Expert insights. Personalized for you.
[link] by Garry Peterson Ecosystem services for poverty alleviation ( ESPA ) is an exciting new research programme funded by a consortium of development and science agencies in the UK. I’m on ESPA’s international advisory board and they asked me for some thoughts on the ecosystem service science. The success of this idea has lead to many “payment for ecosystem service” schemes, which are now being implemented or are being discussed. MORE
Rotenone, applied in modern fisheries management at less than 100 parts per billion , has never been seen to harm a human, wild mammal, bird or reptile or to permanently affect an aquatic ecosystem except to restore it. “Conservation” is no longer enough. Instead of just saving what’s left we need to restore what’s lost. Only in the last half century or so have Americans begun to appreciate fish as having a function beyond bending rods and posing prettily on platters. MORE
Biodiversity was high on the agenda in Mexico when the country hosted the 13 th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) last month. At the same time, the FAMM has become a key player in the water scene in Monterrey, being entrusted with the preparation of a State Water Plan for Nuevo Leon, integrating both built infrastructure (water retention dams, inter-basin transfers) and its natural counterpart (well-functioning ecosystems with native forests). MORE
I hate that new stuff : Are novel ecosystems cheapening restoration policies? Fewer than 5% of papers in the top 20 conservation biology journals are open access. Conservation Biology). Woodpeckers pound their heads repeatedly with no ill effects. What can we learn from them? Photo credit: Flickr user Andrew Morffew via a Creative Commons 2.0 license. By Marty Downs, Bob Lalasz, Matt Miller, Lisa Feldkamp and Cara Byington of the TNC Science Communications team. MORE
You reach the floating station, which serves as an algal farm to capture biological fuel. Spanning points of view from limnology to human health, spirituality and metaphysics, her book touched upon the importance of good, clean “living” water for ecosystems generally and for human health specifically. NSP schematic Natural swimming pools are balanced living aquatic ecosystems, you reflect. MORE
That kind of expansive perspective is typical of Auerbach, who sculpted and studied literary criticism and molecular biology as an undergraduate. “I Most people who are diverting water to irrigate their fields aren’t interested in harming the ecosystem and spoiling our heritage. It won’t be easy, but we need to find lasting conservation solutions that acknowledge the connections between ecosystems and our economic well-being.”. “I’ve NatureNet Science Fellow Dan Auerbach. MORE
The Traveling Naturalist, our series featuring natural wonders and biological curiosities for the science-inclined wanderer. These bats are not just a tourist attraction, but also a valuable ecosystem service. The world’s largest mammal concentrations are found at Texas Hill Country bat caves, where up to 15 million bats emerge each evening. Photo: Matt Miller/TNC. By Matt Miller, senior science writer. MORE
ecosystems to function and humans to thrive. Without biodiversity in an ecosystem we would not have the many plants and animals we find in our world today, including us. Biodiversity is the “biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals.”. The different plants and animals in an environment work together to maintain balance in the ecosystem [1]. Biodiversity is what allows ecosystems to work and flourish. MORE
Biodiversity, short for biological diversity refers to the variety of life. That area can be as large as the earth itself or it can be in a very small ecosystem such as the life in and surrounding a patch of moss on a fallen tree trunk. Biodiversity and the ecosystem sustainability. Ecosystem services. Ecosystem biodiversity. How does biodiversity contribute to the sustainability of an ecosystem? Ecosystem services provided by biodiversity. MORE
Where the abyss touches the sky: A Booby and Noddy ecosystem. Birds Bird Evolutionary Biology body sizeI was looking out a car window the other day and noticed that of all the wildlife most of it was bird. I’m sure there were a lot of insects in range of my eyeballs, hiding behind leaves or camouflaged against bark as insects are wont to do. A squirrel skittered by … a squirrel is not a bird. MORE
We know that agriculture is dependent on often undervalued ecosystem services, from pollination to nutrient cycling ( Power 2010, Wratten et al. Ecosystem services in biologically diversified versus conventional farming systems: benefits, externalities, and trade-offs. Agriculture Africa Africa conservation Ecosystem Services land use pollinators SNAP MORE
Water quality indicators can provide information in several ways, such as: – Determining the stability of the ecosystem. There are also biological indicators of quality, like the presence of algae. Did you know that you can tell a lot about an area by testing the water? MORE
