Latest news with #NatureEcology
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- Science
- The Guardian
‘Extinction crisis' could see 500 bird species vanish within a century
More than 500 bird species could vanish within the next century, researchers have found, calling for urgent 'special recovery programmes' such as captive breeding and habitat restoration to rescue unique species. Birds such as the puffin, European turtle dove and great bustard will be among those to disappear from our skies if trends continue, according to the paper. Their loss threatens to unravel ecosystems across the globe. 'We face a bird extinction crisis unprecedented in modern times,' said Kerry Stewart, lead author of the research from the University of Reading, who described the headline finding of the paper as a 'shocking statistic'. It is triple the number of birds that went extinct in the previous 500 years. The paper, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, examined data from nearly 10,000 birds (almost all of those known to exist) and used IUCN data to predict extinction risk. Habitat loss – driven mainly by the expansion and intensification of agriculture – emerged as the most significant driver of species extinction. But even if habitat loss, hunting and climate breakdown stopped today, about 250 species could still die out, as they are already teetering on the brink of extinction. Local conservation efforts may feel small but they are essential to save a species from going extinct, the researchers found. 'Many birds are already so threatened that reducing human impacts alone won't save them. These species need special recovery programmes, like breeding projects and habitat restoration, to survive,' said Stewart. Conservation success stories show it is possible to bring species back from the brink of extinction. By 1987, the California condor – North America's largest bird – had gone extinct in the wild. There were about 22 birds in captivity, which were then bred and released; now there is a population of 350 in the wild. In the UK, the bittern – a shy-reed-dwelling bird – went extinct as a breeding bird in the 1870s because its wetland habitat had been drained for farming. Now, thanks to habitat restoration, their population is at its highest in more than 200 years, with more than 280 booming male bitterns recorded last year. Prof Manuela González-Suárez, senior author of the study at the University of Reading, said: 'Stopping threats is not enough. As many as 250-350 species will require complementary conservation measures … to survive the next century.' The latest State of the World's Birds report found nearly half of the planet's bird species are in decline. Habitat loss, logging, invasive species, exploitation of natural resources and climate breakdown were highlighted as the main threats. 'There is no magic bullet for solving the extinction crisis,' said Stuart Butchart, chief scientist at BirdLife International, who was not involved in the research. 'Protected areas can play a key role, while abating threats from agriculture, logging, fisheries, hunting and other sources is essential. However, some species require targeted recovery efforts, involving interventions like captive breeding and release, translocation, or supplementary feeding, to overcome barriers to recovery. 'This paper adds to a growing body of evidence showing that actions across the whole framework will be necessary to stop human actions from driving species extinct.' Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian app for more nature coverage
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
There's a hidden rule that all life on Earth must follow, research claims
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. Life on Earth is complex and hard to understand, but new research may have finally given us a much-needed glimpse into the patterns that life follows as it spreads across our planet. According to a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers believe life has a hidden rule that it has to follow, and the signs of that rule can be found in every bioregion across our planet. This rule, the researchers claim in their new paper, could help us explain why no matter how different every environment on our planet is, every bioregion seems to follow the same design. It could also help us better understand how the ecosystems around the world respond to environmental changes like global warming. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 Just looking at life on Earth as a whole, it's easy to see the oceans and other natural barriers as end points for the patterns that drive life. However, researchers say they have found evidence of life's hidden rule in multiple regions, no matter how far apart they are. No matter what the region is, or what the environment is, they say that life always follows the same pattern. For starters, life seems to radiate from a single core area in each bioregion. Then, other parts of life like animals or plants will spread out from that core. Some thrive while others don't. It seems, the researchers write, that these core areas provide the optimal conditions needed for species to survive and diversify. From there, the rest of the region's biodiversity radiates outward. This new research supports previous findings that small areas play a disproportionate ecological role in sustaining the biodiversity found in different bioregions. It also could help us with conservation efforts, which often require finding the best place to put a species so it can thrive under human protection. Additionally, this evidence seems to show that life's hidden rule is indeed true. It plays into a previous theory that there are plausible mechanisms that drive the patterns life follows. While we might not know exactly how life on Earth started, we're slowly learning more about how it grew to be the massive, global phenomenon that it is today. More Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2025: Get $2,000+ free See the
Khaleej Times
26-05-2025
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Invasive species cost trillions in damages, say researchers
