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marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦
@marcofesta.bsky.social
1.4K followers 260 following 740 posts

🇨🇦🇨🇦 Retired ecology prof in Sherbrooke, Canada. Evidence-based wildlife conservation, mountain ungulates, kangaroos, ice-free fishing. 🇨🇦🇨🇦 elbows up!

Videos
Environmental science 41%
Biology 27%
Posts Replies Media Videos

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 7h
As 'right wording' in this case, F**k-you comes to mind.

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet

alexandreklein.bsky.social
Alexandre Klein @alexandreklein.bsky.social · 8h
Ottawa libère 1,7 milliard pour recruter 1000 chercheurs d’exception à l’international.

Les chercheurs canadiens pendant ce temps :

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 9h
Short-term gain for long-term pain: after the feds, Quebéc's provincial gov't proposes a law stating that major projects can bypass Environmental and Endangered Species laws. These projects may be examined and amended, but WILL be approved.
alexandreshields.bsky.social Alexandre Shields @alexandreshields.bsky.social · 10h
Projet de loi de la CAQ pour accélérer des projets majeurs: le gouvernement Legault se donne le droit de ne pas appliquer des dispositions des lois qui sont censées protéger la faune et la flore, dont les espèces menacées:

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet

alexandreshields.bsky.social
Alexandre Shields @alexandreshields.bsky.social · 10h
Projet de loi de la CAQ pour accélérer des projets majeurs: le gouvernement Legault se donne le droit de ne pas appliquer des dispositions des lois qui sont censées protéger la faune et la flore, dont les espèces menacées:

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Rebecca Solnit, Colin F. Camerer , and 19 more

moreperfectunion.bsky.social
More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 14h
Jimmy Fallon: "And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"

Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet, Hansraj Gautam

pili-scotland.bsky.social
Phyllis Lee @pili-scotland.bsky.social · 19h
sad news that Iain Douglas-Hamilton has died. A great and wonderful champion of elephants over a long life! He has changed the world for the better, especially how people view elephants.
Iain D-H in Oxford with elephant colleagues

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 1d
Not sure what this is but it jumped so I'm thinking some kind of grasshopper. Near Walls Lookout, Blue Mountains, NSW

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 2d
A currawong in its habitat.

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet

davidhamer1951.bsky.social
David Hamer @davidhamer1951.bsky.social · 2d
Mr. Coyne’s latest jeremiad against Trump is one of his best ever, in this weekend’s @theglobeandmail.com.

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 3d
Having been told for decades that wild boars farms are a huge problem, Alberta closes the barn door after the pigs have left. Banning sport hunting counterintuitive but essential. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
New restrictions placed on hunting, farming 'incredibly destructive' wild boars in Alberta | CBC News
Wild boars have been declared "a pest in all circumstances" by the Alberta government effective Dec. 1, meaning new restrictions have been placed on keeping them in captivity and hunting them in the w...
www.cbc.ca

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 3d
White: strong fitness costs for young (3-5 yrs, many primiparous), and senescent (11+ yrs) mountain goat ♀️, almost no cost for prime-aged ♀️. Reproduction also reduced by winter snow. No impact of reproduction on ♀️ survival 🧪https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.70137
Life‐history trade‐offs and environmental variability shape reproductive demography in a mountain ungulate
Alpine ecosystems are changing rapidly with implications for the demography of alpine organisms. Through long-term study, we reveal novel insights about the interplay between life-history trade-offs ...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet

predatoryjournals.org
Predatory Journals @predatoryjournals.org · 3d
🧪 After 25 years, a landmark study claiming the herbicide Glyphosate (and Roundup) was “safe” has been officially retracted — due to ghost-writing and clear conflicts of interest. What was once scientific “proof” now collapses. #Science #Glyphosate #Retracted ☣️
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Science journal retracts study on safety of Monsanto’s Roundup: ‘Serious ethical concerns’
Paper published in 2000 found glyphosate was not harmful, while internal emails later revealed company’s influence
www.theguardian.com

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 3d
Gulotta: hunters tend to kill male turkeys that are more active and unpredictable, natural predators tend to kill those that are less active and more predictable. Potential for hunting-induced selection on behavior. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Harvest and natural predation shape selection for behavioural predictability in male wild turkeys
Male wild turkeys with riskier behavioural types were more predictable in their behavioural expression and more likely to be killed by both hunters and predators. If risk-taking behaviour is heritabl....
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 4d
King parrots, Orange, NSW

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 4d
Pukeko, Jerrambomberra wetland.