Her study of tourism operations – published in Conservation Biology – led to several immediate and important management changes in the marine park. NatureNet Fellows Coral Reefs disease Ecosystem Services NatureNet tourism Joleah Lamb, NatureNet Science Fellow. Photo courtesy of Joleah Lamb. By Cara Byington, Science Communications Specialist. NatureNet Fellow Joleah Lamb loves to sail, loves the ocean. So of course she loves to study coral reefs for…wait, why again? MORE
Conservation is concerned about protecting populations, species, habitats, ecosystems. And increased Nyala have overgrazed the endangered Sand Forest ecosystem in the park, and reduced cover for the Suni means that tiny antelope has been declining… In such a situation, inaction condemns a threatened ecosystem and a number of species dependent on it vulnerable to oblivion. Conservation conservation biology hunting lionsHi there. MORE
What does a field guide that covers one of the most biologically diverse countries look like? Briefly, the Pantanal “is a seasonally flooded wetland covering more than 80,000 square miles&# and the Cerrado is “a distinctive Brazilian habitat as well as one of the planet’s biologically richest savannas.&# Both are under threat from a variety of interests, and those threats and possible solutions that would allow at least some of the habitat to be conserved are discussed. MORE
Fast forward a week later and I was in Cambridge, England, along with Conservancy Chief Scientist Peter Kareiva, at an international conference organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society on the topic of synthetic biology and how it may influence the future of nature and conservation. You may already be asking yourself, just what is synthetic biology? It is but one high-profile tip of the iceberg of the vast and rapidly growing field of synthetic biology. MORE
NPR : A law passed after the Exxon Valdez oil spill requires the government to assess the biological damage from big spills so fines can be fixed and damage paid for. The National Academy of Sciences has a report describing the methods and metrics of determining the "ecosystem services" that have been lost due to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In some ways, ecosystem services valuation is a rose under a different name (here is the ecosystem valuation website ). MORE
The Chronicle of Higher Education profiles Gretchen Daily and the Natural Capital Project : No one knew exactly how the science of ecosystem services would work, beyond the idea that it would combine ecology with economics. It would be interdisciplinary in a way that conservation biology had never quite been, pulling in hydrology, geology, genetics—whatever was needed. MORE
One promising solution is Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), a system in which people are paid to protect areas of land that benefit people in a variety of ways. Farmers depend on nature to grow their crops and so have an interest in protecting nature for ecosystem services (like rich soil and clean water). That is one goal of the PES program in Costa Rica and the National Biological Corridor Program. MORE
The paper highlighted one of the biggest scientific fault lines in conservation: Can such “novel” and “hybrid” ecosystems like that lot — human-altered places that include about 36 percent of Earth’s ecosystems, everything from farms to aquaculture to the plant-colonized sides of ruined buildings — ever be restored back to their prehistoric states? They argued that the very concept of the irreversible, phase-shifted novel ecosystem is unsupported by evidence. MORE
Yet, for many interventions, that evidence base currently is less than solid, especially interventions that aim to increase the provision of ecosystem services. Here, the challenge is to translate evidence on the effects of interventions on ecosystem functions into the resulting changes in ecosystem services that directly impact people’s wellbeing ( Ringold et al. Conservation Biology 25(5):1032-1043. Conservation Biology 15:50–54. MORE
For one, people who use natural areas possess a wealth of knowledge of these ecosystems, making it a no brainer to involve local people in conservation. Michelle Venter studies whether local monitoring efforts might be just as effective as monitoring completed by professional scientists. MORE
The goal of beaver dam analogues (BDAs) is to provide short-term structural complexity that facilitates dynamic physical and biological processes. From the Field Wildlife Ecosystem Services Field Notes Mammals Resilience Restoration Water WetlandsThe Nature Conservancy is working like a beaver ( Castor canadensis ) by mimicking beaver dam building to restore streams and floodplain habitat in Montana and California. No kidding. MORE
