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Amazon mammals threatened by climate change

Most land-based mammals of the Brazilian Amazon are threatened by climate change and savannization of the region. “The Amazon’s biodiversity is very susceptible to climate change effects. It’s not just local; it’s a global phenomenon. We cannot stop this just by law enforcement, for example. These species are more susceptible than we realized, and even…
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Animals are key to restoring the world’s forests

The study by an international team from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Yale School of the Environment, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute examined a series of regenerating forests in central Panama spanning 20 to 100 years post-abandonment. The unique long-term data set revealed that animals, by carrying…
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How does biodiversity change globally? Detecting accurate trends may be currently unfeasible

Monitoring is a common part of nature conservation practise. It tells us a lot about species richness in the study area. But based on a study, these data might be too incomplete and deficient to provide a precise picture of global biodiversity.  More information at www.sciencedaily.com or in Jose et al. (2023)

New study identifies key success factors for large carnivore rewilding efforts

Large carnivores play crucial role in ecosystem. Unfortunately, their abundance has declined over recent decades. Their reintroduction has been a widely debated topic across the UK as well as across Europe. This study identifies the top factors determining the success of their reintroduction. Details at www.sciencedaily.com or in Thomas et al. (2023) Photo taken from www.naturfoto.cz

Global wetlands losses overestimated despite high losses in many regions

New analysis shows the U.S. has accounted for more wetland conversion and degradation than any other country. Its findings help better explain the causes and impacts of such losses and inform protection and restoration of wetlands. Read more at www.sciencedaily.com Photo taken from www.wired.co.uk

Protected areas fail to safeguard more than 75% of global insect species

Insects play crucial roles in almost every ecosystem. They are pollinators to more than 80% o plants and are major source of food for thousands of vertebrates. However, their populations are declining around the globe. Protected areas can safeguard insects, but only if these threatened species live within the area. This study found that 76%…
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60 years of nature conservation and restoration in Wiltshire (United Kingdom)

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust was founded in 1962 by landowners and farmers who were concerned about nature due to the intense industrialization of agriculture and pesticide usage. The WWT acted strategically to reach voluntary contracts about critical areas with rare or endangered species. However, such a contract could not guarantee proper protection; thus, the WWT started…
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Less intensively managed grassland have higher plant diversity and better soil health, research shows

British countryside is largely made up of grazed grassland. Such habitats are important for food production, but also vital to farming and rural communities. Recent research has shown that UK grazed grassland that are less intensively managed  has higher diversity in plant species by 50% and have higher soil health than intensively managed grasslands.  How…
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Modernized farmsteads directly affect farmland birds

The decline of farmland biodiversity continues at a warning rate. Most recently discovered hotpots of farmland birds are farmsteads. Due to this fact, scientists from the Academy of Czech Republic studied the effect of the modernization of such buildings. They researched 97 dairy farms in the Czech Republic. The focus of the study was on…
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Last Cinereous Vultures reintroduced in Bulgaria

Since 2018 the aviary in the Vrachanski Nature Park in the western part of the Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria, has reintroduced about 70 young Cinereous vultures. The project, funded by the EU, was finished by releasing the last two female vultures back to nature. Although some of the reintroduced vultures were poisoned, the project has  been…
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