Scottish forests protective forts for red squirrels
Twenty natural strongholds would protect red squirrels in Scotland even if grey squirrels were to run rampant across the country, a new study shows......»»
Saltmarshes do store carbon, but their climate impact may have been overestimated
Saltmarshes, or tidal marshes, are able to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it away at a far higher rate than even forests on land. This has lead to them being championed as a nature-based solution to climate change. However, our r.....»»
The value of failure in conservation programs
Conservation programs need—and often incentivize—community involvement. For example, a program in Zanzibar, Tanzania, asked communities to protect their village forests in exchange for access to the carbon credits market. Despite community enthus.....»»
Seaweed forests are an overlooked component of oceanic carbon storage, study finds
A new study by an international team of researchers has revealed seaweed forests are significant contributors to ocean carbon storage......»»
Rise in sea urchins and related damage to kelp forests impacts Oregon"s gray whales and their food, study finds
A recent boom in the purple sea urchin population off the southern Oregon Coast appears to have had an indirect and negative impact on the gray whales that usually forage in the region, a new study shows......»»
Spiny legged 308-million-year-old arachnid discovered in the Mazon Creek locality
More than 300 million years ago, all sorts of arachnids crawled around the Carboniferous coal forests of North America and Europe. These included familiar ones we'd recognize, such as spiders, harvestmen and scorpions—as well as exotic animals that.....»»
How biodiversity-productivity relationships change along elevation in forests
A study published in the journal Forest Ecosystems has revealed that the relationship between biodiversity and forest productivity is not as straightforward as previously thought......»»
Penalties for dropping out of ecosystem services incentive programs should equal lost environmental benefits
Payment for Ecosystem Services programs (PES) are important tools that governments around the world use to improve water quality, protect forests and wildlife habitat, and sequester carbon. Under these programs, landowners—usually farmers—are pai.....»»
Meet the new insect killing Utah"s fir trees: Research models impact of the balsam woolly adelgid
A nonnative tree-killing insect is invading northern Utah, attacking subalpine fir and potentially triggering yet another die-off of the region's long-stressed conifer forests......»»
Nitrogen pollution is less harmful to mixed forests, study shows
In a study published in the journal Plant and Soil, researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have shown that mixed larch and deciduous forests are more resistant to soil acidification—a decrease in soil p.....»»
How rising treelines can affect Alpine lakes
An EPFL scientist along with colleagues from universities across Europe have completed the first-ever quantitative study of the changes that soil organic matter from forests can cause in high-altitude and high-latitude lakes once it's dissolved in th.....»»
Discovery of ancient Glaswegian shrimp fossil reveals new species
A short but robust little shrimp may have died out over 330 million years ago during the Carboniferous period, but the rare Scottish shellfish has been revitalized as a new species to science and as a Glaswegian......»»
Are carbon-capture models effective?
Reforestation efforts to restock depleted forests are important for addressing climate change and for both capturing and restoring carbon from the Earth's atmosphere. These types of solutions to mitigate carbon emissions are critical after 2023 prove.....»»
Contemporary wildfires not more severe than historically in western US dry forests: Study
Wildfires have increased over the last few decades in dry forests, which cover 25.5 million ha (63 million acres) of the western U.S. But are high-severity fires that kill 70% or more of trees already burning at rates that exceed historical (preindus.....»»
Making sure ESA"s cloud and aerosol satellite is aerosol-free
A few weeks ago, a team of engineers carefully extracted ESA's EarthCARE satellite from its protective transport container, initiating a meticulous process of inspection, testing and preparation for its liftoff later this month from the Vandenberg la.....»»
In medieval England, leprosy spread between red squirrels and people, genome evidence shows
Evidence from archaeological sites in the medieval English city of Winchester shows that English red squirrels once served as an important host for Mycobacterium leprae strains that caused leprosy in people, researchers report in the journal Current.....»»
Wildfires in wet African forests have doubled in recent decades, large-scale analysis finds
A new study presents the first large-scale analysis of fire patterns in West and Central Africa's wet, tropical forests. The number of active fires there typically doubled over 18 years, particularly in the Congo Basin. The increases are primarily du.....»»
Natural sun protection for wood floors and furniture
To keep wood from aging prematurely, it's important to protect it effectively against ultraviolet (UV) radiation. At the same time, people want to retain the look and feel of natural wooden surfaces, but the transparent protective coatings that are c.....»»
Opinion: Time for Scotland to follow the rest of the UK and punish violent partners who cause pregnancy loss
On May 2, the Scottish Parliament will debate whether it should be a crime in Scotland to cause the loss of a partner's or former partner's pregnancy through violence or abuse......»»
Study reveals uniqueness of naturally occurring monodominant forests in the Republic of Congo
A recent study published in the journal Plant Ecology and Evolution gives valuable insights into forest stands of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei (G. dewevrei) in the Sangha Trinational region......»»
A rare and little-known group of monkeys could help save Africa"s tropical forests
Conservationists and scientists from almost 20 institutions in the United States, Europe, and Africa, have concluded that immediate conservation efforts to protect red colobus monkey species could have cascading net positive impacts on African tropic.....»»