In this model companies invest heavily in research and development and recoup the expenses through the use and enforcement of biological patents. Its seed-patenting model has been rightly criticized as biopiracy and threatens ecosystem biodiversity. pesticides greed proposition 37 genetic engineering GMO roundup Vandana Shiva Monsanto genetically modified foods David Suzuki genetically modified organisms Rachel Parent ecosystem health environment MORE
Steven Manley, a biology professor who specializes in kelp, said that “kelp forests are some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, and one thing about it is it has a large surface canopy which means it is continually exposed to the air and whatever contaminants are in it.” Ocean fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last year made it all the way to the California coast line, according to information recently released from scientists at CSU. MORE
At its most basic, the technique uses two pieces of local data — size of fish and maturity of fish — combined with existing biological information to produce a ratio of spawning potential. Fish Carmen Revenga conservation Darci Palmquist data-poor fisheries ecosystems fisheries overfishing Palau Stephen Victor MORE
By Michael Smith (Veshengro) A recent article in the New York Times about the work Stanford University biology professor Gretchen Daily is doing in Africa and Costa Rica highlights the importance of ecosystem services, or putting a value on ecosystems. and he also explained as to why we should put a price tag on ecosystem services. InVest includes coastal and marine ecosystem services. There are companies who seek to quantify ecosystems. MORE
The Right To Know Rachel Parent No matter what people might believe about GMO and its effects on ecosystem function, biological integrity and human health, enough concern has been raised to warrant clarity in product description. The evidence, in fact, is clear regarding the risk to both human health andnatural ecosystems that GMO pose. When she was twelve years old, Rachel Parent did a school project on genetically modified foods. It changed her life. That was two years ago. MORE
Against a backdrop of growing global resource demand and climate change — as well as emerging technologies, such as synthetic biology — that are wreaking philosophical havoc, finding the answers is urgent.”. Rosner believes there’s good news : “Intense disagreement persists over how best to protect the planet’s ecosystems and biodiversity. Focusing on protecting biological processes, not species or places, is a key strategy that all conservationists can agree with, she says. MORE
Zooplankton are a key element of water ecosystems as they are near the bottom of the food chain. Zooplankton are known to be disturbed by turbulence, however, a new experiment found that turbulence from boats my have an unknown number of potential impacts on water ecosystems. scientists and was recently published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. Copepods, aka zooplankton, are one of the most abundant species on Earth. MORE
City governments can contribute more to implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as the 2010 target to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss set by governments during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 is not being achieved. Cities are some of the biggest beneficiaries of biodiversity and ecosystem services, as citizens and economic activities depend on those services. MORE
Topics to be addressed include ecosystem considerations in the fishery management process as well as an examination of how social and economic considerations can be incorporated in both traditional single species and ecosystem based fishery management. MORE
In a recent peer-reviewed article in the scientific journal Conservation Biology , I propose a framework that conservation organizations can use in today’s complex world to set objectives and plan strategies to achieve them. For example, one motivation to engage in a project might be to deliver ecosystem services, such as risk reduction benefits to people, by protecting or enhancing the “nature” in certain places or types of places. (In MORE
Ensuring truly sustainable development for our growing human family depends on biological diversity and the vital goods and services it offers,” Ban said in his message to the launch event delivered on his behalf by Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, in the Japanese city of Kanazawa. In his own statement at the launch of the Decade, Mr. Akasaka stressed that stable ecosystems have the capacity to create jobs. MORE
And her thoughts immediately jumped to the seagrass ecosystems around the islands where she and her colleagues worked with collaborators at Hasanuddin University in Indonesia. It’s one more important check in the win column for the value of seagrasses, which have the dubious honor of being perhaps simultaneously the most important and the most overlooked marine ecosystem on Earth. Seagrass ecosystem in Spermonde Islands ©Joleah Lamb. NatureNet Fellows Science Update. MORE
