r/ecology

Screenshot of screenshots from the Ecoseek Google Play Store listing

Birders have life lists. Alpinists track peaks. I wanted something similar for ecological patterns across landscapes, so I built Ecoseek.

Ecoseek is an Android app centered on EPA Level IV ecoregions—smaller ecological units that often capture meaningful variation in geology, vegetation, hydrology, land use, and climate better than broad state or biome labels. The idea is simple: instead of just logging that you “went hiking,” you log which ecoregion you were actually in.

A few things it does:

• lets you explore ecoregion boundaries on a map

• shows descriptions for individual ecoregions

• helps surface protected areas to visit

• lets you log field outings with notes/photos

• tracks which ecoregions you’ve already explored in a given state

• pulls in discovery content using recent iNaturalist observation patterns

What I like most about the concept is that it nudges outdoor recreation toward ecological literacy. Two places can look superficially similar but function very differently ecologically, and ecoregions are a useful framework for noticing that.

It’s also built to work offline and keeps data local to the device, which felt important for field use.

If you’re into biogeography, landscape ecology, field naturalism, or just want a more ecology-focused way to explore, I’d genuinely love feedback from this community.

Find out more at: https://www.ecoseek.app

Download: Google Play Store

A new contribution to ecological urbanism just came out.

L’Urbanisme d’Anticipation et de Dissociation Environnementale by Djamel Hamadou (with a foreword by Dominique Gauzin-Müller) proposes a framework based on integrating climate projections (2050 horizon) directly into urban planning.

The idea is quite interesting: instead of adapting cities reactively, it argues for an “anticipatory urbanism”, combined with a form of environmental dissociation—rethinking the relationship between built environments and non-human ecosystems.

Some key aspects discussed:

preserving soil as a common good

adapting cities to heatwaves and floods

using bioclimatic design and bio-based materials

integrating ecological programming early in planning

The approach is grounded in real cases (e.g. Seine-Saint-Denis in France) and tries to show that local policies can lead to more resilient and desirable urban models.

The ebook is currently in French, but it can be translated into English using standard ebook translation tools if needed.

Curious to hear what people here think about this kind of framework—especially compared to more mainstream sustainability approaches.

Link:

https://www.fnac.com/a22832634/Djamel-Hamadou-L-Urbanisme-d-Anticipation-et-de-Dissociation-Environnementale

Hi everyone! I’m planning to go into wildlife biology and conservation, with hopes of becoming a wildlife biologist, ecologist, conservation planner, or something along those lines—I genuinely find all of it fascinating.

My fiancé is a welder and absolutely loves what he does, and thankfully he makes a great income. We’re not planning to have kids super soon, but it’s something we talk about and look forward to a lot. Lately, though, I’ve been feeling a bit torn between pursuing what I know could be an exciting and fulfilling career in this field and also becoming a mother who can spend meaningful time at home with her children—especially in those early years. I’m not a fan of how the U.S. tends to structure motherhood and career in a way that makes it feel like you have to choose or struggle to balance both.

I’d really love to hear from anyone who is a mother in this field—or has a partner in it—about what that experience has been like. How realistic is it to balance both, and what does that look like day-to-day?

I’m also planning to earn my GIS certificate soon and was thinking of using that as a more flexible or remote work option while staying home with young kids. At the same time, I’d hope to stay involved through volunteering or seasonal fieldwork to stay in the loop and not have long breaks on my resume. Does that seem like a realistic plan? Has anyone taken a similar path?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insight!

Currently, I work at a pathology (SIV/HIV) lab and I promised them 2-3 years (I just graduated with my undergrad in bio and was desperate for a research job with funding).

However, I am realizing that conservation ecology, specifically microbial ecology is the field I would like to work in, not public health. I also just got my duel citizenship EU/USA and want to go to grad school for my master's in europe.

Does anyone have advice for how I can continue to gain ecology experience while working full time as a lab tech? Specifically any ideas for volunteer work. If it helps I live in Pittsburgh. If anyone else has been in a similar experience how did you go about switching fields while locked in a field you didn't want to be in.

Side note if anyone has advice for gradschool/research in europe (specifically italy) that would be helpful too.

This way, there’ll be MAGNITUDES less anthropogenic global warming, climate change, and pollution. Also no risk to bee extinction