Tobias Kuemmerle
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tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle
@tkuemmerle.bsky.social
2K followers 550 following 300 posts

Geographer @ Humboldt-University Berlin | working on land use and its impact on biodiversity

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Environmental science 68%
Geography 17%
Posts Replies Media Videos

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · 8h
www.politico.eu/article/obse...
Obsession with growth is destroying nature, 150 countries warn
China, India and EU countries were among the signatories of a report that criticized the prevailing measures of economic success.
www.politico.eu

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · 8h
Good news from Bolivia! But the #Chiquitano Dry Forest
- a deforestation hotspot and key corridor between the #Chaco and the #Amazon - remains critically underprotected.
news.mongabay.com/2026/02/boli...
Bolivia Indigenous communities, local gov’ts help protect nearly 1 million hectares
Bolivia has added nearly a million hectares to its protected areas over the last several months, an effort by local governments to link Indigenous territories with nearby national parks and strengthen...
news.mongabay.com

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

beyond-ideology.bsky.social
Maja Göpel @beyond-ideology.bsky.social · 3d
„Deshalb zog sich durch die Rede von Mark Carney in Davos ein roter Faden, in dem die Antwort der demokratischen Allianz liegt: Jetzt ehrlich hinsehen. Nicht weiter in einer Lüge leben, selbst wenn die persönlich lukrativ erscheint.“

www.zeit.de/politik/ausl...
US-Hegemonie: Gegen die Lügen einer neuen US-Hegemonie
Die Trump-Regierung will Europa spalten und mit US-Techoligarchen einen Hightech-Feudalismus aufziehen. Was wir dem entgegensetzen können? Drei ehrliche Antworten
www.zeit.de

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

rahmstorf.bsky.social
Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 3d
Der Emissionshandel sollte die marktwirtschaftliche Lösung der Klimakrise sein - und sie funktioniert. Nun soll Lobbydruck all die Firmen bestrafen, die entsprechend investiert haben, und die Versager belohnen.
Das darf nicht wahr sein 🤯!
www.taz.de/!6151799
Geplante Lockerungen der EU: Emissionshandel hat als Klimaschutzinstrument versagt
Ökonomen schwärmten immer vom Emissionshandel als kapitalismusfreundliche Lösung für den Klimawandel. Nun ist klar: Das hat nicht funktioniert.
www.taz.de

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

society4conbio.bsky.social
Society for Conservation Biology @society4conbio.bsky.social · 3d
#Bolivia has added nearly a million hectares to its protected areas over the last several months, an effort by local governments to link Indigenous territories with nearby national parks and strengthen #ecological connectivity.
Bolivia Indigenous communities, local gov’ts help protect nearly 1 million hectares
Bolivia has added nearly a million hectares to its protected areas over the last several months, an effort by local governments to link Indigenous territories with nearby national parks and strengthen...
news.mongabay.com

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

mongabay.com
Mongabay @mongabay.com · 5d
Major soy traders including Cargill, ADM and Bunge are exiting the Amazon Soy Moratorium — a move that could raise deforestation by 30% by 2045.

Observers warn it sends a “green light” to land speculators, even as forest loss threatens rainfall, yields and long-term market stability.
Amazon deforestation may rise 30% as major traders exit historic soy pact
As global soy giants walk away from a landmark pact, land grabbers move in to clear the forest for new crops.
news.mongabay.com

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Tobias Kuemmerle, Nancy­ Knowlton­ , and 6 more

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · 12d
Should professors be forced to retire? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Quick answer: yes!
Should professors be forced to retire?
Some universities are implementing a mandatory retirement age for academics. Will it help young researchers to get permanent positions?
www.nature.com

