Sicily Fiennes 🍉
Post doc fellow at @nationaltrust.org.uk on the @renewbiodiversity.bsky.social project. Working on increasing access to nature. they/them 🏳️⚧️
conservationsensationblog.wordpress.com
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Next episode is up of our podcast ‘Edges of Extinction’! Aptly titled ‘Killer Language’… @katatrepsis.bsky.social and @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social speak to Diane Nelson about language extinction, what it means for a language to die, and how this happens. bit.ly/4roa1XL
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Fascist governments are undermining abortion access, trans health care, gay relationships, etc under the guise of “fighting gender ideology.” So, anyone who believes in women’s rights and gay rights should be showing solidarity to oppose their politics, not colluding with it to attack trans people.
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉i am extremely proud to announce my latest journalism this piece is about Tupac Amaru Shakur, the Black Panthers, COINTELPRO, and liberation ALL my work is free, PLEASE SEND TIPS i publish every other Thursday read for free by clicking the link below: junoryleejournalism.com/2026/01/29/t...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉🚨 6 DAYS LEFT 🚨 We have just one week to stop Sex Matters infiltrating a vote to ban conversion therapy. Over 5,000 have taken action. Will you join them? action.goodlawproject.org/stop-sex-matters-in…
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉URGENT: Very important action by @goodlawproject.bsky.social Transphobes are trying to infiltrate the Council of Europe to roll back LGBTQ+ human rights by writing en masse to MPs on the CoE. Please use this tool to write to those MPs to counter this. Do it now. We have a week. Please share.
- Myself and @jdroberts.bsky.social made a podcast!!!! Introducing a short series ‘Edges of Extinction’. Recorded at the Helix Suite at the University of Leeds!
- We are thrilled to present our new podcast, 'Edges of Extinction'! In our first episode Diane Nelson and @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social talk to @katatrepsis.bsky.social about insect extinctions, what these mean for the world, and how they can be averted extinctionstudiesleeds.podbean.com/e/edges-of-e...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉I think this needs to shared widely. Especially to those who have the power to stop it.
- New research maps the campaign to erase trans people from UK data 🔢 This peer-reviewed article offers the first detailed account of how UK campaign groups have sought to define sex as strictly biological across the census, policing, healthcare and digital ID. doi.org/10.1080/0958...
- Emotional music and red squirrels is a bit much for a Tuesday morning 😩
- Join Hannah Stitfall on our first day on location in Northern Ireland at @nationaltrust.org.uk Mount Stewart meeting some of the cutest & most famous residents 🐾🐿️ Our wildlife cams will be live from 10:00 - 22:00 on iPlayer. Chris, Michaela & Iolo are back on BBC Two & iPlayer at 7pm. #Winterwatch
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Want to protect yourself & others even if healthcare systems aren’t? A well-fitting n95 or better dramatically reduces the odds you will get or spread illness. It’s self care & community care & meaningful resistance of fascism, ableism, & all the other intertwined -isms. Get/give mask mutual aid:
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉"One day, I left school and drove to a gas station to use their bathroom. Another day, I held it and thought I was going to pee myself in front of class ... This is humiliation disguised as policy, and it is why I decided to leave a job I love and was born to do."
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Updated version here: bsky.app/profile/agc1...
- Little late to the party but I have noticed there are lots of PhD adverts closing soon. If anyone needs any advice on applications or being a PhD student in the UK (or at the University of Leeds), please PM me, I'd love to help 💡
- New paper out on 'Investigating the illegal online trade of Indonesian parrots'; this was a labour of love, which I contributed to during my time on the GCRF Art, Feathers and Crime in 2021 with @dremilinesmith.bsky.social and Chloe Heys 🦜 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
- Some important takeaways... 📈 Online illegal trade of parrots increased during the global pandemic 💻 Facebook is an important virtual marketplace for parrots in Indonesia 🆕 We document new and emerging trends for small bodied and abundant hanging parrots (Loriculus spp.)
- This study inspired my interest in wildlife trade happening on newer platforms like TikTok; www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Want to join our panel @eccb26leiden.bsky.social on "Conservation Histories and Humanities: Understanding the Present, Unearthing the Past"? We are looking for presentations exploring the histories of conservation. Email me (g.holmes@leeds.ac.uk) with an abstract by 9th Feb.
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉'Close to death': What 60 days on hunger strike is doing to Palestine Action prisoners - middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-acti…
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉“i want back my rocking chairs, / solipsist sunsets, / & coastal jungle sounds...” A poem by Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered by ICE earlier today. lithub.com/renee-nicole...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉In retaliation for a solidarity event for Palestinian political prisoners in Israel and a screening of the film “Hind Rajab.” For this they shot students.
