Biodiversity

A new global analysis has revealed that the world’s food system is driving a concentrated, interconnected crisis for both climate protection and biodiversity. By mapping long-term carbon storage and biodiversity loss at unusually high spatial and product resolution, researchers have traced how agricultural land use connects farms, trade routes and consumer demand across the planet. […]

Mediterranean olive farming is entering a climate era unlike any in its long agricultural history. Rising temperatures, longer droughts, intense rainfall, soil degradation and declining biodiversity are converging across one of the world’s most important olive-producing regions. A new analysis published in npj Sustainable Agriculture argues that protecting the future of olive production will require […]

Biodiversity loss has been among the central topics in public, policy and scientific debate for several decades. While its accelerating pace and impacts are well recognized, translating the vast amounts of biodiversity data into reliable indicators that can inform policy remains a challenge, requiring considerable time and technical effort. To help address this, the EU project B-Cubed developed automated and interoperable data pipelines that were tested via case studies. The B-Cubed Legacy Booklet is available on Zenodo.

Biodiversity data are accumulating at an extraordinary rate, yet the information needed to understand ecological change often remains fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult to convert into policy. Researchers can now access millions of records describing where species have been observed, when they were recorded, and under what environmental conditions. However, transforming these observations into reliable measurements […]

The descriptions of the two new additions to the European snail fauna, named Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido, have been published in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal.

Two newly described land-snail species have expanded Europe’s known Cochlostoma fauna, according to a new open-access study published in Biodiversity Data Journal. The species—Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido—are tiny, conical snails about 6 mm long, living on limestone rock faces where they graze algae and lichens. Unlike most terrestrial snails, these species position their eyes […]

A new study led by Japanese researchers from Tohoku University and the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) reveals that some of the minerals most essential for green technologies may have a significant negative impact on biodiversity. Using remote sensing and machine learning, the scientists produced an unprecedented global map of mined commodities.

Biological invasions pose serious threats to biodiversity, ecosystem function, economies, and human health (1). Live seafood trading is a major pathway for the introduction of non-native and invasive species (2–5). Although existing local and global frameworks align with international treaties, regulations are often outdated, weakly enforced, and inconsistent across countries (6–9). To address these gaps, a more robust and coordinated approach is needed to reinforce existing biosecurity protocols.

A new study reveals that human activities have fundamentally reshaped biodiversity patterns on islands across the globe, with important implications for how scientists understand ecology, evolution and conservation.

A new study identifying the ecological conditions needed for biodiversity offsetting to achieve conservation goals could provide important guidance for governments and industries as they expand biodiversity net gain (BNG) and nature restoration policies. The research is published in the journal Conservation Biology.

Wildlife protection frameworks in both the EU and the UK need stronger and more consistent implementation—and must recognize animals as "individuals capable of experiencing suffering," rather than mere ecological assets.

Biodiversity doesn’t boost ecosystem productivity in the same way everywhere when climate extremes hit. A new global synthesis draws on 75 long-term biodiversity experiments and finds that the payoff for having more species depends strongly on where—or how—drought intensifies. The strongest benefits emerge in more-arid grasslands during years of extreme drought. Under these conditions, diverse […]

When extreme drought strikes, drier grasslands receive the greatest productivity benefit from biodiversity. By contrast, forests did not show the same context-dependent pattern under drought, according to a new global synthesis of 75 biodiversity experiments. Researchers from Yokohama National University published their results in Nature Ecology & Evolution on July 15.

Agriculture and biodiversity restoration do not have to be at odds. A new study by the WILD research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and UCLouvain, published in the journal Biological Conservation, demonstrates that agriwilding—a form of nature-inclusive farming—can successfully combine food production with biodiversity restoration.

Incheon Metropolitan City held the ‘EAAFP (East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership) 20th Anniversary Commemorative Event and International Forum’ at Gyeongwonjae by Walkerhill for two days starting on July 14.The event was attended by a large number of experts from domestic and foreign government

An environmental group is petitioning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to uphold the Trump administration’s MAHA mandate and add cancer warning labels on all pesticides. CropLife America President and CEO Alexandra Dunn tells Brownfield she’s concerned that approach could dilute the impact of cancer statements. “It is almost always for something called a restricted-use pesticide, […] The post Center for Biological Diversity pushing EPA to require cancer labels on pesticides appeared first on Brownfield Ag News.