The world celebrates our biological diversity on 22 May each year, but do we truly appreciate its value? In its latest report on ecosystem services, CIWEM champions the fundamental role of biodiversity and ecosystems to human survival and well-being. CIWEM’s new report asks governments worldwide to carry out an independent assessment of the moral and ethical implications of placing a monetary value on ecosystem services. MORE
The major disagreements of the evening came over 1) whether outlining global limits for the stable functioning of nature (as opposed to tipping points for individual ecosystems) is good science — and 2) whether “limits” are the correct approach to achieving environmental goals. Ecosystems change, but it’s not a domino effect. Our ecosystems are amazingly distinct; they can be transformed, and you can still save some. MORE
Not so…finds a study in Biology Letters analyzing famine frequency and severity in a large, cross-cultural database. Biology Letters). Why more biodiversity = more ecosystem resilience : the definitive takeout? Siberian wooly mammoth from The Ivory King. Image modified from Flickr user BioDivLibrary through a Creative Commons License. By Marty Downs, Bob Lalasz, Matt Miller and Lisa Feldkamp of the TNC Science Communications team. MORE
What we now need is a clear understanding of which biological systems offer the most feasible carbon storage opportunities and the new business models that can enable large-scale replication. We have identified three approaches that show tremendous promise, and we are working around the world to expand their scale: Preserve Healthy Ecosystems : Destruction of tropical forests is the source of 15% of current greenhouse gas emissions. MORE
That’s the question tackled by the new UN report “ Global Urbanization, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities , ” released on Friday. The report, compiled by the UN Cities and Biodiversity Outlook project, addresses potential problems with this rapid urban expansion and offers solutions that will benefit urban populations while protecting ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity. Urban ecosystems can mitigate climate change. MORE
Resolved: Ecosystem Services — for or against? Conservation Biology). The Cooler Africa conservation agouti Climate Change Copenhagen cuthroat trout Ecosystem Services jellyfish migration Dawn and dusk are the most dangerous times for agoutis, but in areas with low food resources, they have little choice. Credit: Maret Hosemann/Creative Commons. By Marty Downs, Bob Lalasz, Matt Miller, and Lisa Feldkamp of the TNC Science Communications team. MORE
This study was the first to plot MPAs alongside coastal density, finding that most MPAs are in areas far away from people, in remote ecosystems that typically have high levels of biodiversity and few conflicting demands for ocean space. MPAs of the Future: Protecting for Ecosystem Services. Most ecosystem services are coastal, and that’s where the majority of the threats are. Can MPAs help shore up all the ecosystem services on which billions of lives depend? MORE
Farming and ranching can be converted from a global environmental problem into the leading edge of an effort to avert looming biological disaster – and farmers themselves can become more productive and profitable. Ideas Agriculture Biodiversity Ecosystem Services Nature + People Ranching Research Soil Science Sustainability MORE
The region represents half of Canada’s Pacific coast and is comprised of a thousand uninhabited islands, two thousand river valleys hosting wild salmon and one of the largest unexplored, unprotected marine ecosystems on earth. Yes, abundance of life has been diminished but this coast represents a tremendous opportunity for achieving a balance between ecosystem function and health with the needs of the small human population that exists here. MORE
Environmental Economics
NOVEMBER 20, 2013
The Chronicle of Higher Education profiles Gretchen Daily and the Natural Capital Project : No one knew exactly how the science of ecosystem services would work, beyond the idea that it would combine ecology with economics. It would be interdisciplinary in a way that conservation biology had never quite been, pulling in hydrology, geology, genetics—whatever was needed.
Greentumble
AUGUST 2, 2018
Biodiversity, short for biological diversity refers to the variety of life. That area can be as large as the earth itself or it can be in a very small ecosystem such as the life in and surrounding a patch of moss on a fallen tree trunk. Biodiversity and the ecosystem sustainability. Ecosystem services. Ecosystem biodiversity. How does biodiversity contribute to the sustainability of an ecosystem? Ecosystem services provided by biodiversity.
