Guilherme Castro

Measuring what works in conservation Conservation has never lacked ideas. Protected areas, payments for ecosystem services, community management, certification schemes, and public campaigns have all been promoted as solutions to biodiver...

Biodiversity loss continues at a pace that leaves little room for ineffective interventions. The task ahead for the sector is not only to conserve nature, but to learn systematically how conservation succeeds.

news.mongabay.com/2026/02/meas...

Beyond the doom loop: the case for informed optimism Conservation has never lacked alarming facts. What it increasingly lacks is attention. After years of grim headlines, many people do not just feel sad. They disengage. They stop reading, stop donating...

Beyond the doom loop: the case for informed optimism

Conservation does not suffer from a lack of passion or intelligence. It suffers from fatigue, fragmentation, and an erosion of trust.

www.butlernature.com/2026/01/16/b...

Amazing days attending #TIBS2026 in Aarhus ❄️

The conference covered a wide range of topics showing how complex and fascinating life on Earth is. A key learning was how important it is to step outside my research environment and being exposed to new ideas and intersectional perspectives.

Split-screen image on a deep green background. Left side contains a statement from Dr David Obura, IPBES Chair, regarding the US withdrawal from IPBES and extinction threats to over 1 million species. Right side shows a photograph of a man wearing glasses, dressed in a dark jacket and grey shirt, seated at a conference table with a microphone. The IPBES logo appears at the bottom with the tagline "Science and Policy for People and Nature". The design features white typography on the dark green background, creating a professional contrast. Several small pins or badges are visible on the speaker's jacket.

“We cannot withdraw from the fact that over 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction.”

IPBES remains committed to its mandate to provide the most credible science and evidence about biodiversity to all decision makers and actors.

— @davidobura.bsky.social , @ipbes.net Chair

Vibrant and insightful few days at the BES Annual Meeting 2025 in Edinburgh. It was great to learn so much about so many different topics within Ecology. I've also had the chance to present part of my PhD research and discuss new ideas and collaborations for next year.
@britishecologicalsociety.org

Last week I had the opportunity to present my PhD research at the Royal Horticultural Society Wisley and share how remote sensing technology can helps us to build more complex landscapes.
@rbgkew.bsky.social @royalholloway.bsky.social @rhulbiology.bsky.social

A minha perspectiva sobre a importância de um papel mais interventivo da floresta pública na gestão das florestas e paisagens em Portugal.

Artigo completo: lnkd.in/dy-YKK-e

Field Diaries: Using remote sensing to help restore landscapes In our ‘Field Diaries’ series, The Applied Ecologist is sharing stories from a range of different fieldwork experiences. In this post Guilherme Castro shares his research on using remote sensing to…

I just finished an exciting full year collecting data for my PhD and I wrote a quick blog post on @jappliedecology.bsky.social about why it matters🌍

@britishecologicalsociety.org
appliedecologistsblog.com/2025/10/07/f...

Meeting a huge ancient tree is always a humbling experience. The Queen Elisabeth Oak in Sussex is one of such trees and a great example of the great historical, cultural, and ecological significance of these big large living beings in the landscapes.

Eucalyptus boom in Brazil’s Cerrado dries up springs, forces out smallholders A eucalyptus boom in Brazil’s biodiverse Cerrado savanna is drying up land and water springs, making subsistence farming more difficult, local authorities and farmers tell Mongabay. Adilso Cruz, a…

A eucalyptus boom in Brazil’s biodiverse Cerrado savanna is drying up land and water springs, making subsistence farming more difficult, local authorities and farmers tell Mongabay.

Very large pollard chestnut trees in Portugal. Not only they provide nuts, wood and honey but also they are a key cultural symbol for local communities and landscapes.

Government ‘failing to support natural regeneration of trees in England’ Campaigners say targets for woodland creation are unlikely to be met because 95% of grants are for planting

REVEALED: only 5% of Forestry Commission grants for woodland creation have been spent on the natural regeneration of trees, while the remaining 95% is spent on tree planting.

The government needs to change the rules.

My FOI request & comment in the Guardian:

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

At University of Cambridge this week for the Student Conference for Conservation Science. Great to present a poster with my PhD plans and learn from fellow ecologists and conservationists around the world 🌱🌍

@nerc-eof.bsky.social @rhulbiology.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social

Ecosia

@nationaltrust.bsky.social @rhulbiology.bsky.social

I've spent the last few months visiting sites in Southern UK collecting remote sensing data on different land management strategies. How stunning landscapes can become when biodiversity & ecosystem restoration is a priority.
@rbgkew.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @kneppwilding.bsky.social

Tree cover homogenization in semi-open ecosystems worldwide and implications for ecosystem stability and conservation Semi-open ecosystems, such as savannas and open woodlands, are biodiversity hotspots due largely to their heterogeneous tree cover (TC), which support…

Tree cover homogenization in semi-open ecosystems worldwide and implications for ecosystem stability and #conservation - see our new study www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #trees #savanna #woodland #remotesensing

Come join us at @rbgkew.bsky.social for a *paid* summer internship. You will be estimating the aboveground biomass 🌳🌳🌳 at the beautiful Wakehurst.

careers.kew.org/vacancy/summ...

Incredible landscape, it seems!

Laser scanning in the woods 🌳

The UK’s international commitments on climate and nature could soon become law – and better protect our environment Our best chance of stabilising our climate and adapting to the changes ahead lies in protecting and actively restoring nature.

Don’t understand the Climate & Nature bill? Don’t think it’s important or needed? @paulbehrens.bsky.social & I wrote this Conversation piece to explain why we should all ask our gouvernements to deliver on their international commitments - and why Friday matters

theconversation.com/the-uks-inte...

Farmers are abandoning land worldwide. What should happen to it? Ecologists differ on whether to steer recovery or let nature take its course

www.science.org/content/arti...

In the transitioning areas between primary sand dunes and coastal woodlands, one can find nice surprises. Twisted pine trees growing close to the ground as a result of harsh winds. They create shelter for other plants (some rare!) & are threatened by invasive species and soon by sea level rise.

Great step to recognise the role of IPLC in these areas and ways forward

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨

📚 The @ipbes.bsky.social #NexusAssessment Summary for Policymakers is now available!

➡️ Explore the most comprehensive assessment ever of the interconnections between biodiversity, water, food, health & climate.

🌏 Options for a just & sustainable future!
www.ipbes.net/node/85582

Landscapes at a crossroads: using remote sensing to help nature recovery PhD student Guilherme Castro is using high-resolution remote sensing technology to investigate how different land management practices can help to restore our landscapes.

A blog post about my PhD journey on how to make use of remote sensing to better understand landscapes and ways to restore them 🌳🌍
@rbgkew.bsky.social @royalholloway.bsky.social

Presentation on ancient oaks and lidar

@kungphil.bsky.social presenting our SCATTER work on ancient oaks at #BES2024. Plenty of admiring looks at these fantastic and important sentinel trees 🧪

Great start to the #BES2024 conference at Liverpool 🌱

The great abandonment: what happens to the natural world when people disappear? The long read: Across the globe, vast swathes of land are being left to be reclaimed by nature. To see what could be coming, look to Bulgaria

Now out: Great article in the Guardian about Gergana's work on land #abandonment in #Bulgaria and beyond!
www.theguardian.com/news/2024/no...

Starter pack for proximal forest sensing scientists!

Goal: a diverse list of scientists using close-range tech in forests for whatever scientific reasons (:

Seeking balance in gender, geography, seniority and application.

Please come forward or share it with your colleagues.

go.bsky.app/SvNVBfb