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉This was probably meant to be a late-night post: I spent eight months working on a stunt blog about a $200 sandwich. Or, no, I did an end-of-year post about my mental health and the federal funding crisis. I'm not sure which. Maybe you can figure it out. www.carlsonlab.bio/thoughts/epi...
- Proud to have my photo essay out in the publication Current Conservation. I got really into photography during my PhD including using a film camera. I hope it conveys some of the visual experience of being in a bird market and the sense of place. Enjoy 🐦 www.currentconservation.org/visual-stori...
- Amazing work by my new colleagues on the ExCASES team on the @renewbiodiversity.bsky.social project. Led by the indomitable Clare Bissell - there are some beautiful resources crafted on cultivating communities of care for nurturing urban trees 🌳: renewbiodiversity.org.uk/urban-trees/
- One of my PhD chapters: 'Designing user-centered technologies to address the illegal wildlife trade' is OUT NOW in the @society4conbio.bsky.social journal Conservation Science and Practice! Please check out the graphical abstract and give it a read: conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- Thanks to my amazing co-authors Novi Hardianto and Silvi Dwi Anasari (Kausa Resiliensi Indonesia), Agung Nur Haq (Planet Indonesia), Salsabila Laraswari (Padjadjaran University), as well as my supervisor team of Tom Jackson, Chris Birchall, @georgeholmes.bsky.social and @katatrepsis.bsky.social.
- A future blog will unpack the paper further, looking at the ethical implications of using technology to identify illegal wildlife trade and the role of AI in conservation more broadly...
- PhD tea towels!!!! Thank you to my amazing supervisors @katatrepsis.bsky.social, @georgeholmes.bsky.social & Chris Birchall. And thank you to Freddy of Dreadful Threads in Leeds for producing :)
- when leaving comments on an early draft of Dr @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social amazing thesis, I described a sentence in it as “so good it should be embroidered on a tea towel”. As a end-of-PhD present, they gifted me this amazing tea towel, with that sentence embroidered on it! Best academic gift ever!
- I’m in a video about my very cool PhD program @extinctionleeds.bsky.social. Shot during a difficult time for me, I’m still happy I managed the filming and shared my research 🧐
- We're honoured that @leverhulme.ac.uk chose to feature @extinctionleeds.bsky.social as part of their centenary. It's testament to our fantastic PGRs, including @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social and @kate-elspeth.bsky.social whose work is highlighted. Full video link in the post. #extinction #culture
- If only I spoke better Spanish, Italian and Romanian 😩. If you do and are into political ecology/green criminology please check it here posts out!
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉"He imagines a space where children from the streets can find shelter, food and clothing, and a sense of purpose through caring for rescued birds and the environment." Beautiful story - the kind that makes you hopeful. www.aljazeera.com/features/202... #birds
- Really excited to hear about this initiative ‘Naturalists for Palestine’, sign up everyone! naturalistsforpalestine.org
- Speaking at the Headingley Café Scientifique on 19/11/25 at 7:45 pm! Anyone welcome to join in person :) cafesci.hdtleeds.org.uk?page_id=983
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉1/ 📄New paper! Alison Hutchinson @georgeiorda.bsky.social Teresa Lappe-Osthege & myself have developed a new harms-based #PoliticalEcology as a way of understanding the #WildlifeTrade published in @jpoliticalecology.bsky.social ⬇️ beastlybusiness.org/2025/07/23/n...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Excellent piece on #GlassEel trade in @mongabay.com - and as ever @monicapons.bsky.social is absolutely spot on. Eel consumption always relies on wild caught fish, & the valuable trade attracts criminal networks #IWT #WildlifeTrade #EuropeanEel #EnvironmentalCrime
- I went on this course in 2022 and it was incredible :)
- Are you curious about expanding your social research practice to include nonhuman species, but don’t know where to start? Come and join this immersive three-day workshop at the University of Manchester, with a mix of indoor seminars and outdoor fieldwork: store.southampton.ac.uk/short-course...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉congratulations to Dr @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social , for successfully defending their thesis on the songbird trade in Indonesia. A highly interdisciplinary study, with some wonderful papers and a cool interactive website here www.uncagedconservation.com
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Congratulations to @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social on successfully defending their PhD thesis! I can honestly say that this was one of the most interesting projects I have been involved with, the most talented students I have supervised, and the least stressful waits for a viva outcome :-)
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Time is of the essence and we need to fight the EHRC interim guidance before it becomes statutory and Parliament make it law. Don’t just shout about it, write to them. Also tell the media, if you can get them to care. I’ve posted this on Instagram. Speak to your unions and staff networks at work
- I have my PhD viva next week (eek!). Any last-minute tips from the pros on here?
