Fireflies Face Extinction From Habitat Loss, Light Pollution and Pesticides, Study Says
05 February
Animals
A firefly perched on a blade of grass, its abdomen lit in bright yellow light. James Jordan Photography / Moment / Getty Images
Human activity threatens to make summer nights a little less magical.
<p>A study <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biz157/5715071" target="_blank">published in BioScience</a> Monday set out to assess the greatest threats to the world's approximately 2,000 species of fireflies. While very little population data exists for most species of the "iconic" glowing beetles, researchers in the field have observed a decline in recent years.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY1ODM5MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDA4NjU0Mn0.BVy-RrkdRIdjtZC_vbIE0Vwh7ssUNYDMvarjUFkCOR4/img.jpg?width=980" id="ab6b3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="be754bc91d791e59e7f163c83287b533" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
This is a composite of several long exposure photographs of fireflies in a yard in Milo, Maine, U.S. Mike Lewinski / Unsplash
<p>"We looked around and said, 'huh, there just don't seem to be as many fireflies around as there used to be,'" lead study author and Tufts University biology professor Sara Lewis, who has spent her career studying the mating rituals of a few firefly species, <a href="https://www.popsci.com/story/environment/firefly-extinction/" target="_blank">told Popular Science</a>.<br></p><p>So the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/" target="_blank">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN) established a Firefly Specialist Group in 2018 to assess the glowing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/insects" target="_self">insects</a>' <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> status. As part of that work, they sent out a survey to 350 members of the Fireflyers International Network asking them the chief risks faced by the species they studied.</p><p>The answer? Habitat loss, artificial light and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pesticides" target="_self">pesticides</a>, in that order.</p><div id="ecefd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9OT1ZM1580917242"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1224781418791874560" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">According to a Tufts University-led team of biologists associated with the International Union for the Conservation… https://t.co/CbObfkRmJx</div> — Tufts University (@Tufts University)<a href="https://twitter.com/TuftsUniversity/statuses/1224781418791874560">1580845620.0</a></blockquote></div>
Habitat Loss
<p>"Lots of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> species are declining because their habitat is shrinking," Lewis said in a <a href="https://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/lights-out-fireflies-face-extinction-threats-habitat-loss-light-pollution-pesticides" target="_blank">Tufts press release</a>, "so it wasn't a huge surprise that habitat loss was considered the biggest threat."</p><p>However, some firefly species are particularly vulnerable because they require very specific conditions. The Malaysian firefly <em>Pteroptyx tener</em>, famous for its synchronized light shows, needs mangroves to flourish. Previous research had noted the species' decline due to the clearing of mangroves to plant <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/palm-oil">palm oil</a> plantations and aquaculture farms.</p>Light Pollution
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/light-pollution" rel="noopener noreferrer">Artificial light</a> is a major problem for fireflies because they use their famous bioluminescence to find mates, and bright human lights can disrupt these courtship signals.</p><p>"In addition to disrupting natural biorhythms – including our own – light pollution really messes up firefly mating rituals," study coauthor and Tufts PhD candidate Avalon Owens explained in the press release.</p>Pesticides
<p>The use of agricultural pesticides like organophosphates and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/neonicotinoids" rel="noopener noreferrer">neonicotinoids</a> threatens fireflies, especially during their larval stages, when they spend as many as two years living below the ground or underwater. This makes them especially sensitive to pesticides that end up on lawns or in the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/soil" rel="noopener noreferrer">soil</a>, according to Popular Science.</p><p>While more specific research is needed on the impact of these chemicals on fireflies, the evidence suggests that they are harmful to the glowing bugs as they are to other insects, the Tufts release explained.</p>'Insect Apocalypse'
<p>Indeed, the plight of fireflies is reflected across the insect class. A <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/insect-apocalypse-will-have-dire-con-sequences-for-all-life-on-earth-report-warns-2641341433.html" target="_self">November 2019</a> study warned that 41 percent of insects are threatened with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/species-extinction" rel="noopener noreferrer">extinction</a>, which could lead to an "insect apocalypse" with serious consequences for humans and other life on Earth.</p><p>Dave Goulson, the University of Sussex biology professor who authored that study, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/03/world/fireflies-extinction-risk-scn/index.html" target="_blank">told CNN</a> that the threats of habitat loss and pesticide use were also the leading causes of the overall insect decline.</p><p>"Of course fireflies are particularly vulnerable to light pollution, more so than perhaps any other insect group, so it makes sense that this also emerges as a major concern," Goulson said.</p><p>Lewis expressed hope that focusing the spotlight on fireflies could raise awareness about the plight of insects generally and build the will to save them.</p><p>"Fireflies are actually an insect that everybody can get behind," she told Popular Science.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Spraying chemicals on rice crop in Japan. Stockbyte / Getty Images
Scientists announced today that pesticide use on rice fields led to the collapse of a nearby fishery in Lake Shinji, Japan, according to a new study published in the journal Science.
