From the BBC Obama push to expand Alaskan refuge US President Barack Obama is to propose setting aside the majority of Alaska’s national wildlife refuge as a wilderness area. This would halt the possibility of fossil fuel exploration in the refuge’s potentially oil-rich coastal plain. The proposal drew an angry … Continue reading
News from Elsewhere… … media reports from around the world, found by BBC Monitoring Japan: Feral cat adoption planned to save seabirds Cat lovers are being asked to help save seabirds in Japan by giving new homes to feral kittens, it’s reported. About 90% of the streaked shearwater seabird … Continue reading
Conservation concern for UK insects By Helen Briggs BBC Environment Correspondent More than 30 British insect species have been newly classified as in danger of extinction, due to pollution and habitat loss. Members of two groups of insects have been placed on the official “red list” of endangered … Continue reading
By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent, San Jose Satellites track snail disease risk Scientists are tracking snails from space in a bid to combat the spread of parasitic disease in Africa. The satellite information is being used to predict where infections are likely to occur, enabling health agencies to better … Continue reading
Plan Bee: New measures to protect pollinators By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News The British government has made an agreement with landowners including Network Rail and the Highways Agency to restore bee-friendly habitat throughout England. It is part of a 10-year National Pollinator Strategy. But some conservation groups say … Continue reading
A new type of refugee, wildlife refugees – 35,000 walrus – the largest ever recorded on land. Morgan Erickson-Davis, mongabay.com Additional material Mike Searle A mass of thousands of walruses were spotted hauled up on land in northwest Alaska during NOAA aerial surveys earlier this week. An estimated 35,000 walrus … Continue reading
The Arctic ice we all depend on is disappearing. Fast. In the last 30 years, we’ve lost as much as three-quarters of the floating sea ice cover at the top of the world. The volume of that sea ice measured by satellites in the summer, when it reaches its … Continue reading
Living planet index From WWF Global The state of the world’s biodiversity appears worse than ever. Population sizes of vertebrate species measured by the LPI have halved over the last 40 years. The Living Planet Index (LPI), which measures trends in thousands of vertebrate species populations, shows a decline of … Continue reading
The Living Planet Report From the WWF Global The Living Planet Report is the world’s leading, science-based analysis on the health of our planet and the impact of human activity. Knowing we only have one planet, WWF believes that humanity can make better choices that translate into clear benefits for … Continue reading
World wildlife populations halved in 40 year By Roger Harrabin BBC environment analyst The global loss of species is even worse than previously thought, the London Zoological Society (ZSL) says in its new Living Planet Index. The report suggests populations have halved in 40 years, as new methodology gives more … Continue reading
