Catalysing Change

Our Vision

Taking conservation science beyond academia to create impact
Making concepts and recommendations “real”; translating them and making them tangible
Bridging the gulf between thought and practice
Linking to practitioners and across cultures and conservation communities

Our Approach

Thinking about how to make conservation effective in the “real world”

Communicate the importance and complexity of conservation

Expand the reach of the group’s work beyond academic circles

Our Projects

Conservation Optimism

Nature Positive Universities

Saiga Conservation Alliance

Conservation Hierarchy

Fellowship Programmes

Interdisciplinary Conservation Network

Pledge for our Future

Knowledge Exchange

Theme Members

The leader of this theme is Hannah Nicholas, but the entire group are members because it is an overarching theme that links all ICCS work.

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Hannah Nicholas

Coordinator, Conservation and Sustainability Consortium of Academic Institutions (CASCADE)

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E.J. Milner-Gulland

Group leader | Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity. Department of Biology, University of Oxford.

Blogs

3rd March 2026

What do mountain gorillas’ responses to infant death reveal about their social life?

James Munyawera

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5th November 2025

My experience at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science (ICCS), Oxford University

Eva Johnson Ayaro

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29th May 2024

My experience as a Leventis African Biodiversity Fellow

James Munyawera

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7th May 2024

Introducing a New Resource for Community-Based Biodiversity Monitoring

Stephanie Brittain

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3rd April 2024

Conservationists aren’t alone: my experience of the Student Conference on Conservation Science

Nell Miles

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14th July 2023

How can we advance rights-based conservation?

Lucy Radford

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24th April 2023

What it’s like to be a Leventis African Biodiversity Fellow

Roseline Mandisodza

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28th December 2022

Reflections on My Fieldwork Experience in Kasungu, Malawi (Lessons Learnt and Things I Wish I Knew)

Lucy Radford

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22nd August 2022

Reflections from a UNIQ+ Intern

Lucy Radford

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11th November 2021

The Elephant Queen: how impactful can a natural history film really be?

Lucy Radford

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27th October 2021

Working at the crossroads of art and science

Lucy Radford

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1st September 2021

Zooming in and Zooming out: Interdisciplinary Conservation Network 2020-2021

Lucy Radford

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27th August 2021

Interning with ICCS

Lucy Radford

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19th July 2021

Can branding species names help save them?

Lucy Radford

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10th May 2021

Sharing our struggle, sharing hope: mental health during your PhD

Lucy Radford

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2nd April 2021

The backstage: data collector’s experiences of household surveying in the resource dependent community

Lucy Radford

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24th November 2020

The Darkling Thrush

E.J. Milner-Gulland

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19th November 2020

Celebrating women in STEM at New College

E.J. Milner-Gulland

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Publications

Creative outputs and other resources

Positive Communication Toolkit – Conservation Optimism

Good Natured Podcast – Conservation Optimism

Conserving nature – it’s not just about the animals… – Oxford Sparks

Resources – Nature Positive Universities

Peer reviewed

de Lange E, Sharkey W, Castelló y Tickell S, Migné J, Underhill R, Milner-Gulland EJ. Communicating the Biodiversity Crisis: From “Warnings” to Positive Engagement. Tropical Conservation Science. 2022;15. https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.14097

Pienkowski, T., Keane, A., Castelló y Tickell, S., de Lange, E., Hazenbosch, M., Khanyari, M., Arlidge, W. N. S., Baranyi, G., Brittain, S., Kapoor, V., Mohan, V., Papworth, S., Ravi, R., Smit, I. P. J., & Milner-Gulland, E. J. (2023). Supporting conservationists’ mental health through better working conditions. Conservation Biology, 37, e14097. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14097