New research by the University of Oxford and the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University has revealed that most biodiversity commitments made by large, influential companies are not precise enough to enable society to evaluate whether they are making progress toward meeting their commitments. The results have been published in One Earth.

A recent study reveals geographic biases in how aquatic animals have been tracked and researched across the globe, with a preference toward politically stable, English-speaking countries with high conservation funding. Researchers are sounding the alarm in the hope of ensuring biodiversity hotspots elsewhere in the world are not left understudied.

Scottish farmers and crofters are trialling a new app to cut the burden of biodiversity audits and help them meet future payment rules. N...

A new scientific review outlines how satellites and other remote sensing technologies are increasingly shaping how biodiversity and ecosystem health can be monitored at scale—offering new opportunities for countries reporting under international nature targets, while also underscoring important limitations.

A comprehensive study of more than 1,100 springs in the American West warns that critical biodiversity hot spots are facing a mounting extinction crisis.

The DNA in a single cup of water can track wildlife, monitor pollution and survey pathogens in waterways and their surroundings, all at the same time.

A hardy aquarium fish prized for its golden hue, the ornamental Flowerhorn cichlid (Amphilophus spp.) has become a problem for the residents of San Pablo City, Laguna: It is increasingly taking on an outsized role in both the natural ecosystem and local aquaculture operations in nearby Lake Sampaloc.

No rodents were found aboard. The confined vessel, carrying 147 people from 23 countries, became an unexpected amplifier of person‑to‑person transmission.

Global biodiversity is in crisis, with wild vertebrate populations declining by 69% since 1970 (1). At the same time, advances in high-throughput genetic sequencing and an increase in international collaborations have shifted biodiversity research toward data-intensive paradigms, in which single studies may now involve thousands of specimens and large quantities of species-level data (2). But must biodiversity breakthroughs depend on substantial biological sampling? In our opinion, the answer is no. Instead, we believe that study sample size should be determined on the basis of scientific justifications.

In the intricate networks that sustain life on Earth, biodiversity stands as a crucial determinant of ecosystem resilience and functionality. A recent groundbreaking study published in Nature reveals that the complexity of food webs, encompassing multiple trophic levels, plays a fundamental role in modulating the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This work transcends traditional […]

For millennia, farming in Switzerland did not reduce plant diversity but helped increase it, University of Basel researchers have shown in a detailed reconstruction covering the past 7,000 years. Only recent decades paint a different picture.

Long-term conservation policies may help restore freshwater ecosystems and prevent extreme species loss, new research suggests.

A global analysis of fish biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA) reveals how human activity and climate influence biodiversity patterns in river ecosystems. An international research team led by the University of Zurich, Eawag and Yunnan University has found that in warmer climates, biodiversity accumulation is more pronounced as river catchment size increases, while human activities weaken this relationship. The work is published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

The Center for Biological Diversity has sued USDA to release records about potential behind-the-scenes interests of President Donald Trump’s executive order to increase production of glyphosate.

The Center for Biological Diversity has sued USDA to release records about potential behind-the-scenes interests of President Donald Trump’s executive order to increase production of glyphosate.

Organic farming has shown the strongest evidence of delivering Defra’s environmental goals in a major government-backed review. The revie...

Aquatic fungi are microorganisms that play a key role in the ecological balance of rivers. They help decompose organic matter, degrade contaminants and are part of the nutrient and energy cycle in freshwater ecosystems. Despite their ecological importance, a study published in the journal Freshwater Biology warns that the biodiversity and biological functions of these microorganisms in these natural environments are at risk due to rising temperatures, prolonged dry periods and the loss of riparian vegetation caused by climate change.

A new genomic study by researchers from the HKU School of Biological Sciences (SBS) has found that Hong Kong's introduced population of yellow-crested cockatoos retains unexpectedly high genetic diversity and could serve as a genetic reservoir for this critically endangered species. Published in Evolutionary Applications, the study also underpins a new conservation initiative with local schools to install artificial nest boxes and monitor this rare urban population.

