Nepal’s community forestry program has been hailed as a success for helping increase the country’s forest cover from 26% to 45% in 25 years. As part of the program, pioneered in the 1970s, communities manage their forests for their own use and benefits based on an operational plan approved by the divisional forest officer, a […]
Tag: biodiversity crisis
Humans Have ‘Devastated’ 1,400 Bird Species—And Counting
Humans may be responsible for the extinction of nearly 1,500 species of birds, the majority of which have been wiped out since the end of the last ice age. Nearly all these extinctions are thought to have occurred due to a number of human-driven factors, ranging from hunting and eating the birds to habitat destruction […]
Taking the global pulse of biodiversity monitoring: Q&A with Andrew Gonzalez
Conservation technology has witnessed an unprecedented boom in recent years. Drones are soaring higher than ever before. DNA sampled from soil, air and water are revolutionizing biodiversity surveys. Artificial intelligence is making it easier to analyze gargantuan amounts of data. However, despite the dizzying pace of advances in technology, scientists, researchers and tech enthusiasts continue […]
Bankrolling biodiversity: How are private philanthropists investing in nature?
The largest-ever private philanthropic campaign for biodiversity conservation is on track to reach its target by 2030, but a lack of detail over exactly how some of the funds are being spent has raised concerns over transparency and accountability. A Mongabay analysis has found that about a quarter of the $5 billion pledged through the […]
‘Time Has Run Out’ — UN Fails to Reach Agreement to Protect Marine Life
The fifth round of United Nations talks that began in New York on August 15 and were aimed at securing a UN Ocean Treaty to protect marine life in the international waters of the High Seas has ended in another stalemate, reported The Guardian. The treaty would have established regulations for the protection of biodiversity […]
Global Biodiversity Crisis Is Worse Than We Thought, New Survey Finds
A new survey of 3,331 scientists studying biodiversity across 187 countries has revealed that more species are threatened with extinction than previously thought. As many as 50% of species have been threatened with extinction or driven to extinction since 1500, according to survey results. The survey, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the […]
Endangered Tasmanian devils insured against future threats
The largest ever analysis of Tasmanian devil genetics has found protected populations are as robust as wild ones, raising hopes for the endangered species’ survival. Last year a number of threatened species recovery plans were removed by the former government; now new research shows “insurance populations”—isolated from threats to prevent extinctions—could help preserve many animals. […]
Airborne DNA can now be used to detect rare and endangered species
The discovery of environmental DNA has altered the way environmentalists monitor biodiversity. Scientists can examine entire ecosystems or find unusual animals that are too elusive to trace using traditional methods by sequencing the genetic material contained in water and soil samples. Environmental DNA, or eDNA, has been utilized by teams to catalog everything from viruses […]