Palm trees with their feathery fronds are a long-standing symbol of the tropics… aboveground. Now, researchers with Royal Botanic Gardens (RBC), Kew have documented a unique member of the Arecaceae, or palm, family that produces its flowers and fruits almost exclusively beneath the soil, a press release from RBC, Kew said. The species, which the […]
After almost two decades of negotiations, the 193 United Nations Member States have adopted a landmark legally binding marine biodiversity treaty for the high seas beyond national boundaries, covering two thirds of Earth’s oceans, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced yesterday during the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity in New York. The purpose of the High […]
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recently welcomed the reintroduction of 16 southern white rhinoceroses to Garamba National Park, according to officials, as Phys.org reported. The last wild northern white rhino was poached there in 2006. The white rhinos were transported to Garamba, which lies in the northeastern part of the country, from a […]
In a discovery by researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands, offshore wind turbines have become a haven for benthos — the community of marine organisms that live in, on or around the seafloor. There are more soil animals per square meter living in the foundations of offshore wind farms than on the floor of […]
In a study on more than 71,000 animal species around the world, researchers discovered that about 48% are declining. The research, led by Queen’s University Belfast, is one of the most comprehensive and alarming studies on biodiversity loss. The researchers analyzed population data on mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish and insects. More From EcoWatch What […]
On a clear morning in April, after milking his seven cows, Tim Sauder looked over the pasture where he had just turned the animals out to graze. Like many dairy farms, Sauder’s fields swayed with a variety of greenery: chicory, alfalfa and clover. But they were also full of something typically missing on an agricultural landscape — trees. Thousands of them.
As trees and flowers blossom in spring, bees emerge from their winter nests and burrows. For many species it’s time to mate, and some will start new solitary nests or colonies.
Despite their iconic status and long association with humans, Asian elephants are one of the most endangered large mammals. Believed to number between 45,000 and 50,000 individuals worldwide, they are at risk throughout Asia due to human activities such as deforestation, mining, dam building and road construction, which have damaged numerous ecosystems.
Urban environments can be stressful places for wild animals. They are not only exposed to loud noises, vehicles and humans, but to other environmental stressors like lack of adequate food sources and fragmented habitats. In a new study, researchers from Canada’s York University looked at the increased environmental stressors — such as difficulty finding mates […]