Wild swimmers are safer in lakes, rivers, and ponds inhabited by beavers, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Stirling in Scotland have uncovered that beaver dams drastically improve the water quality of British eco-systems. Their work, detailed in the Science of the Total Environment journal, monitored how rodent populations affect pollution […]
Tag: pesticides
UK bumblebee numbers fell to lowest on record in 2024, shows data
Figures show 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees in the UK since records began. Bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter compared with the 2010-2023 average, according to data from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The researchers said the drop was probably due to the cold and wet conditions in the UK last spring. According […]
Songbirds being killed by pesticides found in pet fur flea treatments
Songbird chicks are being killed by high levels of pesticides in the pet fur used by their parents to line their nests, a study has found. Researchers surveying nests for the harmful chemical found in pet flea treatments found that it was present in every single nest. The scientists from the University of Sussex are […]
In the most untouched, pristine parts of the Amazon, birds are dying. Scientists may finally know why
Something was happening to the birds at Tiputini. The biodiversity research centre, buried deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, has always been special. It is astonishingly remote: a tiny scattering of research cabins in 1.7m hectares (4.2m acres) of virgin forest. For scientists, it comes about as close as you can to observing rainforest wildlife in […]
Warming threatens flies more than bees, raising pollination concerns
Life can’t function without insects. At least, not for long. They pollinate, break down waste, cycle nutrients, and touch every node in the web of life, filling endless niches across the planet. As global temperatures continue to rise, some of Earth’s most important but overlooked pollinators, the flies, may be at greater risk than previously […]
UK to ban bee-killing pesticides but highly toxic type could still be allowed
Bee-killing pesticides are to be banned by the UK government, as ministers set out plans to outlaw the use of neonicotinoids. However, the highly toxic neonicotinoid Cruiser SB could be allowed for use next year, as ministers are considering applications from the National Farmers’ Union and British Sugar. This powerful pesticide poisons bees by destroying […]
Hedgehogs ‘near threatened’ on red list after 30% decline over past decade
Hedgehogs are now listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list after a decline in numbers of at least 30% over the past decade across much of their range. While hedgehogs were once common across Europe, and were until now listed as of “least concern” on the red list, […]
Climate change and agrochemicals pose lethal combo for Amazonian fish
Among the labs of Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research, or INPA, is what’s known as the “room of the future.” Here, an extreme climate change scenario is being simulated according to projections by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The temperature is around 5° Celsius (9° Fahrenheit) hotter than the average […]