nice write-up by The Citizen on our recent letter in @science.org. They do a great job presenting the counterargument made by developers: www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/zan...
- Out in @science.org today. The Ngezi forest of Zanzibar is likely the most intact oldgrowth tropical dry forest in East Africa, if not the continent; it also houses tons of endemic species and gives resources to thousands of people. Bulldozers are waiting at its edge www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Redefine how the world measures progress! 🌍🧑🌾🌽🌎🌴🐬🌏🚵♀️🍄🌐👍 Join the Global Expert Consultation to develop The Nature Relationship Index (NRI) @undp.org <15 mins to make a difference anu.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... > Deadline: Oct 15, 2025 > Background: rdcu.be/etpiQ
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Human transformation of past terrestrial ecosystems @natrevbiodiv.nature.com #anthromes 🌍🌐 doi.org/10.1038/s443...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️This is extremely cool: 700 years worth of archaeological artefacts being collected from old nests of bearded vultures (strong contender for the best vulture) www.popsci.com/environment/...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Sharp rise in US whale entanglements after NOAA cut-backs oceanographicmagazine.com/news/sharp-r...
- Out in @science.org today. The Ngezi forest of Zanzibar is likely the most intact oldgrowth tropical dry forest in East Africa, if not the continent; it also houses tons of endemic species and gives resources to thousands of people. Bulldozers are waiting at its edge www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- I don't know that this little letter will move the needle in any way, but the work done by the Ngezi Vumawimbi Heritage Organization certainly does. See their website here: www.ngeziforest.com
- Massive cross-institutional paper out today, bringing in almost 40 co-authors across 20 institutions and 9 countries 🌍. Led by @tom-pienkowski.bsky.social. conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- The features that make conservation scalable and durable aren't necessarily those that deliver the most environmental benefit at the level of individual sites! @ic-cep.bsky.social @imperialsci.bsky.social @imperiallifesci.bsky.social
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️new paper, led by @nkolarik.bsky.social: monitoring outcomes of ecological restoration is challenging. Satellite imagery could help, but interpretation requires statistics that can identify breakpoints in messy time-series data. We provide a practical guide: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- New super cool paper out last week that you should definitely check out! 🚨😎🐮🌧️ We show that across space and time, economic wellbeing determines how communities respond to precipitation variability in South Africa: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- This is important for two reasons: 1) Poorer communities are more likely to sell cows during droughts to pay for food for the rest of the herd. This is disadvantageous. They're worth less when they're skinny and the market gets flooded with people doing the same. This is a sort of poverty trap.
- 2) What people do with their animals further affects the environment. While tons of research focuses on the direct effects of climate and climate change on rangelands, we forget that climate also affects people's behavior. These secondary effects can be massive, but also predictable.
- View full thread
- Our book is now available online at the African Books Collective here: africanbookscollective.com/books/mangro... Reminder that 100% of proceeds to go mangrove conservation and education programs in Pemba, Tanzania.
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️🚨New PhD paper out today in @natcomms.nature.com with @renatoamorais.bsky.social and Dave Bellwood! 🚨 Marine fishes exhibit extraordinary patterns of diversity, but how does this diversity relate to their productivity? 🐟🐠🐡 🌐 🦑🧪 🔗 nature.com/articles/s41...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Increasing global human exposure to wildland fires despite declining burned area Seyd+ doi.org/10.1126/science.adu6408 "population directly exposed to wildland fires increased 40% globally from 2002 to 2021 despite a 26% decline in burned area ... 85% of global exposures occurred in Africa"
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️🧪
- PostDoc position available at the University of Bern to study virus diversity in free-roaming dogs in Africa and Asia. Interested candidates should apply via email. More info: http://www.cmpg.iee.unibe.ch #postdoc
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Another @stanforddoerr.bsky.social Stanford search for a Tenured Professor in Climate Science! Applications due Oct. 30 🌊 🌎 🌡️ facultypositions.stanford.edu/en-us/job/49...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Please repost and amplify ! We are hiring a faculty position in Evolutionary Genetics in the Biology Department at U of South Carolina! Check us out and come be our colleague! sc.edu/study/colleg... Deadline for applications is Oct 1 #AcademicJobs #EvoBio
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Conservation postdoc in Brisbane, Australia 🧪
- Thee-year full time postdoc positions in Brisbane, Australia. Conservation metrics, Nature Positive. Deadline 21st August jobs.smartrecruiters.com/GriffithUniv...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Collaborate with researchers globally. Chart your transdisciplinary path. Apply to SFI's 2026 Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowships. Competitive pay, research funds, and generous benefits to become a leader in transdisciplinary research. Deadline: Oct 1, 2025 Apply: santafe.edu/sfifellowship
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Full-time, permanent Lectureship in Forestry or Agroforestry at Bangor University, which has an excellent reputation in forest sciences. jobs.bangor.ac.uk/details.php....