<p>The long-term <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6465/620.full" target="_blank">study</a> seems to have borne out the prophecy of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/environmental-books-2639126474.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">Rachel Carson's seminal 1962 book Silent Spring</a>, in which the author describes the nefarious trickle down effects of chemical pesticides that could "still the leaping of fish." While it is impossible to say that the use of pesticides caused the collapse of the fishery, the correlation is extremely strong.</p>
<p><br/></p>
<p>The researchers looked at the degradation of the food chain around rice paddies after the introduction of the pesticide <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/neonicotinoids" target="_self">neonicotinoids</a> in 1993 in Japan. The study showed an immediate decline in insect and plankton populations in Lake Shinji after the pesticide was sprayed in nearby rice fields, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>The decline in insects and plankton then led to the collapse of eel and smelt populations, which rely on the tiny insects for food. The scientists looked at other possible causes for the collapse of the smelt and eel fisheries, but those were all ruled out. The scientists say there is "compelling evidence" that neonicotinoids are the culprit, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>The pesticide has previously been linked to declines in pollinator populations. Researchers have found that it lowers the sperm count of bees and shortens their lifespan, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/popular-insecticide-lowering-sperm-count-honey-bees-1946236241.html" target="_self">EcoWatch</a> reported. Its role in colony collapse disorder and in declining butterfly populations caused the European Union to ban the world's most popular insecticide for all outdoor use in 2018, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-environment-bees/eu-to-fully-ban-neonicotinoid-insecticides-to-protect-bees-idUSKBN1HY11W" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>Previous studies have also linked ripple effects of the pesticide's application to cause collapses of mayflies, dragonflies and snails. A Dutch <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature13531" target="_blank">study found</a> that bird populations declined where the insecticide was sprayed. In that case, the absence of swallows, starlings and tree sparrows does not mean they were dying, but possibly moved to riper feeding grounds.</p>
<p>By contrast, the study is the first time a potential link has been shown between the insecticide and its effect on other animals, including vertebrates, <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-10/aaft-fil102819.php" target="_blank">according to a press release</a> from the American Association for The Advancement of Science.</p><p>The year that the insecticide was first applied, 1993, coincided with an 83 percent decrease in the average amount of springtime plankton. A year later, the smelt harvest collapsed from 240 tons per year to just 22 tons in a single year, <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6465/620.full" target="_blank">according to the study</a>. Additionally, the midge, <em>Chironomus</em> <em>plumosus</em>, which smelt also feed on, was one of the worst affected bugs. It vanished completely from all 39 locations sampled in 2016, despite being abundant in 1982.</p><p>The researchers noted that Rachel Carson's book was prophetic. In their paper, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>, the Japanese researchers said how "she wrote: 'These sprays, dusts and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests and homes – nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the 'good' and the 'bad', to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams.' The ecological and economic impact of neonicotinoids on the inland waters of Japan confirms Carson's prophecy."</p><p>"This disruption likely also occurs elsewhere, as neonicotinoids are currently the most widely used class of insecticides globally," worth more than $3 billion per year, they said, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>The German company Bayer is the world's largest producer of neonicotinoids.</p><p>"The annihilation of humble flies and the knock on effects on fish serve as further testament to the dreadful folly of neonicotinoids," said Matt Shardlow, from the charity Buglife, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. "Let's hope this is a wake-up call for Asian countries and they move to quickly ban the chemicals from paddyfields."</p>
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Neonics May Be Killing Birds in Addition to Bees, Groundbreaking Study Finds
16 September 2019
Animals
Scientists in Saskatchewan found that consuming small amounts of neonicotinoids led white-crowned sparrows to lose significant amounts of weight and delay migration, threatening their ability to reproduce. Jen Goellnitz / Flickr
By Julia Conley
In addition to devastating effects on bee populations and the pollination needed to feed humans and other species, widely-used pesticides chemically related to nicotine may be deadly to birds and linked to some species' declines, according to a new study.
<p>Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/09/common-pesticide-makes-migrating-birds-anorexic" target="_blank">studied</a> the pesticide imidacloprid, in the nicotine-linked class of chemicals called <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/neonicotinoids" target="_self">neonicotinoids</a>, or neonics, and found that the pesticide had effects on migrating birds' health and ability to reproduce.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We've heard a lot about neonics & bees—but they're hurting birds too. <br><br>A first-of-its-kind study on wild birds shows the pesticides make them lose weight and delays migration.<a href="https://t.co/LDep60W0ay">https://t.co/LDep60W0ay</a></p>— EHN (@EnvirHealthNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnvirHealthNews/status/1172274958485086211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The scientists gave small amounts of the pesticide to white-crowned sparrows and found that the limited consumption caused the birds to lose weight and delay their migration.</p><p>Within hours of being given the neonics, the birds stopped eating and lost an average of six percent of their body weight and about 17 percent of their fat stores, making it impossible for them to complete their long flights south. The birds took at least an extra 3.5 days to recover and migrate.</p><p>"It's just a few days, but we know that just a few days can have significant consequences for survival and reproduction," Margaret Eng, an ecotoxicologist who led the study <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/09/common-pesticide-makes-migrating-birds-anorexic" target="_blank">told</a> Science magazine, where the research was published Friday.</p><p>The disruption of the species' normal migration led to decreased ability to reproduce and survive, the researchers found.</p><p>The study "causatively links a pesticide to something that is really, tangibly negative to birds that is causing their population declines," study author Christy Morrissey <a href="https://www.apnews.com/71619630e2e14816a5611b1a2a3acb47" target="_blank">told </a>the Associated Press. "It's clear evidence these chemicals can affect populations."</p><p>More than 70 percent of North American farmland bird species are currently experiencing population declines.</p><p>The research shows for the first time "behavioral effects in free-living birds as result of neonicotinoid intoxication," Caspar Hallmann, an ecologist at Radboud University in the Netherlands, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/09/widely-used-pesticide-makes-birds-lose-weight/" target="_blank">told</a> National Geographic after reviewing Eng's study.</p><p>Scientists in Europe<a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/controversial-pesticides-can-decimate-honey-bees-large-study-finds" target="_blank"> revealed</a> in 2017 that neonicotinoids can decimate honey bee populations, threatening food sources for humans and other species.</p><p>The European Union banned the use of neonics in 2018 due to their effects on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pollinators">pollinators</a>.</p><p>The EPA announced in May it would cancel the registrations of 12 neonicotinoid pesticides, but in July, the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump</a> administration <a href="https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/epa-curbs-use-of-12-bee-harming-pesticides" target="_blank">removed</a> restrictions on sulfoxaflor, a neonic that's been found to kill bees in low doses.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Agricultural pesticides, especially bee-killing neonics, have no place on our national wildlife refuges," senior Center for Biological Diversity attorney Hannah Connor said. <a href="https://t.co/3MsMEC46BW">https://t.co/3MsMEC46BW</a></p>— Center for Bio Div (@CenterForBioDiv) <a href="https://twitter.com/CenterForBioDiv/status/1027677761744379905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/13/not-just-bees-first-its-kind-study-shows-neonics-may-be-killing-birds-too" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>
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U.S. Beekeepers File Suit Against Trump EPA Charging 'Illegal' Approval of Insecticide Linked to Mass Die-Off
08 September 2019
Popular
A beekeeper at work in Thousands Oaks, California in June of 2015. Joe Kohen / Moment Mobile / Getty Images
By Jon Queally
A group of beekeepers joined forces on Friday against Trump's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by filing a lawsuit over the agency's move to put a powerful insecticide — one that scientists warn is part of the massive pollinator die-off across the U.S. — back on the market.