Reposted by Brian J. Enquist, Tobias Kuemmerle, Hans Henrik Bruun , and 8 more

jcsvenning.bsky.social
Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · 12d
Fast-growing trees are set to dominate the #forests of the #future — but at a cost🌳
Our Nature Plants (@natplants.nature.com) study shows a global shift toward "sprinter" tree species, while slow-growing, functionally critical #trees face elevated #extinction risk. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Global functional shifts in trees driven by alien naturalization and native extinction - Nature Plants
This study finds that native tree extinctions and alien naturalizations are pushing forests towards fast-growing, resource-demanding species. This global shift could affect carbon storage and ecosyste...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

guardian-climate.bsky.social
The Guardian Climate News (unofficial) @guardian-climate.bsky.social · 20d
Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from just 32 fossil fuel firms, study shows: Critics accuse leading firms of sabotaging climate action but say data increasingly being used to hold them to account Just 32 fossil fuel companies were responsible for half the global carbon dioxide emission...
Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from just 32 fossil fuel firms, study shows
Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from just 32 fossil fuel firms, study shows: Critics accuse leading firms of sabotaging climate action but say data increasingly being used to hold them to account Just 32 fossil fuel companies were responsible for half the global carbon dioxide emission...
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Joanna Bryson, Marc Lynch , and 80 more

davidho.bsky.social
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 20d
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

herbertnickel.bsky.social
Herbert Nickel @herbertnickel.bsky.social · 20d
Breaking! New DNA study provides evidence for synchronous presence of woolly mammoth and hippo in the upper Rhine until 31.000 years ago! So far it was believed that hippos became extinct at the end of the last interglacial period.
www.cell.com/current-biol...

Reposted by Sonia I. Seneviratne, Tobias Kuemmerle

globalecoguy.bsky.social
Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 27d
Biofuels are absurdly inefficient compared to electric vehicles.

A great piece in @ourworldindata.org

ourworldindata.org/biofuel-land...
Putting solar panels on land used for biofuels would produce enough electricity for all cars and trucks to go electric
The world dedicates a Poland-sized area of land to liquid biofuels. Is there a more efficient way to generate energy?
ourworldindata.org

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

consbiogoe.bsky.social
Conservation Biology Göttingen @consbiogoe.bsky.social · 29d
Data collection at the breeding grounds has been coordinated by @acbk.bsky.social (M. Koshkin/R. Urazaliyev). We are currently summarizing population trends in relation to weather/grazing pressure - birds seem either to continue to decline locally despite predicted higher habitat availability....

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Jan 11
Overall, habitat for the sociable lapwing increases - yet populations continue to decline. This points to the importance of other factors than habitat, particularly hunting during migration and at stopover sites.

More here: wadertales.wordpress.com/2021/01/03/f...

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Jan 11
Mixed trends in stopover sites - increasing habitat suitability in some (due to expanding irrigation agriculture), declines in others (agricultural intensification). This highlights the importance of monitoring all parts of migratory species' ranges!

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Jan 11
We linked satellite imagery to bird tracking data to assess year-round habitat suitability (1990–2024) - results:
✔ Breeding grounds in Kazakhstan improved after livestock recovery
✔ Winter habitats in India & Sudan improved due to expanding with low-intensity farming

Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Jan 11
Increasing habitat suitability for the critically endangered Sociable Lapwing over the past 30 years - across its range!

Paper by Tejas Bhagwat out in the Journal of Ornithology: doi.org/10.1007/s103...
@biogeoberlin.bsky.social @consbiogoe.bsky.social
#Conservation #MigratoryBirds
Sociable Plover at Little Rann of Kutch, India Photographed by Subramanya CK, 2010

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Jan 7
taz.de/Europapoliti...
Europapolitikerin über Naturschutz: „Die Beschwerden kommen fast ausschließlich aus Deutschland“
Das EU-Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung der Natur steht unter Beschuss. Die Grüne Jutta Paulus glaubt dennoch daran, dass es umgesetzt wird.
taz.de

