Category Archives: Conservation
How can we adapt conservation to climate change?
The report of the joint Natural England – BES meeting on ‘Adapting Conservation to a Changing Climate‘ has been published. This meeting took place over two days in January 2011 and saw over 120 policy-makers, ecologists and conservation practitioners attend … Continue reading
A paradigm shift? 12 months in ecology
An incredibly diverse and busy programme of sessions at the BES Annual Meeting this year means that I am only now able to find the time to report on Prof. Bill Sutherland’s Monday afternoon plenary; ‘Twelve months in Ecology’. Since … Continue reading
BES publishes report of our ‘Making Space for Nature’ meeting
Today the BES has published our report of the Conservation Ecology Special Interest Group’s meeting into ‘Making Space for Nature’, examining the ecological issues raised by the Lawton Review, and other current topics in nature conservation. Main points raised by … Continue reading
How much of the world should we protect for nature?
The Zoological Society of London is inviting responses from the public to a short online survey asking ‘how much of the world should we protect for nature?’ The results of the survey will be presented by the ZSL to policy-makers … Continue reading
EU cuts threaten wildlife conservation on agricultural land
Scientists fear cuts to the EU budget could threaten the continued persistence of wildlife on agricultural landscapes. Up to £400 million worth of funding provided through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could be stopped as a result of government spending … Continue reading
The state of our oceans
A panel of scientists has today concluded that the planets oceans are in an even worse state that previously considered, with some referring to the results as “shocking”. The report, written by experts on coral reefs, fisheries, climate and pollution … Continue reading
The Natural Choice: Securing the Value of Nature
This week Defra released the highly anticipated Natural Environment White Paper titled ‘The Natural Choice: Securing the Value of Nature’, outlining Government’s vision for the future of landscapes and ecosystem services. The paper emphasises that although we know the environment … Continue reading
The UK National Ecosystem Assessment
The UK National Ecosystem Assessment has been released today, and is the first independent, peer reviewed, in detail assessment of the state and value of the UK’s natural environment and ecosystem services. Both scientists and economists were involved in the … Continue reading
EU announces new strategy to achieve 2020 biodiversity targets
The European commission yesterday proposed a new strategy to achieve the 2020 biodiversity targets by incorporating the valuation of natural capital. The new strategy, which is based on a report by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), states that … Continue reading
National Trust commence Badger TB vaccination programme
The announcement of a badger TB vaccination trial on the National Trust’s Killerton Estate has been welcomed by both farmers and local environmental groups. The four year programme which will commence this May aims to show that vaccination is a … Continue reading