EU project results in new guide to promote biodiversity in agriculture
A new handbook aims to increase biodiversity in agriculture, by promoting innovative approaches to contract arrangements for government-funded payments to farmers.
The handbook is the...
Seabirds reveal global mercury distribution in oceans
Mercury released into the oceans affects marine environments worldwide. Traditionally, its distribution and quantity have been estimated using marine biogeochemical simulation models.
A recent international...
£150,000 boost for Thames Estuary habitats
Improved habitat for birds, bees and other wildlife is to be created along the River Thames in Kent and Essex in a new partnership...
Ozone depletion driving climate change in Southern Hemisphere
Hole in ozone layer above Antarctica affects climate from tropics to the pole
Ozone depletion in the stratosphere continues to affect not only ultraviolet (UV)...
High street brands pledge to phase out microbeads
A large number of UK retailers have pledged to phase out plastic microbeads from own-brand cosmetic and beauty products, conservation charity Fauna & Flora...
Comment: We reconstructed Britain of millions of years ago to see what climate breakdown...
Dr Matthew Pound, Associate Professor in Physical Geography, and Dr Martha Gibson, Research Fellow in Paleoclimatology at Northumbria University, explore how the climate crisis...
York launches strategy to protect pollinators
City of York Council says it is taking action to make York more pollinator friendly.
There are over 4,000 species of insects in the UK...
Plan launched for UK-wide “insect superhighways”
Invertebrate conservation group Buglife has launched a plan to help reverse the decline in bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. Unusually, this seems to...
‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’
Despite fears over ‘insectageddon’, there is a lack of data about virtually all insect species globally, according to a study led by the UK...
River conservation is ‘blind’ without high-resolution monitoring
Scientists from the University of Portsmouth have been investigating nutrient concentrations in the Upper River Itchen, in Hampshire, UK, on behalf of Salmon &...
New solution for capturing microplastics before they enter waterways
A thousand litres of seawater can contain up to 8.3 million particles of microplastics. Udentifying these very small particles has been difficult – usually...
What happens to biodegradable plastics if they enter the sea? New study
Plymouth Marine Laboratory writes
Our new study investigates what happens when biodegradable plastics enter the ocean, and whether these increasingly popular alternatives to conventional plastics...
New method to evaluate ecological impact of offshore activities
A recently published study from the University of Aberdeen presents a new approach to evaluating the ecological impacts of offshore activities.
By integrating a dynamic...
New evidence shows noise pollution is hampering birds communicating with each other
Noise pollution is making it difficult for birds to communicate with each other and it could lead to a severe decline in numbers, new...
Numbers of ticks in urban greenspaces influenced by surrounding rural woodland
Cities and towns surrounded by large areas of woodland are more likely to have ticks in their urban greenspaces, according to a new study.
The...
How will climate change affect microplastics already in the environment?
Understanding why climate change might contribute to increasing plastic pollution is the focus of a new research project starting this month at the University...
Fluorescent approach aims to combat honey fraud
A new technology based on fluorescence is being developed to detect if honey has been blended with cheaper additions such as sugar syrup.
The brainchild...
Water companies playing leading role in the battle against invasive species, says industry group
Zebra mussels are amongst the non-native species which pose a threat to local ecologies and with which the water industry is doing battle.
Industry investing...
Negotiations open in world’s first legally-binding treaty to protect the high seas
Treaty negotiations to conserve and protect nearly two thirds of the ocean opened on 4 September at the United Nations (UN) in what is...
Molecular sensor enables water bear hardiness by triggering dormancy
Free radicals sensor triggers tardigrades to enter dehydrated tun state to withstand extreme stress
Tardigrades – hardy, microscopic animals commonly known as “water bears” –...