Many young adults are familiar with common species such as dandelions or sparrows. In contrast, plants and birds typical of fields, meadows and other agricultural habitats are significantly less well known. This is shown by a new study from the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) published in the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. For the study, the research team surveyed 463 adults of various age groups in an agricultural region of Germany. The results suggest that knowledge of typical agricultural landscape species is declining, particularly among younger generations.

An international research team, which included University of Tartu visiting doctoral student Wen-Gang Zhang and Professor of Botany Meelis Pärtel, has found a new solution to one of ecology's long-standing controversies—Darwin's naturalization conundrum, which addresses the question of why some species successfully establish in a new habitat while others do not. The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A study carried out by scientists from Ifremer, IRD, the universities of Western Brittany (UBO) and Bordeaux, CNRS, and the University of Tartu (Estonia) reveals the impact of nickel mining on the coastal ecosystems of New Caledonia. Published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, this research shows that starting in the 1950s, the mechanization of mining operations led to a sharp increase in sediment inputs into the Thio Lagoon and a disruption of microbial communities that persists to this day.

Scientists who study plant physiology and evolution have a new tool in their toolkit: a machine learning algorithm that can scan digital plant specimen collections and quickly measure leaf size and thickness.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Pollinator habitat restoration, honeybee conservation and sustainable weed management are essential tools for building thriving ecosystems and successful farm operations. Join the Organic Association of Kentucky OAK) at the Kentucky State University’s Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm for a hands-on farm tour on July 7 from 9 a.m. to noon […] The post Blooms, Bees and Biodiversity for Thriving Farms appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

The Arctic is witnessing a profound transformation as accelerating glacier melt from Greenland and the Russian High Arctic fuels a sharp increase in iceberg production. Recent scientific research has unveiled how this surge in iceberg traffic is reshaping benthic ecosystems across the Arctic seafloor, altering habitat structures and biodiversity in ways previously unrecognized. These changes […]

Financial markets are blind to the economic costs of biodiversity loss, leaving several countries at risk of defaulting on debt, according to new research published in Nature. While environmental degradation is recognized as a serious financial risk, sovereign debt markets currently have no way of accounting for it, leaving US$83 trillion in assets open to mispricing.

In the complex quest to harmonize economic development with environmental sustainability, governments and international organizations have long grappled with what often seems like competing priorities. Economic growth frequently appears to come at the cost of natural resource depletion and environmental degradation. However, spectacular new research published in the renowned journal Science challenges this perceived dichotomy, […]

National governments and multilateral institutions face difficult challenges reconciling environmental goals, such as biodiversity conservation and addressing climate change, with economic development goals. In a first-of-its-kind analysis done for 146 countries around the world, an interdisciplinary research team led by researchers at the University of Minnesota has found large potential gains in biodiversity, climate and economic development from improved land use and land management. The findings are published in Science.

Forest restoration can help fight climate change and restore lost biodiversity, but the satellite-based techniques used to measure successful forest restoration have been less-than-helpful for measuring changes in biodiversity. Instead, a team of researchers listened to the sounds of life in the restored forests. Their new study, published in Global Change Biology, reveals that forest restoration efforts in Costa Rica seem to be working to both regrow forests and restore lost biodiversity.

Newly created grassland habitats that compensate for nature lost to development can effectively support wild pollinators like bees and hoverflies, according to a first of its kind study in the Netherlands. The findings are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

As the world accelerates towards a sustainable future, Norway finds itself at a pivotal crossroads where expanding renewable energy infrastructure is imperative to meet rising electricity demands. A recent comprehensive study led by Jan Borgelt, a postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), in collaboration with SINTEF and the Norwegian Institute […]

International trade has benefited food security and biodiversity by leveraging the comparative advantages of countries (1), but the role of international trade stability in safeguarding ecosystems is often overlooked. Volatile food trade policies such as trade bans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (2), export restrictions related to the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (3), and import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration (4) have reshaped the food supply chain, leading to cascading effects on biodiversity loss through agricultural production (5), land use change (6), and natural resource use (7). Prioritizing trade policy stability and clarifying its connection to biodiversity conservation can offer a pathway toward improving both food security and ecological resilience.

