News
Older and Wiser: How Elder Animals Help Species to Survive
3+ hour, 4+ min ago (476+ words) A bull elephant in Kenya's Amboseli National Park just before his death in January at the age of 54. Ye Qing / VCG via Getty Images A growing body of research is pointing to the critical, but unappreciated, role that older animals…...
Sustainable Wood Schemes Failing to Slow Deforestation
18+ hour, 40+ min ago (232+ words) Schemes that certify wood or paper as sustainable are doing little to stem the loss of forests globally, a study finds. Under these programs, auditors assess forests, applying a stamp of approval to those that meet strict standards for sustainability....
Dozens of New Species Discovered In Deep Waters Off Australia
3+ week, 17+ hour ago (184+ words) A tiny squat lobster found in the Coral Sea. Alison Miller / CSIRO Scientists have identified more than 110 new species deep underwater beyond the edges of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. "During the voyage it was incredible to observe plenty of unique,…...
Indonesian Mega-Farm Drives Surge in Deforestation
3+ week, 1+ day ago (339+ words) Forest destroyed in Papua, Indonesia, in December. Jurnasyanto Sukarno / Greenpeace Indonesia saw the loss of forest hit its highest level in eight years last year, a jump driven in part by a sprawling effort to turn rainforest into rice and…...
Even a Few Scattered Trees on Farmland Can Be a Boon for Wildlife
3+ week, 2+ day ago (211+ words) A patchwork of intact forest and grazing lands in the Brazilian Amazon. Neil Palmer / CIAT New research finds that even a few scattered trees on farmland can give a big boost to forest wildlife. On the edges of the Amazon…...
World's Freshwater Fish in Crisis, U. N. Report Warns
4+ week, 1+ day ago (245+ words) A giant carp, a critically endangered freshwater fish found in Southeast Asia. Zeb Hogan Over the last half century, populations of fish migrating through the world's rivers have dropped by 81 percent, according to a stark new U. N. report." Hundreds of species…...
Can America's Wolves Survive an Onslaught of Political Attacks?
4+ week, 2+ day ago (695+ words) A gray wolf at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide, Colorado. Jason Connolly / AFP Gray wolves made an uneasy comeback in the Northern Rockies and are struggling to return to the Southwest. But legislation now working its way…...
In Mexican Forests, Monarch Butterflies Halt Their Decline
1+ mon, 2+ day ago (516+ words) This article was originally published by Vox and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Monarch butterflies in Mexico. Curt Carnemark / World Bank In the forests of central Mexico, the number of monarch butterflies grew for the…...
Medieval Farms Were a Boon for Biodiversity, Research Finds
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (201+ words) Bavarian State Library Munich In Europe, the diversity of plants was greatest in the years before the Black Death, at a time when small farms and pastures existed alongside grasslands and forests, new research reveals. The findings show how, under…...
Species Slowdown: Is Nature's Ability to Self-Repair Stalling?
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (970+ words) A Eurasian nuthatch. Rudmer Zwerver / Alamy When scientists recently analyzed hundreds of studies of ecosystems, they were surprised to see a marked slowing in the rate of species turnover. If new species don't replace old ones, they say, ecosystems may…...