Almost half of Britain’s natural biodiversity has disappeared over the centuries, with farming and urban spread triggered by the industrial and agricultural revolutions being blamed as major factors for this loss. That is the shock finding of a study by scientists at London’s Natural History Museum, which has revealed that the UK is one of […]
Tag: biodiversity
Record number of bear cubs born in French Pyrenees brings cheer and fear
French animal rights groups are celebrating news that populations of brown bears – which had been threatened with extinction – have seen a strong revival in the Pyrenees mountains. Livestock owners, however, warn bears attacks on their flocks are out of control. Bear numbers rose to from 52 to 64 last year, including 16 cubs […]
Petition: Protect Swedish Lynx From Hunts Starting in March
Although the population of the Eurasian lynx is quite stable right now, they are still on the IUCN red list. They mate during late winter, so late February through March and as protected animals, they should not be disturbed during their mating period. Yet, in Sweden, the government allows licensed hunts of the lynx in […]
Scottish wildlife at risk after £100m funding cut, say charities
Public funding for environment bodies in Scotland has plummeted by 40% in a decade, placing already declining wildlife at risk, according to analysis of government budgets. Scottish Environment Link, a coalition of more than 35 wildlife, environment and countryside charities, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, WWF and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, […]
Why you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions
The scientific imprimatur fell on us just six months ago: Yes, the extinction crisis we are witnessing is only the beginning of a wave of mass ecocide of non-human life on Earth, a process that could wipe out a million species of plants and animals from our planet in the short term (read: decades). About […]
Why does Wildlife Matter in the Fight Against Climate Change
Wildlife is concerned with the protection of species, the preservation of their habitats and the rewilding of natural spaces. It encompasses but does not limit to the animal world. All living things fall under the wildlife theme. Yes. Even sea cucumbers. What is the inherent importance of wildlife at the scale of our planet? Well, it’s […]
‘The most intellectual creature to ever walk Earth is destroying its only home’
During my years studying chimpanzees in Gombe national park in Tanzania I experienced the magic of the rainforest. I learned how all life is interconnected, how each species, no matter how insignificant it may seem, has a role to play in the rich tapestry of life – known today as biodiversity. Even the loss of […]
Humanity has wiped out 60% of animal populations since 1970, report finds
Humanity has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970, leading the world’s foremost experts to warn that the annihilation of wildlife is now an emergency that threatens civilisation. The new estimate of the massacre of wildlife is made in a major report produced by WWF and involving 59 scientists from across […]