Ecologists theorize that removing highly connected species from ecological networks will trigger waves of coextinction, but empirical evidence is scant. We show that elephants are central to a generalized network of interactions between dung beetles and ...

Conservation efforts across Africa have historically centered on the establishment and maintenance of protected areas—national parks, wildlife reserves, and other spatially designated zones intended to safeguard biodiversity. However, a paradigm-shifting commentary recently published in Biological Diversity by ecologist Luca Luiselli contends that this reliance on fenced reserves and rigid spatial targets, such as the global […]

Cattle ranching is the biggest driver of tropical deforestation, but it is also a key livelihood for nearly 1 billion smallholder farmers. A global study by Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) shows that this tension can be eased by reintroducing trees into pastureland. Planting trees in cattle pastures nearly doubles biodiversity compared to conventional pastures. However, these plantings cannot replace the protection of native forests. The study is published in the journal Ecological Applications.

Researchers using cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) technology have uncovered far greater biodiversity in eastern Ontario waterways than traditional monitoring methods detected over more than a decade, demonstrating the transformative potential of DNA-based biomonitoring for freshwater conservation and environmental management.

Across Europe, many landscapes show strong potential to move forward climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and biodiversity benefits, with low socioeconomic risk, according to an analysis using a new climate-smart rewilding framework published in One Earth.

Researchers using cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) technology have uncovered far greater biodiversity in eastern Ontario waterways than traditional monitoring methods detected over more than a decade, demonstrating the transformative potential of DNA-based biomonitoring for freshwater conservation and environmental management.

Across Europe, emerging landscapes demonstrate remarkable promise for advancing climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and biodiversity enhancement with minimal socio-economic risk, according to groundbreaking research deploying a novel climate-smart rewilding framework. This integrated approach, introduced by researchers at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), and the EU Horizon project […]

In a compelling breakthrough for freshwater biodiversity monitoring, researchers have demonstrated that environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding offers a transformative leap over traditional biomonitoring methods. Led by Dr. Mehrdad Hajibabaei at the University of Guelph’s Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, this pioneering study applied cutting-edge DNA sequencing techniques to assess ecological diversity in eastern Ontario’s waterways, revealing […]

Researchers from the University of Rhode Island are contributing to an international effort to document life on Indonesia's remote tropical seamounts—underwater mountains rising from the ocean floor that can host diverse deep-sea communities.

In tropical forests, much of the biodiversity can be heard before it is seen. Birds call, insects buzz and frogs croak, creating complex soundscapes that reflect the presence of different species.

For decades, environmental debates have been framed around a stark trade-off: economic growth lifts people out of poverty but comes at the expense of forests, wildlife, and climate stability. More people and richer diets mean more farmland and less nature.

Researchers have developed a model that identifies prime farmland, habitats critical for biodiversity and areas suitable for solar

A new article in the journal BioScience argues that the stewardship practices of Indigenous Peoples and other place-based knowledge holders have been systematically underrepresented in both conservation research and international policy along with the knowledge holders and practitioners themselves—and that correcting this imbalance is essential to more effective and equitable biodiversity governance.

Researchers have developed a model that identifies prime farmland, habitats critical for biodiversity and areas suitable for solar development in New York, to help communities minimize land-use conflicts when making solar siting decisions.

Why biodiversity lessons depend on teachers’ connection to nature. Continue reading Teaching biodiversity: When personal experience shapes the classroom on Tech Explorist.

Even large and conspicuous insects remain unknown to science. This is highlighted by a new study from the Natural History Museum Denmark, where researchers have discovered and described 61 new species within the rove beetle genus Platydracus.

A groundbreaking taxonomic revision of the rove beetle genus Platydracus within the Chinese fauna has recently been published in the esteemed journal Insect Systematics and Diversity. This comprehensive work unveils more than a hundred documented species, with over half being entirely new to science. The study rewrites our understanding of beetle biodiversity in this region […]

Scientists uncover the largest coral reef expansion in 100 million years. Continue reading Giant ancient reefs helped shape today’s marine biodiversity on Tech Explorist.