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Green (Living) Review
OCTOBER 20, 2011
By Michael Smith (Veshengro) A recent article in the New York Times about the work Stanford University biology professor Gretchen Daily is doing in Africa and Costa Rica highlights the importance of ecosystem services, or putting a value on ecosystems. and he also explained as to why we should put a price tag on ecosystem services. InVest includes coastal and marine ecosystem services. There are companies who seek to quantify ecosystems.
Nature Conservancy - Science
AUGUST 19, 2015
Rotenone, applied in modern fisheries management at less than 100 parts per billion , has never been seen to harm a human, wild mammal, bird or reptile or to permanently affect an aquatic ecosystem except to restore it. “Conservation” is no longer enough. Instead of just saving what’s left we need to restore what’s lost. Only in the last half century or so have Americans begun to appreciate fish as having a function beyond bending rods and posing prettily on platters.
Nature Conservancy - Science
AUGUST 29, 2014
I hate that new stuff : Are novel ecosystems cheapening restoration policies? Fewer than 5% of papers in the top 20 conservation biology journals are open access. Conservation Biology). Woodpeckers pound their heads repeatedly with no ill effects. What can we learn from them? Photo credit: Flickr user Andrew Morffew via a Creative Commons 2.0 license. By Marty Downs, Bob Lalasz, Matt Miller, Lisa Feldkamp and Cara Byington of the TNC Science Communications team.
Green (Living) Review
DECEMBER 20, 2011
Ensuring truly sustainable development for our growing human family depends on biological diversity and the vital goods and services it offers,” Ban said in his message to the launch event delivered on his behalf by Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, in the Japanese city of Kanazawa. In his own statement at the launch of the Decade, Mr. Akasaka stressed that stable ecosystems have the capacity to create jobs.
Eco Friendly Daily
OCTOBER 22, 2013
Zooplankton are a key element of water ecosystems as they are near the bottom of the food chain. Zooplankton are known to be disturbed by turbulence, however, a new experiment found that turbulence from boats my have an unknown number of potential impacts on water ecosystems. scientists and was recently published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. Copepods, aka zooplankton, are one of the most abundant species on Earth.
Nature Conservancy - Science
DECEMBER 5, 2014
In a recent peer-reviewed article in the scientific journal Conservation Biology , I propose a framework that conservation organizations can use in today’s complex world to set objectives and plan strategies to achieve them. For example, one motivation to engage in a project might be to deliver ecosystem services, such as risk reduction benefits to people, by protecting or enhancing the “nature” in certain places or types of places. (In
Nature Conservancy - Science
MAY 21, 2013
Fast forward a week later and I was in Cambridge, England, along with Conservancy Chief Scientist Peter Kareiva, at an international conference organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society on the topic of synthetic biology and how it may influence the future of nature and conservation. You may already be asking yourself, just what is synthetic biology? It is but one high-profile tip of the iceberg of the vast and rapidly growing field of synthetic biology.
Nature Conservancy - Science
JULY 17, 2018
Farming and ranching can be converted from a global environmental problem into the leading edge of an effort to avert looming biological disaster – and farmers themselves can become more productive and profitable. Ideas Agriculture Biodiversity Ecosystem Services Nature + People Ranching Research Soil Science Sustainability
Nature Conservancy - Science
APRIL 11, 2013
This study was the first to plot MPAs alongside coastal density, finding that most MPAs are in areas far away from people, in remote ecosystems that typically have high levels of biodiversity and few conflicting demands for ocean space. MPAs of the Future: Protecting for Ecosystem Services. Most ecosystem services are coastal, and that’s where the majority of the threats are. Can MPAs help shore up all the ecosystem services on which billions of lives depend?
10,000 Birds
AUGUST 12, 2015
Conservation is concerned about protecting populations, species, habitats, ecosystems. And increased Nyala have overgrazed the endangered Sand Forest ecosystem in the park, and reduced cover for the Suni means that tiny antelope has been declining… In such a situation, inaction condemns a threatened ecosystem and a number of species dependent on it vulnerable to oblivion. Conservation conservation biology hunting lionsHi there.
