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Australia is renowned for its native flora and fauna, but did you know the continent is also home to about 3,000 “alien” species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes? Alien species are those brought by humans to areas they do not naturally occur in. These intruders are Australia’s leading cause of biodiversity loss and species extinction. They also cost the Australian economy some A$24.5 billion a year. Invasive alien species become much harder and more expensive to manage as they establish and spread through the landscape. So preventing their arrival is vital. But which species will arrive next? Our study published today helps id...... Read Full article on HadNews

Global biodiversity is declining, and human activities are mainly to blame. Indeed, 96 per cent of the world’s total remaining mammalian biomass — the combined weight, or mass, of mammal organic life — consists of either humans or our domesticated animals. Every day across the world, conservation organizations, community members, conservation scientists and law enforcement authorities work tirelessly to counter this biodiversity decline. These actions can take the form of community-based patrols or enforcing regulations, such as in the case of preventing illegal harvest or patrolling efforts to deter or arrest poachers. At the more ...... Read Full article on HadNews

By the time you have finished reading this article, at least one species on our planet will be lost forever. Humans rely on a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms for healthy living environments. Research has shown that the continuing decline in biodiversity – the variety of life on Earth – is a threat to humanity’s existence. A study my colleagues and I conducted takes this knowledge further. We have shown that biodiversity can also play a critical role for people’s mental wellbeing. Previous studies have demonstrated that contact with nature benefits mental wellbeing, especially for those who live in cities. For exampl...... Read Full article on HadNews

I am a conservation biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases. When people ask me what I think the next pandemic will be I often say that we are in the midst of one – it’s just afflicting a great many species more than ours. I am referring to the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1), otherwise known as bird flu, which has killed millions of birds and unknown numbers of mammals, particularly during the past three years. This is the strain that emerged in domestic geese in China in 1997 and quickly jumped to humans in south-east Asia with a mortality rate of around 40-50%. My research group encountered ...... Read Full article on HadNews

As I walk around the supermarket, I pick up vegetables for tomorrow’s dinner, eggs and bread for tonight and some sweet treats for the week. By choosing a range of different food types, I’ll eat a wide variety of nutrients. But what if bread was the only option available? And another shop just sold a different type of loaf? Or only oranges? This may sound far-fetched, but for bees – insects that depend on pollen and nectar for their nutrition – that’s the equivalent of feeding from a large field of just one type of plant. Some bees feed on a wide range of plants. Others, including some of the UK’s 200 wild solitary bee species are spec...... Read Full article on HadNews

England’s new environmental policy, biodiversity net gain, went live on February 12. Most new developments – everything from a few houses to large solar farms or new roads and railways – will now have to provide a 10% net gain in biodiversity, maintained for at least 30 years. The idea is that, instead of driving a loss of habitats for wildlife, developments will now contribute to a recovery. The new policy will be rolled out to small sites in April 2024 and nationally significant infrastructure projects in 2025. Scotland and Wales are considering adopting similar policies. It’s an exciting moment – we are academics who assess polici...... Read Full article on HadNews

In 1875, trillions of Rocky Mountain locusts gathered and began migrating across the western United States in search of food. The enormous swarm covered an area larger than California. Three decades later, these grasshoppers were extinct. This fate is all too common for migratory species. Their journeys can make them especially vulnerable to hunting or fishing. They may move between countries, meaning protecting the species in one jurisdiction isn’t enough. And it’s hard for us to even know if they’re in trouble. Today, we get a global glimpse of how migratory species are faring, in the first-ever stocktake produced by the United Nat...... Read Full article on HadNews

Amsterdammers are proud of their city. But it turns out that people who have moved there from other parts of the world are just as concerned about keeping the place green and pleasant. We surveyed Amsterdam residents and found, among other things, that recent migrants were just as likely to recycle as those born and raised in the city. Similarly, research has shown that internal and international migrants living in Accra, Ghana were more likely to take part in activities that enriched the local environment, like creating community gardens to grow food, than people who were born there. Can the movement of people (including those displa...... Read Full article on HadNews