When combined with green spaces, solar panels can provide more benefits than generating clean energy. According to a new study, led by Lancaster University scientists in collaboration with the University of Reading, well-managed solar parks that feature solar panels and vegetation could boost pollinator populations and biodiversity. The researchers published their findings in the journal […]
According to a survey by BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, hedgehog sightings in the UK are finally on the rise after declining observations of these mammals since 2000. A separate report from 2022, State of Britain’s Hedgehogs, noted a marked decline in hedgehogs, particularly in eastern Britain. According to that report, rural hedgehogs had decreased 30% […]
Quick Key Facts What Are ‘Coral Reefs’? Coral reefs consist of hundreds of thousands of coral polyps — marine animal invertebrates with hard calcium carbonate exoskeletons. Different species grow to form a variety of measurements and shapes — from the size of a pinhead to as large as a foot in diameter. Coral colonies are […]
In 1980, Greg Kauffman — founder of nonprofit Maui Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) — started World Whale Day. A celebration of the humpback whales who grace Maui’s waters each winter, the holiday is observed on the third Sunday of February and is an opportunity to raise awareness about threats to the species. This year, World […]
A new study led by researchers at Australia’s University of Queensland (UQ) has found that the planet has more coral reef area than previously believed. Scientists have identified 134,364 square miles of shallow coral reefs at depths of up to 65.6 to 98.4 feet deep, according to Dr. Mitchell Lyons of the School of the […]
While scientists have known that pollutants from human activities like agriculture, plastic production and coastal development threaten corals, a new study is the first to find pollutants tied to burning fossil fuels embedded in corals. Researchers from the Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal collected samples from the coral species Cladocora caespitosa of […]
Horseshoe crabs have been on Earth for more than 450 million years — since before the dinosaurs. They are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than crustaceans and can live as long as 25 years. Despite having lived through ice ages, the breaking apart of the continents and many other geological and atmospheric changes […]
Legal petitions have been filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by environmental groups and oil and gas interests challenging the Biden administration’s plan to offer additional Gulf of Mexico drilling leases. The congressionally mandated five-year plan includes three sales — the least number being offered since 1980, reported […]
A first-ever United Nations report — State of the World’s Migratory Species — has found that more than 22 percent of migratory species are at risk of extinction globally due to overexploitation, habitat destruction and climate change. The report was launched by the UN’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) […]