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle, James M. Bullock

georgeholmes.bsky.social
George Holmes @georgeholmes.bsky.social · Jan 5
super interesting paper in @conbiology.bsky.social on how different groups feel about 'native' versus non-native species decline in Canada, particularly how White people put a much greater emphasis on nativeness in their response.
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
How much biotic nativeness matters across human demographic groups
Many central concepts of conservation biology—such as nativeness—are structured by ecological and social factors. However, the social consequences of using these concepts to make conservation decisio...
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Jan 3
www.tagesspiegel.de/wissen/was-d...
Was die Berliner Wissenschaft erwartet: Der Kraftakt der Kürzungen zehrt – und 2026 wird nicht leichter
Die Auswirkungen der erheblichen Kürzungen werden immer mehr zu spüren sein. Das wissenschaftliche Potenzial, das der Hauptstadt verloren geht, ist kaum abzuschätzen.
www.tagesspiegel.de

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle, Ilko−Sascha Kowalczuk, Heike Delitz

hateaid.org
HateAid @hateaid.org · Dec 30
Danke an alle, die hinter uns stehen. Das gibt uns Kraft für das, was noch kommt. Unsere Mail-Accounts könnten z. B. schon morgen gesperrt werden. Wir sorgen jetzt vor, damit Menschen, die online angefeindet werden, uns weiter erreichen. Unterstützt uns dabei: hateaid.org/spenden/?don...

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

peterjelinek.bsky.social
Peter Jelinek @peterjelinek.bsky.social · Dec 30
Stellet Euch vor, die Brandmauer ist abgebrannt und niemand sieht hin.

Rechts-konservative Mehrheiten im Europäischen Parlament sind in Brüssel zur Normalität geworden, haben 3 große Auswirkungen, mit denen wir uns kurz vor dem Jahresewechel näher beschäftigen müssen.

Der neue Newsletter👇🏽
Stellet Euch vor, die Brandmauer ist abgebrannt und niemand sieht hin
Liebe Leserinnen und Leser, stellt euch vor, die Brandmauer ist abgebrannt und niemand sieht hin. Genau das ist eingetreten.
www.linkedin.com

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle

scinews.bsky.social
Science News @scinews.bsky.social · Dec 28
Income inequality and the erosion of democracy in the twenty-first century

www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10....

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Tobias Kuemmerle

ketanjoshi.co
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · Dec 27
Turns out people still actually link climate change to stuff happening in their actual lives and care about action being taken on it, despite the now widespread idea that we need to stop mentioning it to be successful

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
data from america on support for clean energy 2.1 About half of registered voters think global warming should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress. About half of registered voters (49%) think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress. This includes large majorities of liberal Democrats (86%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (74%). One in four liberal/moderate Republicans (25%) think global warming should be a high or very hi

Reposted by Tobias Kuemmerle, Stephen D. Murphy

mongabay.com
Mongabay @mongabay.com · Dec 27
William Bond challenged the idea that forests are nature’s default, arguing grasslands & savannas are ancient ecosystems.

As mass tree-planting boomed, he warned that blanket afforestation can harm biodiversity and water systems. His work pushed conservation to start with how landscapes function.
William Bond, grasslands researcher who reminded conservation that context matters, has died
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In recent years, one of the loudest ideas in environmental policy…
news.mongabay.com

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Dec 23
Nice outcome of the Vanishing Treasures project with @unep.org and a large team of regional collaborators (🙏).
Argali - Photo: https://argalinetwork.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/argali_askar-davletbakov_.jpg

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Dec 23
Once again: context specificity matters! Even under the same climate change scenario in the same ecoregion, some landscapes will require conflict mitigation measures, while others will offer restoration opportunities.
Snow leopard - Photo Wikimedia Commons / Ismail Shariff

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Dec 23
Regionally diverging results under climate change:
- more overlaps between snow leopards and pastoralism in the future Tajikistan (below)
- less overlaps and increasing spatial separation of wildlife and pastoralists in Kyrgyzstan

tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Tobias Kuemmerle @tkuemmerle.bsky.social · Dec 23
We used species distribution models to analyze the current and future distributions of (a) snow leopards, (b) their prey, and (c) pastoralist - and how they overlap - for two large landscapes in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Spatial overlaps signal interactions and the potential for conflict.