The Green Changemakers
JANUARY 15, 2011
City governments can contribute more to implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as the 2010 target to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss set by governments during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 is not being achieved. Cities are some of the biggest beneficiaries of biodiversity and ecosystem services, as citizens and economic activities depend on those services.
Nature Conservancy - Science
FEBRUARY 17, 2017
And her thoughts immediately jumped to the seagrass ecosystems around the islands where she and her colleagues worked with collaborators at Hasanuddin University in Indonesia. It’s one more important check in the win column for the value of seagrasses, which have the dubious honor of being perhaps simultaneously the most important and the most overlooked marine ecosystem on Earth. Seagrass ecosystem in Spermonde Islands ©Joleah Lamb. NatureNet Fellows Science Update.
Nature Conservancy - Science
JANUARY 28, 2015
The paper highlighted one of the biggest scientific fault lines in conservation: Can such “novel” and “hybrid” ecosystems like that lot — human-altered places that include about 36 percent of Earth’s ecosystems, everything from farms to aquaculture to the plant-colonized sides of ruined buildings — ever be restored back to their prehistoric states? They argued that the very concept of the irreversible, phase-shifted novel ecosystem is unsupported by evidence.
The Alien Next Door
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
You reach the floating station, which serves as an algal farm to capture biological fuel. Spanning points of view from limnology to human health, spirituality and metaphysics, her book touched upon the importance of good, clean “living” water for ecosystems generally and for human health specifically. NSP schematic Natural swimming pools are balanced living aquatic ecosystems, you reflect.
Nature Conservancy - Science
JULY 26, 2013
Against a backdrop of growing global resource demand and climate change — as well as emerging technologies, such as synthetic biology — that are wreaking philosophical havoc, finding the answers is urgent.”. Rosner believes there’s good news : “Intense disagreement persists over how best to protect the planet’s ecosystems and biodiversity. Focusing on protecting biological processes, not species or places, is a key strategy that all conservationists can agree with, she says.
Nature Conservancy - Science
APRIL 26, 2016
One promising solution is Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), a system in which people are paid to protect areas of land that benefit people in a variety of ways. Farmers depend on nature to grow their crops and so have an interest in protecting nature for ecosystem services (like rich soil and clean water). That is one goal of the PES program in Costa Rica and the National Biological Corridor Program.
10,000 Birds
JULY 21, 2011
Where the abyss touches the sky: A Booby and Noddy ecosystem. Birds Bird Evolutionary Biology body sizeI was looking out a car window the other day and noticed that of all the wildlife most of it was bird. I’m sure there were a lot of insects in range of my eyeballs, hiding behind leaves or camouflaged against bark as insects are wont to do. A squirrel skittered by … a squirrel is not a bird.
The Alien Next Door
NOVEMBER 4, 2013
The Right To Know Rachel Parent No matter what people might believe about GMO and its effects on ecosystem function, biological integrity and human health, enough concern has been raised to warrant clarity in product description. The evidence, in fact, is clear regarding the risk to both human health andnatural ecosystems that GMO pose. When she was twelve years old, Rachel Parent did a school project on genetically modified foods. It changed her life. That was two years ago.
Nature Conservancy - Science
OCTOBER 7, 2013
That’s the question tackled by the new UN report “ Global Urbanization, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities , ” released on Friday. The report, compiled by the UN Cities and Biodiversity Outlook project, addresses potential problems with this rapid urban expansion and offers solutions that will benefit urban populations while protecting ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity. Urban ecosystems can mitigate climate change.
Conservancy Talk
JANUARY 6, 2017
Biodiversity was high on the agenda in Mexico when the country hosted the 13 th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) last month. At the same time, the FAMM has become a key player in the water scene in Monterrey, being entrusted with the preparation of a State Water Plan for Nuevo Leon, integrating both built infrastructure (water retention dams, inter-basin transfers) and its natural counterpart (well-functioning ecosystems with native forests).
