Biodiversity News

Flooding isn't always destructive – it can be part of our toolkit for restoring ecosystems. Neil Entwistle, Reader in River Science, University of Salford George Heritage, Honorary Research Fellow in Hydromorphology, University of Salford Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A major new research paper reveals which species are most at risk from changing fire regimes around the world. Luke Kelly, Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Centenary Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Annabel Smith, Lecturer in Wildlife Management, The University of Queensland Katherine Giljohann, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Melbourne Michael Clarke, Professor of Zoology, La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If all, or even most, offspring of the survivors are shy, we could be facing an introduced pest population that is incredibly difficult to remove. Kyla Johnstone, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Clare McArthur, Professor, University of Sydney Peter Banks, Professor of Conservation Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Needed: less wild meat in cities, more wildlife experts in public health. Julia E. Fa, Professor of Biodiversity and Human Development, Manchester Metropolitan University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Insects are plentiful and inexpensive. Even when children aren't attending school in person, they can learn from the encounters they have with insects outside. Akito Y. Kawahara, Associate Professor and Curator of Insects, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida Megan Ennes, Assistant Curator of Museum Education, University of Florida Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Among the human rights under threat are the rights to life, health, food, a healthy environment, water, an adequate standard of living and culture. David R Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights & environment and Associate Professor of Law, Policy and Sustainability, University of British Columbia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Green diesel may be intended to reduce emissions but it is not necessarily environmentally and socially sound. Aksel Tømte, Head of Business and Human Rights at Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

To better anticipate and manage the emergence of new pandemics, a paradigm shift is needed to take into account the complex interactions between human health, animal health, the environment and the economy. Eric Muraille, Biologiste, Immunologiste. Maître de recherches au FNRS, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Jacques Godfroid, Professor of Microbiology, University of Tromsø Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In politics, what lifts you up can drag you down. To avoid that, Jacinda Ardern's Labour government will have to examine its political soul. David Hall, Senior Researcher in Politics, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We found that signal crayfish traps tend to catch larger males, letting the bulk of the population go free. Eleri G. Pritchard, PhD Candidate in Freshwater Ecology, UCL Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fruit production of shea is often limited by a lack of pollination which is more pronounced in places with less tree and shrub diversity. Aoife Delaney, Researcher, Trinity College Dublin Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research found nearly half of land-based ecosystems and threatened species in Australia have inadequate protections. Yet most of the budget for national parks will go to infrastructure upgrades. Sean Maxwell, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We must turn pledges into immediate action and restore our ecosystems on a global level. Jake M. Robinson, Ecologist and PhD Researcher, Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Deforestation and extreme blazes threaten the region's biodiversity, risk transforming the rainforest into a semi-arid savannah and expose people to zoonoses that could spur new pandemics. Kerry William Bowman, Adjunct assistant professor, bioethics and environment, University of Toronto Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

What are the visions that reflect the diverse values that nature holds for people? Laura Pereira, Researcher/Lecturer at the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition, Stellenbosch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The world missed all 20 targets for stemming the tide of biodiversity loss. But there has been some progress over the last decade. Tom Oliver, Professor of Applied Ecology, University of Reading Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Some 45 frog species, included some rare and threatened, were recorded calling after the fires. Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Will Cornwell, Associate Professor in Ecology and Evolution, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As the twin crises of climate change and Covid-19 continue to unfold, a traditional crop can help South American communities preserve biodiversity and their heritage. Federico Andreotti, PhD candidate in Agroecology, Université de Montpellier Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our medicine, cosmetics and other everyday products contain compounds taken from nature. But Traditional Owners may not have given permission for the materials or their knowledge to be used. David Jefferson, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Daniel Robinson, Associate Professor, UNSW David Claudie, Invited User, Indigenous knowledge Jocelyn Bosse, PhD candidate in Law, The University of Queensland Margaret Raven, Senior Scientia Lecturer (Research), UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Wildlife populations have plummeted by 68% since 1970. But we have a plan to turn things around. Michael Obersteiner, Director, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford David Leclère, Researcher in Ecosystem Services and Management (ESM) Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Piero Visconti, Research Scholar, Ecosystem Services and Management Programme, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.