Our planet’s wildlife is in danger. Each year, hundreds of species go extinct. But those are just the species we know about. Scientists don’t know exactly how dire the situation is for all life on Earth. Most countries lack national monitoring systems, making it difficult to reach a comprehensive figure. So, it’s difficult to count […]
Tag: agriculture
USDA Dropping Fish-Flavored Vaccines From the Sky to Stop Spread of Rabies in Raccoons
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun its annual oral rabies vaccination distribution project to help prevent the spread of rabies in raccoons. However, this year they’re doing things a little differently. The project will focus on the spread of rabies in raccoons in the eastern United States, according to the USDA. This year, the […]
POLL: Should the Government’s senseless slaughtering of badgers be allowed to continue?
Poor old badgers. Not since the hunting ban has a wild animal evoked such fierce passions, both in farmers convinced they spread TB to cattle and wildlife lovers implacably opposed to a government-backed cull which will mean the deaths of more than 42,000 badgers this year. Only now it seems we may have been barking […]
POLL: Would you eat insects to save the planet from global warming?
The thought of rising sea levels and more intense heatwaves are enough to keep you up at night. But while we all know the situation is getting more serious, most of us are preoccupied with work, doctor’s appointments and paying bills – and these immediate, visceral worries win every time. There isn’t much time left […]
Conserving the long-neglected freshwater fish of Borneo
Borneo is a vast tropical island known for orangutans, rhinos, elephants, sun bears, proboscis monkeys, hornbills, and ubiquitous leeches. Conservationists have championed all of these species (aside from the leeches) in one way or another, but like many tropical regions Borneo’s freshwater species have long been neglected, despite their rich biodiversity and importance to local […]
U.S. loses nearly a third of its honey bees this season
Nearly a third of managed honeybee colonies in America died out or disappeared over the winter, an annual survey found on Wednesday. The decline—which was far worse than the winter before—threatens the survival of some bee colonies. The heavy losses of pollinators also threatens the country’s food supply, researchers said. The US Department of Agriculture […]
Europe bans pesticides linked to bee collapse
The EU has banned three neonicotinoid pesticides (imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam) linked to the decline of bees for two years. The ban will apply to all flowering crops, such as corn, rape seed, and sunflowers. The move follows a flood of recent studies, some high-profile, that have linked neonicotinoid pesticides, which employ nicotine-like chemicals, to […]
Domesticated bees do not replace declining wild insects as agricultural pollinators
Sprinkled with pollen, buzzing bees fly from one blossom to another, collecting sweet nectar from brilliantly colored flowers. Bees tend to symbolize the pollination process, but there are many wild insects that carry out the same function. Unfortunately, wild insect populations are in decline, and, according to a recent study, adding more honey bees may […]