From river-clogging plants to disease-carrying insects, the direct economic cost of invasive species worldwide has averaged about $35 billion a year for decades, researchers said Monday. Since 1960, damage from non-native plants and animals expanding into new territory has cost society more than $2.2 trillion, 17 times higher than previous estimates, they reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The accelerating spread of invasive species -- from mosquitoes to wild boar to tough-to-eradicate plants -- blights agriculture, spreads disease and drives the growing pace of species extinction. Earlier calculations based on highly incomplete data were already known to fall far short of reality. To piece together a more accurate picture, an international team of researchers led by Ismael Soto, a scientist at the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, compiled data on 162 invasive species whose costs have been well documented in at least a handful of countries. They then modelled the economic impact for 78 other countries such as Bangladesh and Costa Rica, for which no data was previously available. "We expected an underestimation of invasion costs, but the magnitude was striking," Soto told AFP. Due mainly to high volumes of trade and travel, tens of thousands of animal and plant species have taken root, sometimes literally, far from their places of origin. Europe is by far the continent most affected by the phenomenon, followed by North America and Asia. "Plants were the most economically damaging group, both for damage and management," Soto said. "Cost hotspots include urban coastal areas, notably in Europe, eastern China, and the US." Animals can cause devastating damage too. Wild boar, for example, destroy crops, cornfields and vineyards, while mosquitoes -- with expanding ranges due to global warming -- impose direct costs to human health by spreading diseases such as dengue and malaria. Another example is Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that is very common in Europe and requires costly eradication programmes. "Our study is based on only 162 species," Soto noted. "Our figure is probably still an underestimate of a wider problem, and therefore the real economic costs could be even higher." Using a broader definition -- including indirect costs such as lost income -- the UN's biodiversity expert group, IPBES, has calculated the total cost to society of invasive species at about $400 billion annually.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Invasive species cost trillions in damages: study
A wild boar runs over a glade in a forest in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Paris, France — From river-clogging plants to disease-carrying insects, the direct economic cost of invasive species worldwide has averaged about US$35 billion a year for decades, researchers said Monday. Since 1960, damage from non-native plants and animals expanding into new territory has cost society more than $2.2 trillion, 17 times higher than previous estimates, they reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The accelerating spread of invasive species -- from mosquitoes to wild boar to tough-to-eradicate plants -- blights agriculture, spreads disease and drives the growing pace of species extinction. Earlier calculations based on highly incomplete data were already known to fall far short of reality. To piece together a more accurate picture, an international team of researchers led by Ismael Soto, a scientist at the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, compiled data on 162 invasive species whose costs have been well documented in at least a handful of countries. They then modelled the economic impact for 78 other countries such as Bangladesh and Costa Rica, for which no data was previously available. 'We expected an underestimation of invasion costs, but the magnitude was striking,' Soto told AFP. Due mainly to high volumes of trade and travel, tens of thousands of animal and plant species have taken root, sometimes literally, far from their places of origin. Europe is by far the continent most affected by the phenomenon, followed by North America and Asia. 'Plants were the most economically damaging group, both for damage and management,' Soto said. 'Cost hotspots include urban coastal areas, notably in Europe, eastern China, and the US.' Animals can cause devastating damage too. Wild boar, for example, destroy crops, cornfields and vineyards, while mosquitoes -- with expanding ranges due to global warming -- impose direct costs to human health by spreading diseases such as dengue and malaria. Another example is Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that is very common in Europe and requires costly eradication programmes. 'Our study is based on only 162 species,' Soto noted. 'Our figure is probably still an underestimate of a wider problem, and therefore the real economic costs could be even higher.' Using a broader definition -- including indirect costs such as lost income -- the UN's biodiversity expert group, IPBES, has calculated the total cost to society of invasive species at about $400 billion annually.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Alien plants and animals have cost Europe over $1.5 trillion, study finds
Alien plants and animals cost Europe over $1.5 trillion in the last six decades, according to a new study, indicating the global economic impact of such species could be several times higher than previously thought. The research, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, assessed data on 162 invasive species and their potential damage to various countries. Previous studies have shown that invasive alien species pose a threat to biodiversity, ecosystem services, and economies. By one estimate, they have contributed to 60 per cent of recorded global extinctions. However, previous estimates of the monetary impact of invasive species were based on only a few documented costs from a limited range of countries, researchers said. The latest study combines the estimated costs, including damage to agriculture, at the national level for 162 invasive species with models of where the species are distributed around the world. The analysis maps the impact of species such as the Asian tiger mosquito, the tree of heaven and the American bullfrog, and estimates monetary costs incurred by their spread in other countries, including 78 nations for which no data was previously available such as Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Cyprus, and Egypt. Invasive plant species were found to be responsible for costing national economies $926bn for the study period followed by arthropods at $830.29bn. Invasive mammals cost $263.35bn, birds about $101.36bn, molluscs $16.31bn and fish $3.47bn. On a per square kilometre basis, wild boars were estimated to be the most economically burdensome at over $121,000, followed by the Canada goose at over $62,000. The most burdensome plants were the Japanese knotweed, West Indian lantana, and the Canary Islands sorrel, the study found. Overall, there was a 17-fold discrepancy between previous estimates and the total latest calculation of the impact of alien species. 'It represents a discrepancy of the global cost of these species from $126.81bn to $2,215bn over the period 1960–2022, resulting in an annual average of $35 billion,' the study noted. 'Europe had the highest potential impacts from biological invasions, reaching $1,584bn, which is 71.45 per cent of global costs.' Among countries, the study found the UK had the highest estimated costs due to invasive species at over $1.3tn. 'Regionally, Europe, the east coast of China, and the east and west coasts of the US were highly affected,' researchers said. climate change.'