- Check out @cassyni.bsky.social seminar Rethinking extinction “crises”: The case of Asian songbird trade presented by Mx Sicily Fiennes 📅 Thursday 1st May 2025 ⏰ 14.00 PM (GMT+1). This has been rescheduled woo!
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉In this piece, which I am proud of and I stand by every word, I make two serious criticisms of the procedure that the Supreme Court adopted. goodlawproject.org/the-supreme-...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉"#TikTok facilitating #songbird #trade in Indonesia" - a recent paper published by #Extinction Studies PhD student @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social in @oryxthejournal.bsky.social: buff.ly/4aNmZaI.
- Excited to say I've SUBMITTED my PhD thesis on Asian songbird trade 🎉. My interests are in political ecology, focusing on wildlife trade, creative social science, and critical conservation. If people know of long-term roles in research, analysis, or program management in the UK, please let me know💡
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉#Extinction in the Small Isles: A fantastic photo blog from a recent group trip to the Scottish Small Isles, by Extinction Studies PhD students Alfie Howard, MT Talensby, Jon Roberts, @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social, Lydia Woods, Serena Turton-Hughes, Jenny Kennedy
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉"Awe and Extinction" - Extinction Studies PhD student @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social writes about reflections on a recent photography trip to the Scottish Small Isles:
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Over the past few months I feel very privileged to have been doing an analysis for DEFRA of how The UK Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund projects address poverty; providing recommendations on how projects and the Fund can improve practice ⬇️ iwt.challengefund.org.uk/resources/in...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Hey #WildlifeDisease & #conservation folk, please check out our survey on attitudes to parasite conservation. Are parasites important for biodiversity, would you remove them to protect host welfare, or something more nuanced? We want to hear all views to improve guidance for practitioners 🪱🧪🌍🧵1/n
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Fantastic to start the day with @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social leaping into my office with some highly positive reviews on their recent PhD output. "Interesting", "novel", "great paper", "valuable perspective", "significant" and "immediately useful"! Brilliant work and I look forward to sharing it!
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉Ever heard of parasite conservation and thought "Why on earth would we want to do that 😱"?! Read our new paper to find out... We cover key questions including: Why conserve parasites? How do you conserve parasites? & What parasite conservation is already happening? doi.org/10.1111/cobi... [1/3]
- I was honoured to be invited by the editors of Prisms: Extinction to give a talk on my paper on environmental crises and Asian songbird trade. Please attend this online talk on Tuesday, March 11th, at 2 pm GMT to hear more! cassyni.com/events/6H6nT...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉A brilliant new paper on conservation patriarchy - must be widely read: ‘We conclude that patriarchal norms and structures within conservation must be questioned and dismantled to make conservation more effective and just’ www.nature.com/articles/s44...
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉The first output from our @leverhulme.bsky.social Extinction Studies project on #shadowextinction - known-unknown and unknown-unknown extinctions - and implications for science and policy is out. Led by Serena Turton Hughes, with @katatrepsis.bsky.social www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
- I wish for Palestine to be free and for the ongoing genocide & scholasticide in Gaza and the West Bank to end, but it's encouraging to see initiatives like this. Still, this needs to be coupled with an arms embargo and cutting ties with companies like BAE Systems. www.leeds.ac.uk/masters-scho...
- Excited to publish my first PhD chapter in Cambridge Prisms: Extinction #CPExtinction Journal w/ Novi Hardianto, Silvi Dwi Ansari, Asri Dwiyahreni, Tom Jackson, @georgeholmes.bsky.social Christoper Birchall & @katatrepsis.bsky.social (1/5) www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
- Exploring the complexities of the IUCN-declared Asian Songbird Crisis in Indonesia, we reveal diverse stakeholder perceptions of extinction and its impacts on #birdtrade (2/5)
- Through #interviews and #focusgroups, the results uncover diverse attitudes toward the Asian Songbird Crisis (ASC), challenging the idea that species extinction significantly impacts #wildlifetrade🦜(3/5)
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View full threadStay tuned for some more insights in our upcoming University of Leeds Extinction Studies DTP podcast… Any comments or insights welcome! What do you think of the term crisis? 🤔(5/5)
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉A fantastic new arts/science/society project from @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social: Uncaged Conservation gives you a unique, multisensory insight into the Asian songbird trade through a exploration of wildlife marketplaces. #wildlife #conservation #technology www.uncagedconservation.com
- Reposted by Sicily Fiennes 🍉🔊 Looking forward to participating in the inaugural SCB online Conservation Social Science Conference on Weds Nov 20th! ⏰: 11:00 🇺🇸 | 16:00 🇬🇧 | 00:00 🇨🇳 #BehaviourChange #SocialScience #ConsumerDemand #IWT