- Really amazed by the turnout for our launch of 'Mangroves of Pemba' in Stonetown this past weekend, including the head of the heads of Zanzibar's of the Ministry Natural Resources and Dept. of Forests See: shorturl.at/zwMYN @ic-cep.bsky.social @imperiallifesci.bsky.social @imperialsci.bsky.social
- I should again thank @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social and @rmcelreath.bsky.social for supporting this work and all our research and community engagement in Pemba and Zanzibar broadly. Book copies coming your way!!
- Zanzibar-based people. Come by Emerson Spice in Stonetown this Saturday if you like free food and books about mangroves. Event in collaboration with the Zanzibar Dept of Forests and Mkuki na Nyota Publishers.
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️We're missing the trees by focusing on the forest!
- 🙌🙌🙌
- 🚨New paper! 🌍🦈😇 What do seafloor patterns reveal about fish, fear & food webs? Tracking reef halos at Ningaloo Reef, we found they shrink in summer but grow in winter, correlated with seasonal temp and upwelling. Single snapshots don't tell the full story. Context matters! 📖 rdcu.be/ewTI1
- As someone who regularly uses computer simulations (ABMs) to look at this type of thing but secretly hates them, this is very very cool.
- 📢New paper! Ecosystem collapse depends on internal complexity, like magnetic materials under stress. @cp-oneearth.bsky.social @unisouthampton.bsky.social @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social 🧲🌍 Full story: www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/why-som...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Are you a PhD student, have an offer, or have had an offer recently rescinded from a US university? If so, Western (in London, ON, Canada) has a new scholarship program for you! Check out this news story. I can vouch for this university! You will love it. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowships are open. The scheme provides exceptional UK-based early-career researchers with the chance to enhance their research and teaching experience within an academic setting. Learn more and apply: buff.ly/McS8lRk
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Amazing opportunity. Come and help preserve #biodiversity in Australia! 🧪🐨
- Are you a top US-based scientist wanting to relocate to Australia? We are now calling for formal applications from both Australian and non-Australian citizens based in the US whose work is internationally recognised as exceptional. 📅 Applications close: Aug 29, 2025 🔗 science.org.au/gtap/?utm_so...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️🌡️ 34°C+ in June? Once rare in the UK, now increasingly normal. "This heatwave is hotter than it would have been without our continued burning of oil, coal and gas," says Dr Friederike Otto (@frediotto.bsky.social) Climate change is rewriting our summers. #Heatwave #ClimateCrisis
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️📖Published📖 Check out our new Perspective article 👉 Empirical ecology to support mechanistic modelling: Different objectives, better approaches and unique benefits 🌍 🧪 buff.ly/obwawk5
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️In about a week we (Biological Sciences @ Monash Uni in Melbourne, Australia) will be opening a search for 3 (!!!) permanent academic positions (40% research, 40% teaching, 20% service) at Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. 1 Genomics, 2 Ecology. Please share, email me, DM, follow, send carrier pigeons…
- Here's a glimpse of our science-ballet dance following a short presentation describing our research on how conservation initiatives can "go to scale". It was a full house at the Victoria and Albert Museum!!
