Biodiversity

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Banned pesticides – experts including Wildlife Trusts react

January 2021 The three most commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides were banned entirely for agricultural use in 2018 by the EU, a decision that the UK government supported. This decision was the culmination of decades of scientific research showing beyond doubt that these insecticides were harming bees and other wild insects, and more generally were polluting soils, leaching in to freshwater systems, and contaminating wildflowers and hedgerow shrubs. Neonicotinoids are harmful to insect life in miniscule amounts; for example just one...

‘Humans must live in harmony with Nature’ – biodiversity summit told

Make Bold Environmental Action Central Focus of Post Pandemic Economic Recovery, Speakers Urge as General Assembly Holds First Ever Global Biodiversity Summit The COVID‑19 pandemic is a wake‑up call to the world to halt an alarming decline in its rich biological diversity, but it is also a unique opportunity to put bold and ambitious environmental action at the heart of national post‑coronavirus economic recovery strategies as the international community strives to fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals, speakers said today as...

Wildlife in ‘catastrophic decline’

Wildlife populations have fallen by more than two-thirds in less than 50 years, according to a major report by the conservation group WWF. The report says this “catastrophic decline” shows no sign of slowing. And it warns that nature is being destroyed by humans at a rate never seen before. Wildlife is “in freefall” as we burn forests, over-fish our seas and destroy wild areas, says Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF. “We are wrecking our world – the one...

Invasive species threat to World Heritage

A new paper indicates that impacts on natural World Heritage sites from invasive alien species, such as house mice, Argentine ants and rainbow trout, may be greater than previously assessed. It presents results of a proposed framework tested in seven affected sites, recording the presence of more invasive alien species in almost all cases. The authors, a team of international scientists including from IUCN, call for improved monitoring and reporting as a first step towards more effective protection. Natural World...

New marine mammal areas in Southern Ocean

13 Important Marine Mammal Areas approved in the Southern Ocean, one of the world’s richest marine mammal areas The new IMMAs in the Extended Southern Ocean Region feature habitats for species such as humpback, minke, blue, southern right and fin whales, as well as crabeater, leopard, Weddell, Ross, southern fur and southern elephant seals, New Zealand sea lions and killer whales. “This work will serve to shine a light on the parts of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean which are...

Natural world Heritage

They are a ‘litmus test’ to protect biodiversity •    Natural World Heritage sites are globally recognised as the most significant protected areas on Earth.•    These sites provide life-supporting benefits to millions of people – 90% of sites provide jobs, two-thirds are crucial sources of water and about half help prevent natural disasters such as floods or landslides.•    Natural World Heritage sites are under increasing pressure from climate change, infrastructure development, mining, poaching and other threats. •    To protect sites from threats, investment in their protection and management is urgently needed. Closely monitoring the...