Nature Conservancy - Science
MAY 20, 2016
The goal of beaver dam analogues (BDAs) is to provide short-term structural complexity that facilitates dynamic physical and biological processes. From the Field Wildlife Ecosystem Services Field Notes Mammals Resilience Restoration Water WetlandsThe Nature Conservancy is working like a beaver ( Castor canadensis ) by mimicking beaver dam building to restore streams and floodplain habitat in Montana and California. No kidding.
Nature Conservancy - Science
APRIL 14, 2014
Yet, for many interventions, that evidence base currently is less than solid, especially interventions that aim to increase the provision of ecosystem services. Here, the challenge is to translate evidence on the effects of interventions on ecosystem functions into the resulting changes in ecosystem services that directly impact people’s wellbeing ( Ringold et al. Conservation Biology 25(5):1032-1043. Conservation Biology 15:50–54.
Nature Conservancy - Science
JANUARY 10, 2014
Not so…finds a study in Biology Letters analyzing famine frequency and severity in a large, cross-cultural database. Biology Letters). Why more biodiversity = more ecosystem resilience : the definitive takeout? Siberian wooly mammoth from The Ivory King. Image modified from Flickr user BioDivLibrary through a Creative Commons License. By Marty Downs, Bob Lalasz, Matt Miller and Lisa Feldkamp of the TNC Science Communications team.
The Alien Next Door
SEPTEMBER 22, 2013
In this model companies invest heavily in research and development and recoup the expenses through the use and enforcement of biological patents. Its seed-patenting model has been rightly criticized as biopiracy and threatens ecosystem biodiversity. pesticides greed proposition 37 genetic engineering GMO roundup Vandana Shiva Monsanto genetically modified foods David Suzuki genetically modified organisms Rachel Parent ecosystem health environment
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 28, 2011
What does a field guide that covers one of the most biologically diverse countries look like? Briefly, the Pantanal “is a seasonally flooded wetland covering more than 80,000 square miles&# and the Cerrado is “a distinctive Brazilian habitat as well as one of the planet’s biologically richest savannas.&# Both are under threat from a variety of interests, and those threats and possible solutions that would allow at least some of the habitat to be conserved are discussed.
Nature Conservancy - Science
APRIL 24, 2014
That kind of expansive perspective is typical of Auerbach, who sculpted and studied literary criticism and molecular biology as an undergraduate. “I Most people who are diverting water to irrigate their fields aren’t interested in harming the ecosystem and spoiling our heritage. It won’t be easy, but we need to find lasting conservation solutions that acknowledge the connections between ecosystems and our economic well-being.”. “I’ve NatureNet Science Fellow Dan Auerbach.
Conservancy Talk
MARCH 4, 2016
What we now need is a clear understanding of which biological systems offer the most feasible carbon storage opportunities and the new business models that can enable large-scale replication. We have identified three approaches that show tremendous promise, and we are working around the world to expand their scale: Preserve Healthy Ecosystems : Destruction of tropical forests is the source of 15% of current greenhouse gas emissions.
Nature Conservancy - Science
FEBRUARY 5, 2015
Her study of tourism operations – published in Conservation Biology – led to several immediate and important management changes in the marine park. NatureNet Fellows Coral Reefs disease Ecosystem Services NatureNet tourism Joleah Lamb, NatureNet Science Fellow. Photo courtesy of Joleah Lamb. By Cara Byington, Science Communications Specialist. NatureNet Fellow Joleah Lamb loves to sail, loves the ocean. So of course she loves to study coral reefs for…wait, why again?
Nature Conservancy - Science
MAY 22, 2013
The Traveling Naturalist, our series featuring natural wonders and biological curiosities for the science-inclined wanderer. These bats are not just a tourist attraction, but also a valuable ecosystem service. The world’s largest mammal concentrations are found at Texas Hill Country bat caves, where up to 15 million bats emerge each evening. Photo: Matt Miller/TNC. By Matt Miller, senior science writer.
Environmental Economics
OCTOBER 4, 2011
Topics to be addressed include ecosystem considerations in the fishery management process as well as an examination of how social and economic considerations can be incorporated in both traditional single species and ecosystem based fishery management.
