Made up of almost 20,000 distinct species, the global bee population plays a huge role in supporting the reproduction of most flowering plants and crops. They are vital to our planet and those who live in on it. Sadly, their populations have been declining at astonishing rates. Researchers estimate that as many as 25% of […]
Tag: habitat loss
To keep tabs on ecosystem health in Borneo, follow these birds: Study
JAKARTA — To improve ecosystem management in Borneo, look at the population trends of key bird species on the island, researchers say. The scientists from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Indonesia’s Tanjungpura University have found that six Bornean bird species are strong indicators of intact forests — mixed dipterocarp and heath — […]
Researchers take up the cause of the mysterious and maligned Chaco eagle
Fénix, a female Chaco eagle, lived at San Rafael Zoo in Mendoza province, Argentina, until the zoo shut down in 2016. She was later transferred to the Buenos Aires Ecopark, an old zoo that had been converted into a research center, hospital and shelter for animals without a destination. There, she began a difficult training […]
Increased Poaching of Critically Endangered Orangutans During Pandemic
“Critically endangered orangutans, tigers, elephants and subsistence farmers, are now all struggling to survive in remnant forests,” said Leif Cocks, founder of The Orangutan Project, in an emailed statement. “Over 80% of native forest in Sumatra and Borneo have been cleared for large plantations. When you add in a global pandemic which has plunged more […]
A cruel end for a gentle giant: Critically endangered Sumatran elephant dies in agony after its leg was caught in a trap in Indonesia
The body of a critically endangered elephant killed by a hunting trap was found in Indonesia on Friday, local officials said. Shocking images of the Sumatran elephant show the animal’s decomposing body lying on its side, with a cut on its leg from where it was caught by the trap. The male elephant, who is […]
Butterfly numbers plummeting in US west as climate crisis takes toll
The varied, and beautiful, butterfly species that dot the US west are being cut down by the climate crisis, new research has found, with rising temperatures helping cause a steep decline in butterfly numbers over the past 40 years. There has been a 1.6% reduction in the total number of butterflies observed west of the […]
Pet trade relies on ‘disposable’ wild chameleons from Madagascar
DIANA REGION, Madagascar — With the sun still low in the sky, my taxi boat pulled up to a floating wooden pontoon in the bustling port of Ankify in northwestern Madagascar. As one of the few foreigners, or vazaha, in the port that morning, I was instantly surrounded by local taxi drivers eager to take […]
500 years of species loss: Humans drive defaunation across Neotropics
A new study provides an in-depth look at the detrimental impacts of human activities on wildlife in the Neotropical region of the Americas over the past 500 years. The study, published Sept. 15 in Nature Scientific Reports, found that more than 56% of species in mammal assemblages, or groups of coexisting species, living in the […]