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Join us as a Postdoctoral fellow! We’re seeking a Postdoctoral fellow to join the INSPIRI project, which focuses on co-creating imaginative, stakeholder-driven visions for Europe’s ocean and water systems. Learn more and apply by 31 August 2025: www.stockholmresilience.org/about-us/car...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Our new paper led by Jenicca Poongavanan. Predicting #dengue in Africa using disaggregation regression (bottom right in the inset image) and comparing to other methods. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Preprint alert!🚨 You want biomass data without clipping the vegetation? Use your smartphone for a 3D scan! In our manuscript you get instructions & a complete Jupyter notebook for immediate use! doi.org/10.32942/X2T... 🪴+📱=💚 #biodiversity #ecology #globalchange #photogrammetry
- This has been so fun to work on. London folks, come check out how we've turned our science into a ballet 👯🩰. Catch us at the Victoria and Albert Museum this Sunday at 3pm, in the Lydia Manfred lecture theater as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival @ic-cep.bsky.social @imperialsci.bsky.social
- Dr Eleonora Moratto will show us how ballet can be used to tell science stories at the Great Exhibition Road Festival! Featuring nature and climate research by her, @mattcscience.bsky.social, @morenamills.bsky.social and me! www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/event/dancin...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Some papers are really good because they make just one point, but they make it really clearly — such as “Statistical Control Requires Causal Justification” journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️How do we decide on conservation actions in the face of context dependency? In our new paper on ‘Precision Ecology’ we show how methods developed in medicine & marketing can be applied to predict site-specific outcomes allowing effective & targeted conservation doi.org/10.1038/s415...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️The emergence and demise of giant sloths | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️🌿 Many congratulations to Caroline Howe (@carolinehowe.bsky.social) for being named on the 2025 #ENDSPowerList! Announced on #InternationalBiodiversityDay, it's a fitting recognition of her impactful research on how biodiversity underpins human well-being, climate, food, water & health. 🌍🌱
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️More shots fired in the #causalInference #ecology literature! 🌍
- I'm guessing this is probably very well worth the read! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Rob Boyd is one of my all time intellectual heroes and deserves every honor possible. Very pleased to see him get this one (next, Pete Richerson!)
- Join us in congratulating Robert Boyd, a SHESC professor and research scientist with the @asuiho.bsky.social, who has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences — one of the highest honors a researcher can receive! 🌟 news.asu.edu/20250505-uni...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Great news - we will be searching for a tree physiologist (tenure track) to join the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, UBC Forestry, later this year. Stay tuned! (Please share.)
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Small but powerful: 10 & 20K 💵 grants for research using Global Fishing Watch data globalfishingwatch.org/open-ocean-r...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Job announcement 🚨: paid fieldwork opportunity with Sanguatsiniq research project! Details in thread ⬇️ Please share!
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Data are everywhere… “Here, we examine an unusual source of information: classic Chinese poetry. From 724 ancient poems containing references to the Yangtze finless porpoise (N. asiaeorientalis), we infer that the range of this subspecies has contracted by at least 65% over the past 1400 years.”
- Dive into our latest issue!🌊 www.cell.com/issue/S0960-... On the cover:Yangtze porpoises in troubled waters🐬 by Yaoyao Zhang and colleagues www.cell.com/current-biol...
- Out today 🚨, led by Jeff Andrews of @maxplanck.de, we develop formal models showing how 'leakage' from conservation can affect neighboring communities. tl;dr: leakage can drive communities to adaptively respond in predictable ways given various system states ecologyandsociety.org/vol30/iss2/a...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️28 degrees in London today…. That’s a staggering 14 degrees warmer than the previously normal average high for this time of year. Absolute madness.
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Very pleased to share this paper, fantastically led by @hollieboothie - a rare example of an #RCT of incentive-based conservation intervention. I think this paper is a textbook example of why they are valuable: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️@katrinamillerphd.bsky.social & I took a look at over 400 active National Science Foundation grants that got killed in the past few days. Here's our story (gift link) nyti.ms/4jp4aOx
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Loss of ENTIRE USGS ecological missions area PLUS eliminating all Climate Adaptation Science Centers would be absolutely devastating to understanding US biodiversity and its role in helping us adapt to #climate change. Absolutely terrible www.science.org/content/arti...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️Can confirm that my NSF grant "How False Beliefs Form & How to Correct Them" was cancelled today because it is "not in alignment with current NSF priorities" Shocking that understanding how people are misled by false information is now a forbidden topic. Our work will continue but at a smaller scale
- NSF has posted an “update on priorities.” They’re canceling all “DEI and misinformation/disinformation” grants. And the guidance on how to fulfill the longstanding, legally mandated Broadening Participation requirement is utterly incoherent. www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...
- Reposted by Matt Clark 🌳🌄🏖️U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation allowing commercial fishing in Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (PIH), a massive marine protected area home to threatened fish, sea turtles and marine mammals.