<p>The <a href="https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/STAMPED%20-%201-3%20Petition%20for%20Review%209-6-19.pdf" target="_blank">lawsuit</a> charges that the EPA's approval of sulfoxaflor — touted by its manufacturer, agro-chemical giant Corteva, as a "next generation neonicotinoid" — was illegally rendered as it put industry interests ahead of the health of pollinators and ignored the available science.</p>
<p>"Honeybees and other pollinators are dying in droves because of insecticides like sulfoxaflor, yet the Trump administration removes restriction just to please the chemical industry," said Greg Loarie, an attorney with Earthjustice, the legal aid group representing the beekeepers. "This is illegal and an affront to our food system, economy, and environment." </p><p>According to a statement by Earthjustice:</p><blockquote>EPA first approved sulfoxaflor in 2013, but thanks to a lawsuit brought by Pollinator Stewardship Council, the American Beekeeper Federation, and Earthjustice, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision. The Court ruled EPA failed to obtain reliable studies regarding the impact of sulfoxaflor on honeybee colonies.<br><br>In 2016, EPA re-approved sulfoxaflor subject to significant restrictions to reduce the risk to honeybees and other pollinators. On July 12, 2019, without any public notice, the Trump administration removed these restrictions on sulfoxaflor and approved a host of new uses for the bee-killing insecticide.<br></blockquote><p>Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include beekeeper Jeff Anderson, the Pollinator Stewardship Council, and the American Beekeeper Federation.</p><p>"It is inappropriate for EPA to solely rely on industry studies to justify bringing sulfoxaflor back into our farm fields," said Michele Colopy of the Pollinator Stewardship Council. "Die-offs of tens of thousands of bee colonies continue to occur and sulfoxaflor plays a huge role in this problem. EPA is harming not just the beekeepers, their livelihood, and bees, but the nation's food system."</p>
<p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/06/us-beekeepers-file-suit-against-trump-epa-charging-illegal-approval-insecticide" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Alarming Decline of Insect Population Linked to Toxic Pesticides in U.S. Agriculture
07 August 2019
Popular
blueflames / E+ / Getty Images
By Jake Johnson
The rapid and dangerous decline of the insect population in the United States — often called an "insect apocalypse" by scientists — has largely been driven by an increase in the toxicity of U.S. agriculture caused by the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal PLOS One.
<p>The study found that American agriculture has become 48 times more toxic to insects over the past 25 years and pinned 92 percent of the toxicity increase on neonicotinoids, which were <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/04/27/huge-win-pollinators-people-and-planet-eu-bans-bee-killing-pesticides" target="_blank">banned by the European Union</a> last year due to the threat they pose to bees and other pollinators.</p><p>Kendra Klein, Ph.D., study co-author and senior staff scientist at Friends of the Earth, said the U.S. must follow Europe's lead and ban the toxic pesticides before it is too late.</p><p>"It is alarming that U.S. agriculture has become so much more toxic to insect life in the past two decades," Klein said in a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/06/new-study-us-agriculture-48-times-more-toxic-insects-25-years-ago?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">statement</a>. "We need to phase out neonicotinoid pesticides to protect bees and other insects that are critical to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a> and the farms that feed us."</p><p>"Congress must pass the Saving America's Pollinators Act to ban neonicotinoids," Klein added. "In addition, we need to rapidly shift our food system away from dependence on harmful pesticides and toward <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/organic" target="_self">organic</a> farming methods that work with nature rather than against it."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NEW STUDY: Neonic pesticides are a significant driver of the 'insect apocalypse'.<br><br>Insect abundance has declined 45%. This is a global crisis — we must ban neonics to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveTheBees?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaveTheBees</a>!<a href="https://t.co/1DMpzFUArK">https://t.co/1DMpzFUArK</a></p>— Friends of the Earth (@foe_us) <a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/status/1158819612970168320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/insect-apocalypse-under-way-toxic-pesticides-agriculture/" target="_blank">According to</a> National Geographic, neonics "are used on over <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6572145" target="_blank">140 different agricultural crops</a> in more than 120 countries. They attack the central nervous system of insects, causing overstimulation of their nerve cells, paralysis, and death."</p><p>With insect populations declining due to neonic use, "the numbers of insect-eating birds have plummeted in recent decades," National Geographic reported. "There's also been a widespread decline in nearly all bird species."</p><p>As Common Dreams <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/11/scientists-warn-crashing-insect-population-puts-planets-ecosystems-and-survival" target="_blank">reported</a> in February, scientists warned in a global analysis that by decimating insect populations, widespread use of pesticides poses a serious threat to the planet's ecosystems and ultimately to the survival of humankind.</p><p>Klein said the "good news" is that neonics are not at all necessary for <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/food/" target="_self">food</a> production.</p><p>"We have four decades of research and evidence that agroecological farming methods can grow our food without decimating pollinators," said Klein.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Why It’s Time to Curb Widespread Use of Neonicotinoid Pesticide <a href="https://t.co/nOOgv3x3sR">https://t.co/nOOgv3x3sR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/pesticideaction?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pesticideaction</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/bpncamp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bpncamp</a></p>— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/1011788722063454208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/07/alarming-explosion-toxic-pesticide-use-causing-insect-apocalypse-united-states-study" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Conceptual photo of tap water represented as a dangerous chemical. Zirafek / iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Jennifer Sass
Yet again, our government scientists—the oft neglected but so important brain trust of our nation—bring the public some very important new data. Pesticide water monitoring experts at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) paired up with scientists from the University of Iowa in a federally funded collaboration to track neonicotinoid pesticides or " neonics" in tap water, including the potential to form chlorinated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) from the pesticides and their metabolites that may be more toxic than the original compounds. And the news isn't good.
