World Conservation Issues - Page 6

  • 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.

    By Alex Taylor on 13th January 2020
  • 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.

    By Alex Taylor on 10th January 2020
  • Conservation: Social as well as Scientific

    A study of local attitudes towards snow leopard conservation in Nepal has revealed that local people value the cat for the personal benefits they get from it, as well as its intrinsic value.

    By Alex Taylor on 9th January 2020
  • Invasive Species Interplay

    Researchers in California have discovered an interplay between 3 species – due to invasive mice on the Farallon Islands are causing migrating burrowing owls to remain on the islands to eat them. But when the mice population crashes, they switch to preying upon the endangered ashy storm-petrel.

    By Alex Taylor on 6th January 2020
  • Rare and Vulnerable Plants

    The largest botanical dataset ever has been created by scientists, who discovered that nearly 40% of land plant species are classified as ‘exceedingly rare’. And these species are found in areas that will be impacted by climate change.

    By Alex Taylor on 31st December 2019
  • Lights on Fishing Nets Saves Lives

    Placing LED lights along the top of floating gillnets (fishing nets that have notoriously high levels of bycatch) reduces the chances of dolphins and turtles being caught accidentally. And, they do not reduce the catch for fishermen.

    By Alex Taylor on 20th December 2019
  • Grandma Knows Best

    New research shows that the greatest boost to the survival of killer whale calves is their grandmothers who are no longer breeding, because they are free to focus their time and resources on them. As salmon populations decline, the grandmothers will play an increasingly important role in killer whale population.

    By Alex Taylor on 20th December 2019
  • Koloa Conservation Succeeds

    The koloa, the only endemic duck remaining on the main Hawaiian Islands, is threatened by inbreeding with feral mallards. But a new study has found that its genetic diversity is high and conservation efforts have been successful.

    By Alex Taylor on 13th December 2019
  • Connecting Corridors

    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.

    By Alex Taylor on 1st November 2019
  • Genetics Guide Conservation

    DNA samples from museum specimens have again proved useful in discovering what conservation actions can help endangered species. For the critically endangered regent honeyeater, the answer is to protect its Australian habitat.

    By Alex Taylor on 1st November 2019