News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

Early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon take the brunt of sea lion predation on the Columbia

A University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries study has found that recovering sea lion populations have the largest negative effect on early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River.

How top predators and fisheries can survive on the same prey

New research determines the amount of prey required for marine top predators to thrive, improving fisheries management.

Crayfish ‘trapping’ fails to control invasive species

Despite being championed by a host of celebrity chefs, crayfish ‘trapping’ is not helping to control invasive American signal crayfish, according to new research by UCL and King’s College London.

Researchers predict refuges from the disease myrtle rust

Geographical refuges could protect New Zealand’s iconic native myrtle plants from myrtle rust disease, according to research published in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Pollinator monitoring more than pays for itself

Monitoring schemes to count bees and other pollinating insects provide excellent value for money, and could help save species and protect UK food security, researchers have found.

Caught on tape: UF wildlife researchers repurpose listening device to track poaching

Acoustic monitoring technologies can detect far more hunting in protected forests than cameras are able to, according to research by the University of Florida.

Provide shady spots to protect butterflies from climate change, say scientists

Butterfly species that mostly rely on finding shade to keep cool are at a greater risk of population decline due to climate change and habitat loss.

Logging tropical forests jeopardizes fisheries important for food and livelihood

Logging activity in Solomon Islands is associated with lower coral cover and structural complexity on adjacent reefs, new research has found.

BES response to the UN’s Global Biodiversity Outlook report

The forgotten fauna: introduced seed predators are no surrogate for extinct seed-eating animals on islands

A new study led by Dr Jo Carpenter has shown that it’s not just the loss of mutually beneficial species like pollinators or seed disperses that have a severe impact on island ecology, the loss of “negative” interactions such as destroying seeds or parasitism is also important.

Lianas strongly impact forests in southern Amazonia

A team of Brazilian and British scientists has uncovered the extent to which trees across the southern edge of the Amazon are infested by woody climbing plants and the impact they have on the forests.

Indigenous leadership gets best results for wildlife translocations

Wildlife translocations will have better results if they are led, or genuinely co-led, by Indigenous peoples. That’s the premise of a recently published paper in People and Nature by researchers at the University of Canterbury and South Island environmental practitioners.

Shark “sea lanes” need protecting

Scientists have found sharks face increased danger when moving between protected reefs, and they’ve recommended shark “sea lanes” be protected as well.

Indigenous people vital for understanding environmental change

Rutgers-led research shows how local knowledge can help manage ecosystems and wildlife.

Debate needed on the potential culling of generalist predators such as crows and foxes to protect Europe's declining ground-nesting birds

Further studies and debate are needed on the potential culling of generalist predators such as crows and foxes as a means of protecting Europe's ever declining number of ground-nesting birds.