<p>Following up on previous research finding <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/jennifer-sass/%2010.1021/acs.estlett.7b00081" target="_blank">neonicotinoids in tap water</a> (Klarich et al. 2017), the scientists now explore whether the neonic compounds or their metabolites that are generated in the environment are transformed into disinfection byproducts during common, important <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water">drinking water</a> treatment processes used to protect public health, such as chlorination (<a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00706" target="_blank">Klarich Wong et al. 2019</a>). <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00706" target="_blank">This paper</a> is the first report of two known metabolites of imidacloprid in tap water; desnitro-imidacloprid and imidacloprid-urea. This is especially concerning because desnitro-imidacloprid is about 319 times more toxic to mammals than imidacloprid, so even much lower levels could be harmful.</p><p>In addition to discovering the presence of the two metabolites in tap water, the authors demonstrate the likelihood that these metabolites are further transformed to a new form of neonic-derived chlorinated disinfection byproduct during routine water treatment processes. The scientists simulated the conditions that would occur during realistic drinking water conditions, to show under laboratory conditions that chlorinated chemicals are produced.</p><p>These new chlorinated contaminants are untested, untracked and potentially harmful. In other words, their potential impacts on human health could be a big deal! Other types of disinfection byproducts in drinking water are highly toxic, linked to a risk of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/safewater/chlorination-byproducts.html" target="_blank">cancer</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235225/" target="_blank">birth defects</a>.</p><p>Those potential harms could also be a big deal risk-wise because neonics are the most widely used insecticides on the market. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (<a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa">EPA</a>) and other regulatory agencies have been disregarding the potential for neonics to harm vertebrates, because their mechanism of toxicity was thought to be insect-selective. Unfortunately, this caused a regulatory blind spot in the harm they do to beneficial insects like <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bees">bees</a>, and aquatic invertebrate species that provide a critical food source for amphibians, fish and other aquatic vertebrates. The reason the metabolites (for example, desnitro-imidacloprid) raise a red flag is that science now demonstrates that the insect-selective toxicity is altered, causing them to be more toxic to vertebrates including people and other mammals.</p><p>See <a href="https://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pnsp/usage/maps/compound_listing.php" target="_blank">USGS Pesticide Use Maps</a> for the most current information, but note USGS's disclaimer that beginning in 2015 the data reports no longer include seed treatment uses of pesticides; for the neonics this represents somewhere around 90 percent of total pounds of neonic pesticides used in <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/agriculture">agriculture</a>—a very serious under-reporting. See below for imidacloprid (note the drop-off since 2015 due to failure to include seed treatments).</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE0NzI0NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzQ4OTUyOX0.lyb1hvQrz8nUDRLmHgNQpBbTIqTG91ucw5bz7QeG-LQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="33a19" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ba54dc44b79a2f244efd8bf7a529b956" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">USGS Pesticide Use Map - imidacloprid</small></p>
<p>The <a href="https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70201737" target="_blank">study report</a> authors note that although the chlorinated disinfection byproducts derived from neonics have an unknown toxicity profile, it is possible that they may be <em>more toxic</em> than the parent compound. Thus, the authors recommend in the article that the "greater potential toxicity and frequent presence in these water samples of neonicotinoid metabolites demonstrates the need to consider their fate and persistence in drinking water treatment systems (ex. during chlorination and other treatment processes) and their potential effects on human health." NRDC agrees! That's why we are asking EPA to include all the neonic metabolites and chlorinated products in its <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/schedule-review-neonicotinoid-pesticides" target="_blank">human health risk assessment</a> of the neonic pesticides, due later this year.<br></p><p>In addition to surface water and drinking water contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jf501397m#showRef" target="_blank">neonics inside fruits and vegetables</a>, where they can't be simply washed off due to their systemic nature. And emerging science suggests a link with neonic exposure and potential disorders including <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18080902" target="_blank">neurobehavioral impairments</a> in animal studies, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24456651" target="_blank">autism-like effects</a> in prenatally exposed children (see <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/jennifer-sass/neonicotinoid-pesticides-bad-bees-and-may-be-bad-people-too" target="_blank">my blog</a> for details).</p><p>In addition to including all relevant neonic metabolites in its risk assessment, EPA should also assess the cumulative risks from all the neonic pesticides and their toxic metabolites together. It is alarming that EPA seems to have no plan for conducting a cumulative risk assessment for this toxic and persistent class of pesticides.</p><p>The scientific evidence of harm is piling up—EPA must pay attention!</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="a74f8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="N6TT5V1576661871"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1062102815919751168" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">10 Things You Always Wanted to Know About #Neonics https://t.co/uRzBC3NlVx @NRDC @bpncamp @pesticideaction</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1062102815919751168">1542060018.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p><em>Jennifer Sass is a senior scientist in the Federal Toxics, Health and Food, Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program at the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a>.</em><br></p>
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A monarch butterfly before migration to Mexico on Oct. 21, 2018 at the Mobile Botanical Gardens in Alabama. patricia pierce / CC BY 2.0
The yearly count of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico, released Wednesday, shows an increase of 144 percent from last year's count and is the highest count since 2006. That's good news for a species whose numbers had fallen in recent years, but conservationists say the monarch continues to need Endangered Species Act protection.
