Nestled in a valley between two volcanoes, Donald Varela-Soto heard something unfamiliar. For six months, he searched for the source of a shrill frog call along the edge of a wetland in Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, a former cattle ranch in northern Costa Rica. “I kept hearing this different sound in the wetland but was […]
Tag: pesticide
Get to Know the Good and Bad Garden Reptiles (and How to Humanely Handle Them)
For some sad reason, many people shiver at the thought of reptiles. Some have fear of snakes, tagging all of them as dangerous. Others’ minds go to prehistoric assassins like crocodiles and alligators. My mom is screaming, stand-on-something afraid of lizards, regardless of how small they are. Then, there are gardeners, and reptiles are more […]
Ants can be better than pesticides for growing healthy crops, study finds
Ants can be more effective than pesticides at helping farmers produce food, according to new research. They are better at killing pests, reducing plant damage and increasing crop yields, according to the first systematic review of ants’ contributions to crop production. Ants are generalist predators and hunt pests that damage fruits, seeds and leaves, leading […]
‘Generally ignored’ species face twice the extinction threat, warns study
Plants and animals that do not have enough data to be properly assessed appear to be at twice the risk of extinction as those that have been evaluated, meaning more species may face being wiped off the planet than previously thought, a study has warned. Researchers looked at the extinction risk of species assessed on […]
Earth: Muted review – bees go missing in China despatch from the eco-apocalypse file
This Swedish-produced documentary about China’s Hanyuan valley is nominally another dispatch from the eco-apocalypse file, so the final harmonious impression it leaves behind suggests it hasn’t done its job properly. Located in Sichuan province, the valley is a place where bees are on the verge of extinction, the consequences of which we see in the […]
Is invasive species management doing more harm than good? (commentary)
Where I live in the Rocky Mountains, summer is marked by the arrival of the Rocky mountain iris, a favorite for bumble bees and other pollinators, which also make their debut in the brief summer months here. By keeping the land wild and natural, free from threats, retained by nature, I protect and nurture these […]
Study assesses wildlife exposure to rat poison on oil palm plantations
Rodents gnawing on oil palm crops can be a costly business. One study estimated that they can reduce yields by as much as 10%. Among the means used to tackle rat infestations: deploying barn owls and domestic cats, or putting out bait laced with rat poison. A recent review, published in the journal Ecotoxicology, has […]
Glyphosate Found in More than 80% of U.S. Urine Samples
More than 80 percent of U.S. children and adults likely have glyphosate in their urine. That’s the “disturbing” result of a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which found the chemical in 1,885 of 2,310 urine samples of U.S. residents six and older. […]