To effectively protect biodiversity in an era of climate change, ecologists first have to know where animal and plant species are located and then be able to predict what habitats will be available to them in the future. To help them in these tasks, the scientists use species distribution models that identify species' habitats from observational data and climate scenarios.

In an extraordinary venture into one of Earth’s most inaccessible frontiers, a pioneering study led by Dr. Emily Broadwell, a University of Bristol PhD scholar, has dramatically expanded our understanding of the microscopic ecosystems flourishing amid the snow and ice of the remote Signy Island in the Antarctic. This research unveils a surprisingly diverse and […]

Henderson Land Development secured the first biodiversity loan in Hong Kong, receiving around HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) from HSBC and Hang Seng Bank for green initiatives at Central Yards, the company’s flagship mixed-use development on the New Central Harbourfront. This loan would provide a “scalable blueprint” for companies to achieve their sustainability goals and enhance Hong Kong’s position as a leading international sustainable finance centre, according to the two banks. The...

A new study of the British Isles' coastal ecosystems has revealed that nitrogen enrichment is significantly reducing the abundance and variety of marine life. The research, published by scientists at Swansea University and the charity Project Seagrass, warns that increasing nutrient flows are overriding local habitat conditions to restructure and deplete coastal biodiversity. The work is published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation.

While the world is a big place, humans are making greater and greater demands on the same areas of land. "This means that, unless we use the same land to serve multiple needs and coordinate this effort through planning, it is unlikely that we will have enough land for conservation, food and energy," said Grace Wu, a professor in UC Santa Barbara's Environmental Studies Program.

A new report from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) warns that biodiversity loss, alongside climate shocks and geopolitical conflict, is disrupting our food system, risking catastrophic impacts for the financial system and for society as a whole.

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

Around the world, people plan to plant more than 1 trillion trees this decade in an ambitious effort to slow climate change and reduce biodiversity loss. But if the past is prolonged, many of those planted trees won't survive. And if they do, they could end up as biological deserts that lack the richness and resilience of healthy forests.

April 26 marks the 40th anniversary of the explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The accident caused the largest ever release of radioactive material into the environment, and at the time people predicted that the affected area would be rendered uninhabitable, devoid of life for thousands of years. But the reality is quite different.

The Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025–2034) has begun (1), but international and regional guidelines for managing glacier ecosystems are lacking. In the European Union (EU), the only legislative tool that acknowledges glaciers as a protected habitat is the EU Habitats Directive (2), but even that does not fully take into account glacier biodiversity and its complexity (3). The absence of legally mandated biodiversity monitoring in these environments is unacceptable in the face of irreversible loss.

In the Philippines, Indigenous communities have been harvesting wild honey for centuries. A new chemical analysis of this honey now provides insights into the biodiversity of the region. "And an additional reason to protect the national tree properly," says lecturer Merlijn van Weerd of the Centre for Environmental Sciences (CML).

Climate change is making Canada's seasons more erratic, its weather more extreme and its ecosystems less predictable—and UBC Okanagan scientists have now produced the first national map of exactly where that unpredictability is hitting hardest. Their findings, published in Communications Earth & Environment, reveal a troubling mismatch: the regions best shielded from climate chaos are among the least protected by Canada's national network of parks and conservation areas.

Oceanographers from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa discovered that microbial communities—from the sunlit surface to extreme depths—in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre exhibit robust seasonal cycles. The study provides new insight into how high levels of biodiversity are maintained in the open ocean. The research is published in The ISME Journal.

The Darwin Tree of Life Project: Transforming Biology and Boosting the UK Economy Through Genomic Science In a landmark collaboration uniting prominent institutions such as the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Natural History Museum, and numerous research partners across the UK and Ireland, the ambitious Darwin Tree of Life Project seeks to sequence the genomes of […]

Sequencing the DNA of all complex life in the UK and Ireland could generate up to almost £3 billion for the economy across agriculture, conservation, and research over the next 30 years, according to a new report.