The count of 6.05 hectares of occupied forest is up from 2.48 hectares last winter. The increase is attributable to favorable weather during the spring and summer breeding seasons and during the fall migration. Monarchs have lost an estimated 165 million acres of breeding habitat in the U.S. to herbicide spraying and development.
<p>"This reprieve from bad news on monarchs is a thank-you from the butterflies to all the people who planted native milkweeds and switched to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/organic">organic</a> corn and soy products," said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a>. "But one good weather year won't save the monarch in the long run, and more protections are needed for this migratory wonder and its summer and winter habitats."</p><p>In 2014 conservationists led by the Center for Biological Diversity and the <a href="https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org" target="_blank">Center for Food Safety</a> petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the butterfly under the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service's initial decision was that <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species">endangered species</a> protection may be warranted, and a final decision will be issued by June.</p><p>"The question is whether the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> administration wants to do <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/monsanto">Monsanto</a>'s bidding or protect monarchs for future generations," said George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety. "This year's count is a temporary reprieve that doesn't change what the law and science demands, which is that we protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act before it's too late."</p><p>As recently as the mid-1990s, monarchs covered nearly 21 hectares of forest in their wintering ground, falling to less than 1 hectare in 2014. Scientists estimate that 6 hectares is the threshold to be out of the immediate danger zone of migratory collapse.</p><p>About 99 percent of all North American monarchs migrate each winter to oyamel fir forests on 12 mountaintops in central Mexico. Scientists from <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_offices/mexico" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund Mexico</a> estimate the population size by measuring the area of trees turned orange by the clustering butterflies.</p><p>Monarch butterflies west of the Rocky Mountains overwinter on the coast of California. Their numbers dropped to fewer than 30,000 this year, down from 1.2 million two decades ago.</p><p>A recent study found that if current trends continue, the western population has a 63 percent chance of extinction in 20 years and more than an 80 percent chance of extinction within 50 years. The western population is now at the threshold of extinction. </p><p>The caterpillars only eat milkweed, but the plant has been devastated by increased herbicide spraying in conjunction with corn and soybean crops that have been genetically engineered to tolerate direct spraying with herbicides. In addition to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/glyphosate">glyphosate</a>, monarchs are threatened by other herbicides and by <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/neonicotinoids">neonicotinoid</a> insecticides that are toxic to young caterpillars.</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">Climate change</a> also threatens to disrupt the monarch's migration and render its overwintering habitats unsuitable by the end of the century.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTEzNjQyOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjA2MjE3N30.oe5oOw7WcI-wa2e2-8981jfHaI7ka_87xgUfbxp7zgM/img.jpg?width=980" id="b06de" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8ca07e8f528c639da5531a2bb3520fee" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Graph by Tierra Curry, Center for Biological Diversity</small></p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="1695e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="FGZGOT1576663068"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1067428243706470401" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">5 Ways to Make a Difference in the Life of a #Monarch @HFSciencePub @jnp_mn @BetteAStevens https://t.co/ZDP5MNdneR</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1067428243706470401">1543329699.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Bumblebee on goldenrod. Jim Hudgins / USFWS
Honeybees get a lot of attention for their worrisome decline, but many species of bumblebees—which are key pollinators—are also in trouble.
In Michigan, half of its bumblebee species have declined by 50 percent or more, Michigan Radio reported.
<p>
"Of those twelve species, about half of them have declined and the other half are stable," Thomas Wood, a post-doctoral research associate at Michigan State University, told the radio station.
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Of the six species that have declined, their numbers dropped by more than 50 percent, Wood added. One species, the rusty patched bumblebee, has even gone extinct in Michigan.
</p><p>
In 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classified the rusty patched bumblebee as an <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered species</a>, the first bumblebee in the country and the first wild bee of any kind in the continental U.S. to receive <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/10-success-stories-thanks-to-the-endangered-species-act-1881837279.html" target="_self">Endangered Species Act</a> protection.
</p><p>
The bee, identified by its reddish abdomen, was once common and abundant across 28 states from Connecticut to South Dakota, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces, but its population plummeted by 87 percent since the late 1990s.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<div id="54ed0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="CPAA4Z1576662584"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="845029917783965696" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Science Trumps Politics: Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Officially an Endangered Species https://t.co/8tB08Plpfk @BurtsBees @vanishingbees</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/845029917783965696">1490305806.0</a></blockquote></div>
</p><p>
There are many factors tied to Michigan's disappearing bumblebees, Michigan Radio reported, including loss of flowers, destruction of prairie and wooded areas that provide habitat for insects, as well as a controversial class of insecticides called <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/neonicotinoids">neonicotinoids</a> that have been linked to bee deaths around the world.
</p><p>
Neonicotinoids are "acutely toxic to bees and they're used in agriculture. Almost all the corn that's planted in Michigan, and in the Midwest more generally, is treated with these insecticides," Wood explained.
</p><p>
The bumblebee is also impacted by <a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a>. One <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/aaft-but062515.php" target="_blank" title="EurekAlert! - Climate Change: Compressing the bumblebee range">2015 study</a> found that the southern range of North American and European species compressed as the planet heats up.
