Pine forests threatened by the invasion of giant moths
Scotland’s woodlands are at risk from a giant
Russian moth whose caterpillars can cause large-scale damage to pine
forests over thousands of acres, Forestry Commission officials have
warned.
The indiscriminate use of poisons to kill rats or mice
has been linked to an alarming decline in some of Ireland’s
most iconic birds of prey, such as barn owls and kestrels.
The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
has confirmed that it is spending €56,413 to carry out a monitoring
project on the natterjack toad that is found mainly in Co Kerry.
As darkness descends the verge comes alive. Blades
of glass rustle as hundreds — if not thousands — of toads
spring forth from hibernation, each one a bloated, wart-ridden, writhing
mass of arms of legs.
Foresters plan pleasant surprise for sleeping dormice
Dormice sleeping in a Monmouthshire woodland can look
forward to a pleasant surprise when they wake from their hibernation
in the spring after Forestry Commission Wales transformed their home
as they slept.
A conservation project underway in Cornwall aimed at
securing the future of one of Britain’s rarest butterflies is
proving to be a success, thanks to the creation of special ‘butterfly
corridors’ and the revival of traditional woodland management.
‘No take’ zones are crucial if Northern
Ireland’s rich marine wildlife is to be protected, a wildlife
expert said yesterday as the Marine Bill hit the Assembly.
RSPB is criticised over link to earl who owns ‘bird-poisoning’
Hopetoun estate
The RSPB has been criticised for holding an event
celebrating Scottish birdlife at the stately home of a lord who
also owns a grouse shooting estate that has been linked to bird
of prey poisoning.
Achieving renewable targets through reliance on wind
would be a ‘Pyrrhic victory’
The John Muir Trust has repeated calls for an independent
national Energy Commission to examine the technical and economic
aspects of current UK and Scottish policy and to consider the viability
and costs of energy production and transmission.
The British government has decided to extend the
current one year transition period for low risk maintenance dredging
activities for a further two years in English waters.
Our oceans face a grim outlook in the coming decades.
Ocean acidification, loss of marine biodiversity, climate change,
pollution and over-exploitation of resources all point to the urgent
need for a new paradigm on caring for the earth’s oceans—"business
as usual" is simply not an option anymore, experts say.
Saving biodiversity: a $300 billion-a-year challenge
Saving biodiversity -- the vast and essential variety
of the natural world -- will be expensive, at an estimated $300 billion
a year for the next eight years.
Common North American frog identified as carrier of
deadly amphibian disease
Known for its distinctive "ribbit" call,
the noisy Pacific chorus frog is a potent carrier of a deadly amphibian
disease, according to new research published today in the journal
PLoS ONE.
Increased honey bee diversity means fewer pathogens
A novel study of honey bee genetic diversity co-authored
by an Indiana University biologist has for the first time found that
greater diversity in worker bees leads to colonies with fewer pathogens
and more abundant helpful bacteria like probiotic species.
Eco-conservation zone built near Three Gorges Reservoir
Authorities in southwest China's Chongqing municipality
have finished creating an ecological conservation zone near the Three
Gorges Reservoir, said a spokesman from the Chongqing Municipal Forestry
Bureau on Monday.
A growing illicit trade threatens Jamaica's wildlife
News of Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo's newest attraction
shocked Jamaican authorities. The unlikely stars: a flock of 45 endangered
Jamaican Amazon parrots, hatched from eggs smuggled out of the island
in rum-cake boxes.
Germany is investigating the potential of converting
wind power to hydrogen as an energy source in the wake of the country’s
decision to move away from nuclear power.
Half the world's seabirds are in decline,
says report
The populations of almost half of the world's seabirds
are thought to be in decline, according to a study published in Bird
Conservation International.
Atmospheric CO2 levels hit 800,000-year high: CSIRO
Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are now higher
than at any time in the last 800,000 years, while the last decade
in Australia was the warmest on record, CSIRO scientists say.
The Asian Development Bank is warning countries to
prepare for influxes of people fleeing natural disasters as climate
change exacerbates rising sea levels, soil degradation and seasonal
flooding.
Report: Solar, wind and biofuel markets smash revenue
records
The global market for solar PV, wind energy, and
biofuels grew 31 per cent during 2011 to almost $250bn (£160bn),
according to new figures from analyst firm Clean Edge Inc.
Renewables industry urges government to clarify post-2020
targets
The renewables energy industry has again called on
the government to urgently clarify its plans for low-carbon energy
development after 2020, following the release of a controversial
submission to the EU, which argues the bloc should abandon specific
renewable energy targets post-2020.
EU will back down on airline carbon after ICAO plan,
SocGen says
The European Union will probably back down on including
aviation in its carbon market once theUnited Nations’ International
Civil Aviation Organization proposes a global program, said Societe
Generale SA.
Hedegaard hails 'first step' towards rural CO2 emissions
rules
The EU executive has proposed new harmonised rules
to account for greenhouse gas emissions from forests and agriculture
within the EU’s climate policy.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent refuses to
comment on revelations that climate-change skeptics in Canada are
getting money from an American think-tank funded by corporations.
Efforts to secure land ownership for tribal people
in one of India’s poorest states are bolstering their economic
security in the face of climate-induced hardships ...