Marine biodiversity underpins the functioning of ocean ecosystems and the services they provide to humanity. Paradoxically, despite our profound dependency on biodiversity, we are driving its rapid decline and we find ourselves asking the question of whether we, as a society, have the tools to address it. The fate of marine biodiversity thus lies largely at the intersection of science, policy, society, and industry. All these sectors rely on knowledge to support our economic, cultural, social, and environmental well-being. Knowledge comes from transforming data into usable and actionable information, and data are derived from sustained observations which are driven by requirements of policy, society, industry and science. This interconnectedness across sectors represents both an opportunity for improved coordination toward sustainable development, and a challenge as potential competing priorities are negotiated. Each of these sectors plays a critical role in developing tools to help

Halting and reversing the global decline in biodiversity is now urgent to avoid destabilizing Earth's vital systems that support human well-being. That's the stark message of a new paper published today in Frontiers in Science. The authors warn that without protecting remaining intact biomes and ecosystems, climate and development goals will be impossible to achieve.

Tropical rainforests are home to almost two-thirds of all vertebrate species and three-quarters of all tree species: they are the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. However, over half of these diverse rainforests have already been cleared, and their area continues to decline drastically, primarily for agricultural purposes. Is there a chance of regeneration, and can not only trees but also the unique diversity of thousands of animal species return to cleared areas?

Scientists have warned that a new UK Government report on global biodiversity loss and national security risks distorting evidence and driving ineffective policy by framing ecological degradation and its impacts on migration as a security threat. The report, "Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security," was published in early 2026 and argues that accelerating biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse pose mounting security threats to the UK.

Scientists exploring Saudi Arabia’s desert soils have discovered resilient microbial enzymes that could transform drug manufacturing. These glycosyltransferases, shaped by extreme conditions, may enable more efficient, stable, and flexible bioprocessing for complex biologics. The post Redefining Bioprocessing Using Reservoirs of Biochemical Diversity appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Deep within the lush expanse of the Chocó tropical rainforest in northwestern Ecuador, a groundbreaking study is reshaping how scientists understand ecological recovery after disturbance. This research, emerging from the Canandé and Tesoro Escondido reserves, employs a meticulous chronosequence approach, providing a novel window into how complex rainforest ecosystems regenerate over time after human land […]

A new study published in the Biodiversity Data Journal provides a profound look at life up to nearly 10 kilometers below the ocean's surface in the Japan, Ryukyu, and Izu-Ogasawara trenches. The research catalogs at least 108 distinct organism groups (morphotaxa), including the deepest-ever observation of a fish and a baffling, unidentified animal that has left global taxonomic experts stumped.

Diverse soil microbial communities may help suppress pathogens naturally, acting as a biological barrier against their establishment and spread, according to a new study. Professor Brajesh Singh, from The University of Western Australia's School of Agriculture and Environment and Institute of Agriculture, was lead author of the study published in Cell Host & Microbe, which examined human pathogens in soils.

There is a closing 20-year window in which decisions on climate and land use will determine the fate of dozens of native birds, butterflies and plants across Great Britain, which is already one of the most nature-depleted countries globally. That is the warning in a new study led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), which, for the first time, predicts how different combined environmental changes would affect the survival of species within 1km square areas across the country.

Taxonomic endemism and phylogenetic endemism are both important measures of biodiversity. The former describes the number of distinct species found nowhere else, whereas the latter shows the amount of evolutionary branch length unique to a particular area. A comprehensive phylogeny provides the essential evolutionary framework for delineating centers of paleo- and neo-endemism across both measures.

A Critical Two-Decade Window to Safeguard British Biodiversity Amid Climate and Land Use Change In an unprecedented examination of Britain’s ecological future, a recent study by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) has illuminated a narrow twenty-year window during which key decisions on climate policy and land management will decisively shape the survival […]

For decades, scientists have observed a clear pattern across the natural world: biodiversity tends to be higher near the equator and lower toward the poles. Known as the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG), this trend holds across ecosystems—from forests to oceans—and across life forms, from bacteria and plants to animals.

A groundbreaking international study has illuminated a critical yet overlooked factor in the conservation of avian biodiversity within fragmented tropical forests: the quality of the surrounding landscape matrix. Traditionally, ecological models have treated fragmented forest remnants as isolated ‘islands’, with species richness predicted primarily by fragment size and isolation distance. However, this new research underscores […]