News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

Protecting piping plovers

Without considering a growing predator population, counting methods may not accurately predict future plover population sizes.

Gran Chaco: Biodiversity at high risk

Immediate conservation activities could secure habitats in South America’s largest tropical dry forest

Habitat fragmentation a bigger threat to Chile’s güiña wildcat than persecution by humans

Research by conservationists at the University of Kent has found that habitat fragmentation, and the subdivision of large farms into smaller ones, are the biggest threats facing the güiña wildcat in Chile.

Scouting the eagles - Proof at last: protecting nests aids reproduction

Reproduction among bald eagles in a remote national park in Minnesota was aided when their nests were protected from human disturbance.

The road to recovery: Closing roads counters effects of habitat loss for grizzly bears

It’s simple math, says scientist Clayton Lamb. The closer grizzly bears are to humans, the more ways there are for bears to die. Put more simply, more roads equals fewer grizzly bears.

Degrading coral reefs bad news for commercial fishing

The degradation of coral reef fisheries is bad for fisheries in the long term, a new study published in Journal of Applied Ecology reveals.

Dolphin and bear studies have paved the way to improved population forecasting

A new article challenges the validity of current methods for forecasting the persistence of slow-growing species for conservation purposes.

Physical contact may be good for your health, according to new research

Red-bellied lemurs maintain gut health through touching and ‘huddling’ each other, a new study published in Journal of Animal Ecology shows.

Study finds ways to avoid hidden dangers of accumulated stresses on seagrass

A new study has found ways to detect hidden dangers of repeated stresses on seagrass using statistical modelling.

2017 book prize awarded to behavioural ecologist Professor Tim Clutton-Brock

Our annual Marsh Book of the Year Award has been given to Professor Tim Clutton-Brock from Cambridge’s Zoology Department, recognising his book Mammal Societies for its influence on the science and application of ecology.

Peer Review Week: Transparency in Review

A round-up of all our activities from the publications team for Peer Review Week 2017.

Author and Reviewer Survey Results

2016 Author and Reviewer Survey Results

Joint ‘Virtual Issue’ with the Ecological Society of America

To coincide with the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) Annual Meeting, which will be held from 6-11 August 2017 in Portland, we are launching our first cross-society, cross-journal virtual issue through our common publishing partner Wiley.

Press Release: Know your enemy - Exposing threatened species to predators improves evasive behaviours

A study of burrowing bettongs shows how exposing threatened species to small numbers of predators in the wild teaches them how to avoid their enemies.

Press Release: Choice of winter cover crop mixture steers summer crop yield

New research shows that the productivity of a next main crop can be manipulated through the choice of species in a preceding winter cover crop mixture.