Environment

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.

The creation of corridors between restored patches of declining longleaf pine habitats in South Carolina has resulted in an increase in number of plant species within the fragments and a drop in number of species disappearing from them.

An international team of researchers has documented the decline of insects in Germany, in many areas it is by one third. The decline is mainly in grasslands near to farmland, but is also in forests and protected areas.

Entire ecosystems are shifting north in the Great Plains of North America, according to analysis of 50 years worth of data on bird distributions. These findings could aid the development of an early-warning system for land managers.

Entomologists are calling for greater research and science-based community actions to save insects. They say specific legislation is required to preserve the incredible diversity of insects, as well as addressing the huge gaps in our knowledge.

The impacts of climate change in the Antarctic will include temperature rise, sea-ice reduction and changes in food availability. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey used risk assessments like those used in the workplace to determine which species will benefit and which are at risk.

The damming of the Yangtze River has been shown to have caused declines in population size and spawning ground capacity of the critically endangered Chinese sturgeon.

Oil palm production in Malaysia has an impact beyond the direct loss of habitat,a new study has shown. It also provides a rich food source for crop-raiding wild boars, which then multiply in big numbers and damage forest trees, preventing regeneration.

Human activity has resulted in an increase of wildfires in Borneo, which may cause long-term health problems for endangered orangutans due to smoke inhalation.