News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

Researchers become DNA detectives to gather forensic evidence to aid rhino poaching prosecutions

Researchers use DNA markers to provide forensic evidence for poaching cases involving the Indian rhino.

More frequent and extreme marine heatwaves likely to threaten starfish

Common starfish cannot survive amplified marine heatwaves projected at the end of the century and experience lasting negative effects from current heatwaves, according to new research.

Characterising wildlife consumers to guide behaviour change efforts provides optimism amid the Asian Songbird Extinction Crisis

Novel research has identified three main groups within the Indonesian songbird owner community: ‘hobbyist’, ‘contestant’ and ‘breeder’.

Understanding traditional Chinese medicine can help protect species

Demystifying traditional Chinese medicine for conservationists could be the key to better protecting endangered species like pangolins, tigers and rhino, according to University of Queensland-led researchers.

Snow Leopard researchers call for ethical standards for wildlife camera trapping

New research explores the ethical and legal responsibilities of capturing humans on wildlife camera traps.

Stirling research evaluates effectiveness of conservation efforts

New research from the University of Stirling into the effectiveness of international conservation projects could help to save endangered species from extinction.

Opportunities for Implementing Biodiversity Net Gain in Scotland

This event ‘Pie and a Pie’ event was jointly held online by the British Ecological Society (BES) Scottish Policy Group (SPG) and Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).

Saving your data together helps bird research

Researchers publish the first scientific paper from the SPI-Birds network, a large‐scale initiative connecting data on wild populations of birds.

New knowledge on how climate affects pendulous lichens in northern forests

Research from Umeå University explains how traits in pale lichens allow them to thrive in wet climates.

Mountain gorillas are good neighbours – up to a point

Mountain gorilla groups are friendly to familiar neighbours – provided they stay out of "core" parts of their territory – new research shows.

Bumblebee queens migrate for hundreds of kilometres

New research shows that bumblebee queens don’t always remain in the same place, but cover distances up to hundreds of kilometres.

Vanilla cultivation under trees promotes pest regulation

Researchers have used dummy prey to investigate the activity of natural pest predators in Madagascan vanilla plantations, finding this pest control to be advantageous for agricultural cultivation.

A new lens on an old problem: changing data resolution provides new insights for alien species management

In a new study, researchers from SANParks and the Centre for Invasion Biology demonstrate how changing the resolution of data used in alien species management can revolutionize how we manage them.

Early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon take the brunt of sea lion predation on the Columbia

A University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries study has found that recovering sea lion populations have the largest negative effect on early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River.

How top predators and fisheries can survive on the same prey

New research determines the amount of prey required for marine top predators to thrive, improving fisheries management.