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: pollution
Could a million freshwater turtles help clean up some of Australia’s polluted rivers? A team of scientists believes, they could!
For well over a century, freshwater fish from Europe – the carp (originally from China), have been released, either deliberately or accidentally from fish farms, into Australian waterways. The fish, now widely regarded as pests, are thriving. Their habitat includes rivers flowing through the Murray-Darling Basin of New South Wales. Those vast waterways support, through […]
Amazon river dolphin risks extinction if Brazil moratorium not renewed
TEFÉ, Amazonas state, Brazil — A pair of pink Amazon river dolphins emerges for just a moment, arcing above the chocolate brown waters inside the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, a research facility at the tropical heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Powerful jets of water spray out of their blowholes as these freshwater mammals take […]
Silence is golden for whales as lockdown reduces ocean noise
In cities, human lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic have offered some respite to the natural world, with clear skies and the return of wildlife to waterways. Now evidence of a drop in underwater noise pollution has led experts to predict the crisis may also be good news for whales and other sea mammals. Researchers examining […]
‘Intense’ human pressure is widespread among terrestrial vertebrates, study finds
A new study assessing the cumulative impacts of human activities on wildlife found that the vast majority of terrestrial species are facing “intense” pressure due to humanity’s footprint across the globe. A research team led by Christropher O’Bryan of Australia’s University of Queensland looked at human pressures across the ranges of 20,529 terrestrial vertebrates and […]
Why I support the California Tropical Forest Standard (commentary)
The Amazon is a rich, beautiful, and magical place. I’ve visited this vast region on several occasions to learn about the indigenous communities who live there and protect it, and to raise awareness of their struggle, as part of the organization I co-founded, REVERB. The indigenous leaders I met told me how deeply they depend […]
Beloved Dugong Died After Ingesting Plastic
In April, biologists found an orphaned dugong in Southern Thailand and named her Marium. They promptly fell in love with the beautiful sea mammal as did many around the world. She was just five months old when she became an internet sensation after biologists posted photos and videos of the affectionate dugong. Marium was very […]
Mother Sperm Whale And Baby Die After Getting Tangled In Fishing Net
A mother sperm whale and her baby have been found dead after getting tangled in a fishing net, environmentalist group Marevivo has reported. Discovered in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the western coast of Italy, the Italian Coast Guard responded to a sighting of the mother whale, who measured around six meters, who is said to […]