</p><p>
Because of their big, fluffy bodies and unique buzz pollination abilities (where their wing muscles vibrate a flower to release pollen), bumblebees can be more efficient than honeybees in pollinating a variety of fruit and vegetable crops.
</p><p>
"Bumblebees are especially good pollinators; even plants that can self-pollinate produce more and bigger fruit when pollinated by bumblebees," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/861.html" target="_blank">said</a>. "Each year, insects, mostly bees, provide pollination services valued at an estimated $3 billion in the United States."
</p><p>
<span></span>The good news is we can help the humble bumblebee's survival. The National Wildlife Federation provides several tips in this <a href="https://blog.nwf.org/2014/04/5-facts-about-bumble-bees-and-how-to-help-them/" target="_blank">blog post</a>, including planting native plants and eliminating the use of pesticides.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Most Diverse Butterfly Center in the U.S. to be Bulldozed for Trump's ... ›
- Glyphosate Could Be Factor in Bee Decline, Study Warns - EcoWatch ›
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10 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Neonics
12 November 2018
Pexels
By Daniel Raichel
As massive numbers of bees and other pollinators keep dying across the globe, study after study continues to connect these deaths to neonicotinoid pesticides (A.K.A. "neonics"). With the science piling up, and other countries starting to take critical pollinator-saving action, here's a quick primer on all things neonics:
<p><strong>1. What are neonics?</strong></p><p>Neonics are neurotoxic insecticides, meaning they are pesticides designed to kill insects by attacking their nerve cells. Neonics permanently bind to nerve cells, overstimulating and destroying them. Insects poisoned with neonics often exhibit uncontrollable shaking or twitching, paralysis, and—eventually—death.</p><p>Neonics are also "systemic," meaning they dissolve in water and are absorbed by plants, making the plant itself—including its nectar, pollen and fruit—toxic. Neonics are often applied as a "drench" to a plant's roots, or as a coating on a plant's seed, which the plant then soaks up as it grows. The levels applied can often be so high that they make the plant toxic to insects for years after the initial treatment.</p><p><strong>2. Where are neonics used?</strong></p><p>Everywhere. Neonics are the most popular insecticides in the U.S. and can be found in lawn and garden bug sprays, flea and tick treatments for pets and livestock, and food grown in farm fields across the country. As this <a href="https://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pnsp/usage/maps/show_map.php?year=2014&map=IMIDACLOPRID&hilo=L&disp=Imidacloprid" target="_blank">map</a>* shows, the neonic imidacloprid is used just about every place that people grow crops. And that's just the tip of the iceberg—the map doesn't account for non-agricultural uses (e.g., golf courses, lawns, gardens) or the four other neonic chemicals also extensively used in the U.S.</p><p><strong>3. Do neonics harm bees?</strong></p><p>Absolutely. Neonics are designed to kill insects, and bees are insects. A large and growing body of research shows that neonic use is a leading cause of the massive bee die-offs around the globe that <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/without-bees-foods-we-love-will-be-lost" target="_blank">threaten our food security</a>, agricultural economy and environment. Bees at risk include not only commercial honey bees, but the more than 4,000 species of native bees that live in the U.S., like the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/daniel-raichel/no-more-bumbling-bee-cleared-endangered-species-listing" target="_blank">rusty patched bumble bee</a> or the bees seen <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=droege+bees+usgs&rlz=1C1GCEB_en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK4qmfy6TeAhVn44MKHWeaDU4Q_AUIDygC&biw=1920&bih=938" target="_blank">here</a> in every color of the rainbow.</p><p><strong>4. Do neonics harm other wildlife?</strong></p><p>Yes. Neonic use has been shown to cause significant losses of aquatic invertebrates, a critical food source to birds and fish. Neonic use has also been linked with documented losses of bird and butterfly populations.</p><p><strong>5. Do neonics contaminate our water?</strong></p><p>Yes. Neonics can persist in soil for a long time, where rain or irrigation water easily carries them into surrounding lakes, streams or sources for drinking water. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has found that neonics contaminate waterbodies nationwide, often at levels that harm critical aquatic insects and other wildlife. That's no surprise given how wastefully neonics are often applied. For example, when neonics are applied as seed treatment, only about 5 percent of the pesticide is absorbed by the plant at best—the other <em>~95 percent </em>stays in the soil. And with up to 100 percent of conventional corn and 50 percent of soybean seed now treated with neonics, it's not hard to guess how they keep ending up in our water.</p><p><strong>6. Are neonics in our food?</strong></p><p>Yes. Neonic residues are found in 86% of honey in the U.S. and also in blueberries, cranberries, peaches and other foods popular with kids and adults alike. Because neonics are actually <em>inside</em> the fruit, vegetables, and other foods we eat, they can't be washed off.</p><p><strong>7. Is there concern that neonics may be harming our health?</strong></p><p>Yes. Neonics attack parts of insect nerve cells that are similar to those found in humans, making researchers and health experts concerned that what's bad for bees could be bad for us too. In particular, emerging research suggests that exposure to neonics in the womb or early in life could be linked with developmental defects, including autism, heart deformations, muscle tremors, and memory loss.</p><p><strong>8. What is our federal government doing about neonics?</strong></p><p>Not much. Several years back, the U.S. EPA introduced the "bee hazard" icon and limited restrictions for some neonic products, but these baby steps have failed to stem massive bee and pollinator losses. EPA has also long been studying the impacts of neonics through its "registration review" process. Although these reviews could result in life-saving protections for pollinators, don't hold your breath—EPA just <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/daniel-raichel/world-advances-save-bees-epa-stalls" target="_blank">quietly pushed back</a> the deadlines for their completion, and isn't expected to take needed action anyway while still under Trump and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/save-epa" target="_blank">Andrew Wheeler's</a> direction.</p><p><strong>9. What have other countries done?