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet, Ryan K. Brook

cingraham.bsky.social
Chris Ingraham @cingraham.bsky.social · 4d
Pretty wild stuff here. How did the peer reviewers not realize that the figure was total nonsense? This is a Nature journal, for pete's sake
The Editors have retracted this Article. After publication, concerns have been raised about the content of Fig. 1 as well as description of the methodology in the paper. Post-publication investigation confirmed that the paper does not contain an adequate description of the framework it proposes, uses an AI-generated figure containing nonsense to demonstrate the framework, and does not include code underlying the model developed. Additionally, the study claims to have used the dataset from Ref 24. for training of the model, but Ref 24 does not include such data within the paper, nor does it signpost the dataset. The study also claims to have used another dataset for validation, but this dataset is also not identified or signposted. The Editors therefore no longer have confidence in the integrity or conclusions of this Article.

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 4d
Water dragon, Canberra botanic garden.

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 4d
Spent a couple of days in and near Canberra, visiting friends from my sabbatical at ANU 7 years back. Was welcomed by a welcome swallow at Jerrambomberra wetland.

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet

benoitevol.bsky.social
Benoit Nabholz @benoitevol.bsky.social · 5d
The CNRS is breaking free from the Web of Science

www.cnrs.fr/en/update/cn...
The CNRS is breaking free from the Web of Science
From January 1st 2026, the CNRS will cut access to one of the largest commercial bibliometric databases, Clarivate Analytics'
www.cnrs.fr

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 9d
Slow yet slimy news
www.bbc.com/news/article...
French farm has €90,000 worth of escargot snails stolen
The break-in was "a real blow", says L'Escargot Des Grands Crus, which was preparing deliveries for the holiday season.
www.bbc.com

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet

sallyaitken.bsky.social
Sally Aitken 🇨🇦 @sallyaitken.bsky.social · 9d
Did an interview with a B.C. TV morning show today about Christmas trees and climate change. I’m disappointed that they used the headline and banner “Climate change a disaster for Christmas trees”. This is what leads deniers to accuse scientists of hysteria, and the rest of us to doubt the news.
Photo of conifer trees at sunset

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 10d
Folks, don't do this.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Sask. conservationists say trend of live-baiting snowy owls for photos endangers the birds | CBC News
Saskatchewan wildlife watchers are worried snowy owls are being put in danger as photographers use live bait to lure them closer for better pictures.
www.cbc.ca

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 11d
My bro took this vid of urban coyotes in Edmonton eating apples. Strong clues as to how municipalities can reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet, Rosemary A. Joyce, Roopika Risam , and 5 more

astrokatie.com
Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 11d
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 11d
Grente: killing wolves reduces livestock attacks in France, with much variability. Attack reduction is usually over short temporal (2-3 mo) and spatial (a few km) scales. Much stronger effects of multiple VS single removals. peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
Spatio-temporal dynamics of attacks around deaths of wolves: A statistical assessment of lethal control efficiency in France
peercommunityjournal.org

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet

thenarwhal.ca
The Narwhal @thenarwhal.ca · 12d
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith have signed an agreement to advance Alberta’s pipeline dreams — and weaken some pollution laws. Here’s what you need to know:
thenarwhal.ca/carney-alber...
Carney’s Alberta pipeline deal weakens climate policies | The Narwhal
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ‘grand bargain’ isn’t just about an Alberta pipeline —it also proposes rolling back a host of climate policies
thenarwhal.ca

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 12d
Steven, cross the floor. I did not vote Liberal to get a conservative gov't corrupted by fossil fuel money.
stevenguilbeault.bsky.social Steven Guilbeault @stevenguilbeault.bsky.social · 12d
This afternoon, I informed the Prime Minister of my decision to resign as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister of Nature and Parks Canada, as well as his Lieutenant in Quebec.

