Widespread drying of European peatlands in recent centuries
A team of researchers have examined 31 peatlands across Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and continental Europe to assess changes in peatland surface wetness during the last 2,000 years
Brown Trout genome sequencing a game-changer for wildlife conservation during climate change
The genome sequencing of the wild Brown Trout – a significant milestone in conservation biology – has been completed by an international team...
£3m grant to assist solving “long-standing biological enigma” of magnetoreception
A team of researchers from the UK has been awarded £3 million by Wellcome to attempt to understand how animals are able to detect...
Even “safe levels” of PCBs harm porpoises, say researchers
Manmade chemicals at levels below the toxic threshold for marine animals are now linked to a rise in the number of porpoises killed by...
Study measures link between chemicals and declining insect populations
Measuring exposure to over 1,000 different agrochemicals, researchers reported significant changes in behaviour and long-term survival of different insect populations in a new study...
Technology aims to boost environmental biosecurity in Great Barrier Reef
Reef rehabilitation trials began at two reef sites in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsunday Islands in January. The Great Barrier Reef has...
£1 million awarded to UK’s first zoological biobank
UK scientists will have improved access to DNA from endangered species, thanks to the development of the UK’s first national zoological biobank.
The CryoArks Biobank,...
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...
Forest grazing counteracts the effectiveness of trees to reduce flood risk
Planting trees can reduce flood risk, but a high intensity forest land use, such as grazing, can counteract the positive effect of the trees,...
Island bats are valuable allies for farmers
The 17th April is international bat appreciation day and a new study has highlighted how these secretive mammals can be valuable allies for farmers,...
Schools map habitats to boost biodiversity
The first annual report from the National Education Nature Park has been published, showing that more than 1 in 8 schools and colleges across...
New report calls for ambitious pesticide reduction target
Nation of insect champions needed to reverse insect decline
On 8 July The Wildlife Trusts published a new report ‘Reversing the Decline of Insects’ which...
Is the Amazon forest approaching a tipping point?
Global warming may be interacting with regional rainfall and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon, pushing it towards partial or total collapse.
Research...
Quest for sustainable alternative to peat gets £320,000 boost
Innovative trial will use household food and green waste
Replacing the estimated 1.7 million cubic meters* of peat used in horticulture with sustainable alternatives is...
Biospherian will share water stories from ‘Spaceship Earth’
Through a radical two-year experiment living inside a mini-Earth, ecologist Dr Mark Nelson developed a deep understanding of humans’ connection with the planetary biosphere...
Milestone for fight to restore oyster habitats across Europe
Landmark publication is the largest compendium of research on Oyster Reef Restoration
Extensive knowledge on how to restore native European oyster habitats will be published...
MPA fisheries decision signals new era for Scottish seas
On 21 December environmental organisations welcomed an announcement from the Scottish Government on managing fishing within Scotland’s network of marine protected areas (MPAs). The...
Rising sea temperatures and coral loss: “Most detailed scientific picture to date”
The “Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020” report, released on 5 October, documents the loss of approximately 14 per cent of the...
Lack of evidence hampers progress on corporate-led ecosystem restoration
A ‘near total’ lack of transparency is making it impossible to assess the quality of corporate-led ecosystem restoration projects, according to a Lancaster University-led...
New EU nutrient directive essential to halt ecosystem breakdown
The ongoing nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands and Flanders illustrates how ineffective management of nutrients can lead to both serious ecological damage and political...