</strong></p><p>A: Other countries are moving to ban outdoor uses of neonics. In 2018, The European Union voted to completely ban all outdoor uses of three neonics, citing their impacts to honey bees. Canada recently followed suit, recommending that the country similarly phase out all outdoor uses of the same neonics in 3-5 years.</p><p><strong>10. What should replace neonics if we limited their use?</strong></p><p>For the most part, nothing. Neonics are often used where they simply aren't effective. In 2014, EPA found that neonic soybean seed treatments "<a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-10/documents/benefits_of_neonicotinoid_seed_treatments_to_soybean_production_2.pdf" target="_blank">likely provide $0 in benefits to growers</a>," yet up to half of all conventional soybean seed is still neonic-treated. Other recent research shows neonics to be similarly ineffective on corn, yet <em>up to 100 percent </em>of conventional corn seed gets a neonic treatment. These uses account for the vast bulk of neonics entering the environment and—since they don't work—they don't need replacing. Agroecological practices—like diverse crop rotations, cover cropping, and introducing natural enemies of crop pests (AKA "good bugs")—can eliminate the need for other neonic uses. In those instances where an insecticide is needed, less harmful substitutes for neonics are available.</p><p>*This map is from 2014, the last year USGS included neonic-treated seeds in its annual pesticide survey (even though treated seed usage has not diminished since). To understand how massive treated seed use is, compare this map to the 2015 map, and see the world of difference for yourself.</p>
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The Center for Biological Diversity Thursday urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deny Bayer CropScience's request to allow the highly bee-toxic pesticide flupyradifurone to be sprayed on tobacco in states like Kentucky and North Carolina.
<p>Although flupyradifurone is known to harm pollinators like bees and freshwater invertebrates like mussels, the pesticide maker is asking the EPA to approve its use across more than 300,000 acres in areas that are home to more than three dozen protected species.</p><p>"Expanding use of this dangerous chemical will threaten many endangered species, as well as bees already battered by neonicotinoid pesticides," said Tara Cornelisse, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. "Pollinators and many aquatic invertebrates across the Southeast are already struggling. Approval of yet another highly toxic pesticide for tobacco will add to their toxic load and likely result in further losses."</p><p>Flupyradifurone is a systemic pesticide with the same mode of action—and potential for harm—as neonicotinoid pesticides, a leading cause of pollinator declines. While the pesticide industry has touted flupyradifurone as a replacement for neonicotinoid pesticides, it poses many of the same risks to non-target species as neonicotinoids.</p><p>For example, flupyradifurone <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-23200-0" target="_blank">impairs</a> learning, memory and affinity for nectar rewards in honey bees. Further, flupyradifurone is highly water soluble and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749116305929" target="_blank">decreases the viability</a> of freshwater mussel larvae; it also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117342392" target="_blank">negatively impacts</a> aquatic mayfly larvae survival at levels comparable to neonicotinoid pesticides like imidacloprid and clothianidin.</p><p>Because flupyradifurone's negative effects worsen with increased dosage, its use on tobacco would compound the harm already caused by widespread use of other neonicotinoids on corn and soy in tobacco-growing counties.</p><p>"Approval of this harmful neurotoxin would create a dangerous double-whammy for bees and freshwater mussels already suffering from exposure to neonics," said Cornelisse. "Expanded use of this harmful pesticide is a risk we can't afford to take."</p><p>Among the 38 threatened and endangered species living in areas where tobacco is grown are 17 species of <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/freshwater_mussels/" target="_blank">freshwater mussels</a> that play essential water-purifying roles in aquatic ecosystems.</p><p>The greatest amount of tobacco acreage under consideration for the pesticide's use is in North Carolina and Kentucky. Other areas include Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina.</p><p>Endangered freshwater mussel species that would face increased harm include the Georgia spinymussel, dwarf wedgemussel, rayed bean and orangefoot pimpleback.</p><p>In addition, flupyradifurone is likely to harm and kill native bees that are important for the pollination and survival of nine endangered flowering plants, including smooth coneflower and Short's bladderpod.</p><p>The Center for Biological Diversity and allies <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2015/pesticides-03-16-2015.html" target="_blank">sued</a> the EPA over its initial approval of flupyradifurone, challenging the agency's refusal to take common sense measures to protect endangered species from this new and controversial pesticide. This litigation is in its initial stages at the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals.</p><p>The period for public comment on the approval request ends on Friday. Although the EPA often approves new uses quickly, the agency has not established a timeframe for this approval process.</p>
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NPS Photo / Kevyn Jalone
On World Animal Day, we celebrate all the furry, scaly, winged and finned creatures that inhabit our planet.
On this international day of action, participants aim to "raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe," according to organizers at the UK-based charity Naturewatch Foundation. The occasion was first celebrated in 1925 and is observed annually on Oct. 4.
<p>
Roughly 1,000 World Animal Day
<a href="https://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/events" target="_blank">events</a>, including educational workshops, adoptions, marches and fundraisers, will be held across 100 countries. Folks around the world are also making <a href="https://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/pledges" target="_blank">pledges</a>, such as using cruelty-free products or going <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vegetarian">vegetarian</a> or <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vegan">vegan</a> to help make a positive difference.
</p><p>
At EcoWatch, animal
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation">conservation</a> is a major priority. Animals not only inspire wonder and awe, but as important parts to the ecosystems they inhabit, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/biodiversity-climate-change-2547433920.html" target="_self">biodiversity loss</a> puts the environment and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/biodiversity-human-well-being-2553170130.html">human well-being at risk</a>.