You can find my full statement below.

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet, Jesse M. Shapiro, Alan Richardson

stevenguilbeault.bsky.social
Steven Guilbeault @stevenguilbeault.bsky.social · 12d
This afternoon, I informed the Prime Minister of my decision to resign as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister of Nature and Parks Canada, as well as his Lieutenant in Quebec.

You can find my full statement below.

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet, Charles W. Smith, Alan Richardson , and 1 more

rachelgilmore.bsky.social
Rachel Gilmore @rachelgilmore.bsky.social · 12d
Trudeau-era environment minister Steven Guilbeault has published a resignation letter detailing the reasons for his departure from Carney's cabinet.

He directly cites today's MOU:
Statement by Steven Guilbeault This afternoon, it is with great sadness that I submitted my resignation to the Prime Minister as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister of Nature and Parks Canada, as well as his Lieutenant in Quebec. As you know, I chose to enter politics to champion the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment. Over the past ten years, our country has made historic progress in reducing climate pollution, protecting nature and the environment, while our economy continued to grow. I believe I have contributed to these advancements, and I remain deeply proud of the achievements I have helped bring forward: • Standing up to tech giants and major polluters • Implementing Canada's first emissions reduction plan, slowing their growth and placing them on a downward trajectory • Establishing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation • Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act • Developing the country's first national climate adaptation strategy to protect our communities • Eliminating harmful single-use plastics • Implementing the most ambitious nature conservation plan in the country's history • Continuing the modernization of the Official Languages Act • Making historic investments in arts and culture, including during the COVID-19 crisis and in the most recent budget Changes in our relationship with the United States have led to profound disruptions affecting the global order, diplomatic relations, and the economy. I understand and share the Prime Minister's efforts to ensure our country First, there was no consultation with the Indigenous nations of the West Coast of British Columbia or with the provincial government, who would be greatly affected by this agreement. Furthermore, a pipeline to the West Coast would have major environmental impacts, particularly as it could cross the Great Bear Rainforest, contribute to a significant increase in climate pollution, and move Canada further away from its greenhouse gas reduction targets. Lifting the tanker ban on the West Coast would also significantly increase the risk of accidents in the region. This moratorium was established in 1972 following a unanimous vote in the House of Commons, notably because navigation in the Hecate Strait is highly dangerous. Its removal would also hinder the creation of a marine conservation area in the Great Bear Sea, a project our government has been actively developing with Indigenous partners and the government of British Columbia for several years, protecting more than 100,000 km of this ecologically sensitive region. We cannot hope to decarbonize our economy without decarbonizing the electricity sector. The proposal to exempt Alberta from the Clean Electricity Regulations in exchange for stricter industrial carbon pricing rules and the Pathways project is, in my view, a serious mistake. As shown in the analysis submitted to the House of Commons, without this regulation, the electricity sector-which has halved its pollution over the past 20 years-would return to an upward emissions trajectory. This regulation also saves lives by reducing air pollution, generates over $3 billion in healthcare savings, and ultimately reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 182 million tonnes. Finally, over the past few months, several elements of the climate action plan I worked on as Minister of the Environment have been, or are about to be, dismantled: the consumer carbon pricing, the Zero Emission Vehicle standard, the oil and gas sector emissions cap, the framework to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, and the Clean Electricity Regulations. In my view, these measures remain essential to our climate action plan. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the citizens of Laurier-Sainte-Marie for the trust they have placed in me since 2019. I will continue to represent them as their Liberal Member of Parliament with dedication. I also thank the Prime Minister for the honor of serving in his cabinet and as his lieutenant in Quebec. When I entered politics, it was because I had a deep conviction that I could make a difference in fighting climate change and protecting our environment. My commitment to leaving a better world for the future of our children and our planet remains unchanged. Steven Guilbeault Member of Parliament for Laurier-Sainte-Marie

marcofesta.bsky.social
Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 12d
Glad to see that someone maintains a minimum of principle. www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...
Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault resigns from cabinet after Carney, Smith sign energy deal
Mr. Guilbeault is a career environmentalist who has been serving as the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture
www.theglobeandmail.com