Fishing for Mammals
An innovative new technique has been developed to survey for animal species. Scientists have used environmental DNA shed by animals in water to provide a snapshot of the local mammal community.
Articles & Blogs - Page 3
Bringing you the latest articles, opinion and analysis in the conservation world
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Improved Assessments of Asiatic Lions
An alternative method for monitoring Asiatic lions using whisker patterns and body markings to identify individual lions has been demonstrated. This could lead to improved population estimates and help inform conservation policy.
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Tracking Turtles
Scientists have used innovative ways to track female loggerhead turtles. The data reveals that return to the same nesting beaches to lay eggs year after year, therefore, these key locations should be a focus for conservation efforts.
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Habitat Conservation Affects Insect Predators
Natural habitats are being converted to agriculture or urban landscapes all too rapidly. A ground-breaking study has shown that it will be small invertebrate predators that will be most affected by this.
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Severe Weather Impacts Wildlife
In 2017, Hurricane Irma offered scientists the chance to study the impact of a severe weather event on white-tailed deer. They discovered that the deer changed their movement rate and their habitat selection, thus are able to alter their behaviour in order to survive.
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Humanity’s Footprint is Squashing Biodiversity
Using the most comprehensive dataset on the ‘human footprint,’ which maps the accumulated impact of human activities on the land’s surface, researchers have documented intense human pressures across the range of a staggering 20,529 terrestrial vertebrate species.
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Platypus on Brink of Extinction
Australia’s devastating drought is having a critical impact on the iconic platypus. With increasing reports of rivers drying up and platypuses becoming stranded, it is feared that local populations are declining rapidly.
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Deforestation Changing Communication
A new study on how animal communication is affected by deforestation shows that male howler monkeys howl for longer in forest interiors and natural forest edges than at man-made forest edges. This is because there are fewer resources at these edges and has implications for conservation.
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Lost Species Rediscovery
A species previously believed to be lost to science has been re-discovered. The silver-backed chevrotain was seen for the first time in 25 years on camera trap footage in Vietnam. Scientists will now study the population to determine its size and the threats to its survival.
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Abrupt Land Change Impacts Local Biodiversity
Biodiversity across the globe could be in a worse state than previously thought as current biodiversity assessments fail to take into account the long-lasting impact of abrupt land changes.