</p><p>
The following list shows some of our most popular animal-related content in the past year. These five stories highlight the threats faced by creatures great and small, from
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pollinators">pollinator</a> deaths to "trophy" hunting. On a positive note, the list features conservation success stories, brave feats of activism and includes ways you can help protect animals in your everyday life.
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<strong>1. </strong><strong><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/syngenta-neonicotinoids-2518688773.html" target="_blank">EPA Considers Allowing Bee-Killing Pesticide to Be Sprayed on 165 Million Acres of U.S. Farmland</a>. </strong>This Dec. 2017 article by the <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a> reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had considered allowing the bee-killing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pesticides">pesticide</a> thiamethoxam to be sprayed on the most widely grown crops in the U.S. This harmful <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/neonicotinoids">neonicotinoid</a> pesticide has long been known to pose serious harm to bee populations, as well as birds of all sizes and aquatic invertebrates.
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<li><strong>What you can do to help: </strong>The <a href="https://xerces.org/recommendations-to-protect-pollinators-from-neonicotinoids/" target="_blank">Xerces Society</a>, a non-profit invertebrate conservation society you should <a href="https://xerces.org/donate/" target="_blank">consider supporting</a>, has a number of recommendations to protect pollinators from neonicotinoids, from avoiding pesticide use around your home and asking your local nursery to stop selling the products. </li>
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<strong>2. </strong><strong><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/mountain-gorilla-numbers-on-the-rise-2582376835.html" target="_blank">Against All Odds, Mountain Gorilla Numbers Are on the Rise</a>. </strong>A census of mountain gorillas showed that their population rose from 480 animals in 2010 to 604 as of June 2016, thanks to dedicated conservation efforts. The mountain gorilla subspecies is the only great ape known to be increasing in number.
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<li><strong>What you can do to help: </strong>The <a href="https://gorillafund.org/" target="_blank">Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund</a> <a href="https://gorillafund.org/5-ways-to-help-save-gorillas/" target="_blank">recommends</a> asking your lawmakers to continue to support the <a href="http://www.fws.gov/international/wildlife-without-borders/great-ape-conservation-fund.html" target="_blank">Great Ape Conservation Fund</a>, as well as recycling cell phones and electronics, as they contain metals that are mined from gorilla habitat in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fund also suggests looking for sustainable palm oil, wood and other eco-friendly products, as gorilla forest habitats in Asia are being deforested for their resources. </li>
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<strong>3. </strong><strong><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/alaska-hunters-charged-with-killing-bears-2594586783.html" target="_blank">Father and Son Charged With Killing Mother Bear and 'Shrieking' Cubs in Den</a>.</strong> In April, a father and son from Palmer, Alaska shot and killed a mother black <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bears" target="_self">bear</a> and her two "shrieking" newborn cubs in their den. The hunt took place on state land but the topic of trophy hunting has reignited under the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump" target="_self">Trump</a> administration, which is <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-hunting-alaska-conservation-2571000532.html" target="_self">proposing</a> to overturn an Obama-era rule that protects iconic predators in Alaska's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-lands" target="_self">national preserves</a>. The plan would allow hunters to go to den sites to shoot bear cubs and wolf pups, lure and kill bears over bait, hunt bears with dogs and use motor boats to shoot swimming caribou.
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<li><strong>What you can do to help:</strong> The proposed rule, which is <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/09/06/2018-19293/alaska-hunting-and-trapping-in-national-preserves-extension-of-public-comment-period" target="_blank">posted</a> in the federal register, is still accepting comments until 11:59 p.m. EST on Nov. 5, 2018. <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=NPS-2018-0005-0001" target="_blank">Make your voice heard</a>!</li>
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<strong>4. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sea-shepherd-poaching-arrests-2550858029.html" target="_blank">Notorious Toothfish Poacher Arrested by Liberian Coast Guard, Assisted by Sea Shepherd</a>.</strong> In March, an infamous Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/poaching" target="_self">poaching</a> vessel was arrested in Liberia with the assistance of Sea Shepherd, a marine conservation group.
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<li><strong>What you can do to help:</strong> <a href="https://seashepherd.org/support-us/" target="_blank">Donate</a> to Sea Shepherd, which has been patrolling the high seas and enforcing conservation law worldwide for more than 40 years. There are countless other non-profits such as <a href="https://oceanconservancy.org/" target="_blank">Ocean Conservancy</a>, <a href="https://oceana.org/" target="_blank">Oceana</a> and <a href="https://www.surfrider.org/" target="_blank">Surfrider Foundation</a> that help protect our oceans and save the lives of aquatic life, dolphins, seals, whales and fish. </li>
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<strong>5. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/endangered-species-act-republicans-2586332924.html" target="_blank">House Republicans Launch Extinction Bills to Cripple Endangered Species Act</a>. </strong>Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives initiated yet another attack on the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/endangered-species-act-republicans-2586332924.html" target="_blank">Endangered Species Act</a>. The Center for Biological Diversity reported that the move was among the <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/esa_attacks/trumptable.html" target="_blank">75-plus legislative attacks</a> that have been launched against the Endangered Species Act ever since Trump took office—and more than 300 since 2011, when Republicans took over the U.S. House of Representatives. <strong></strong>
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<li><strong>What you can do to help: </strong>The Endangered Species Act, signed into law by President Nixon in 1973, is one of the most successful wildlife conservation laws in the world. More than 99 percent of species covered under the law have been saved from extinction. Protect the law from becoming extinct itself by telling Congress that you support the law and oppose any efforts to weaken it. You can also sign these petitions from <a href="https://defenders.org/content/help-protect-endangered-species-act" target="_blank">Defenders of Wildlife</a> and the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/save-endangered-species-act" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a>. </li>
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