Nature Conservancy - Science
AUGUST 20, 2013
For one, people who use natural areas possess a wealth of knowledge of these ecosystems, making it a no brainer to involve local people in conservation. Michelle Venter studies whether local monitoring efforts might be just as effective as monitoring completed by professional scientists.
Nature Conservancy - Science
JANUARY 31, 2014
Resolved: Ecosystem Services — for or against? Conservation Biology). The Cooler Africa conservation agouti Climate Change Copenhagen cuthroat trout Ecosystem Services jellyfish migration Dawn and dusk are the most dangerous times for agoutis, but in areas with low food resources, they have little choice. Credit: Maret Hosemann/Creative Commons. By Marty Downs, Bob Lalasz, Matt Miller, and Lisa Feldkamp of the TNC Science Communications team.
Conservancy Talk
FEBRUARY 11, 2015
The region represents half of Canada’s Pacific coast and is comprised of a thousand uninhabited islands, two thousand river valleys hosting wild salmon and one of the largest unexplored, unprotected marine ecosystems on earth. Yes, abundance of life has been diminished but this coast represents a tremendous opportunity for achieving a balance between ecosystem function and health with the needs of the small human population that exists here.
Nature Conservancy - Science
OCTOBER 24, 2013
At its most basic, the technique uses two pieces of local data — size of fish and maturity of fish — combined with existing biological information to produce a ratio of spawning potential. Fish Carmen Revenga conservation Darci Palmquist data-poor fisheries ecosystems fisheries overfishing Palau Stephen Victor
Nature Conservancy - Science
DECEMBER 4, 2013
We know that agriculture is dependent on often undervalued ecosystem services, from pollination to nutrient cycling ( Power 2010, Wratten et al. Ecosystem services in biologically diversified versus conventional farming systems: benefits, externalities, and trade-offs. Agriculture Africa Africa conservation Ecosystem Services land use pollinators SNAP
Nature Conservancy - Science
MARCH 24, 2013
The major disagreements of the evening came over 1) whether outlining global limits for the stable functioning of nature (as opposed to tipping points for individual ecosystems) is good science — and 2) whether “limits” are the correct approach to achieving environmental goals. Ecosystems change, but it’s not a domino effect. Our ecosystems are amazingly distinct; they can be transformed, and you can still save some.
Environmental Economics
NOVEMBER 11, 2011
NPR : A law passed after the Exxon Valdez oil spill requires the government to assess the biological damage from big spills so fines can be fixed and damage paid for. The National Academy of Sciences has a report describing the methods and metrics of determining the "ecosystem services" that have been lost due to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In some ways, ecosystem services valuation is a rose under a different name (here is the ecosystem valuation website ).
Green (Living) Review
MAY 22, 2013
The world celebrates our biological diversity on 22 May each year, but do we truly appreciate its value? In its latest report on ecosystem services, CIWEM champions the fundamental role of biodiversity and ecosystems to human survival and well-being. CIWEM’s new report asks governments worldwide to carry out an independent assessment of the moral and ethical implications of placing a monetary value on ecosystem services.
Greentumble
JULY 1, 2018
ecosystems to function and humans to thrive. Without biodiversity in an ecosystem we would not have the many plants and animals we find in our world today, including us. Biodiversity is the “biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals.”. The different plants and animals in an environment work together to maintain balance in the ecosystem [1]. Biodiversity is what allows ecosystems to work and flourish.
Eco Friendly Daily
AUGUST 26, 2020
Water quality indicators can provide information in several ways, such as: – Determining the stability of the ecosystem. There are also biological indicators of quality, like the presence of algae. Did you know that you can tell a lot about an area by testing the water?
Sustainability Ninja
APRIL 9, 2012
Steven Manley, a biology professor who specializes in kelp, said that “kelp forests are some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, and one thing about it is it has a large surface canopy which means it is continually exposed to the air and whatever contaminants are in it.” Ocean fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last year made it all the way to the California coast line, according to information recently released from scientists at CSU.
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