News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

Will Biodiversity Net Gain deliver for nature in England?

Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain in England may need refinement to deliver true gains for nature.

Dog faeces and urine could be harming nature reserves, according to new study

New research finds that dogs in nature reserves contribute a significant amount of nutrients to the environment, which could harm biodiversity.

Study explores how temperate rainforests can aid the fight against climate change

Livestock browsing behaviour is a major determinant of the expansion of UK temperate rainforests.

Bird-friendly agriculture: finding the right balance to benefit birds and farmers

New research finds that whole-scale farm diversification can promote higher abundances of beneficial birds in farmland.

New conservation tool calculates the optimal time to spend researching a habitat before protecting it

Deciding when to stop learning and take action is a common, but difficult decision in conservation. Using a new method, this trade-off can be managed by determining the amount of time to spend on research at the outset.

Ecological trade off? Utility-scale solar energy impedes endangered florida panthers

New study first to document effects of utility-scale Solar energy installations on a large carnivore.

New research shows that current national red squirrel conservation strategies likely to undermine species survival in future

Red squirrel conservation strategies in the UK and Ireland, that favour non-native conifer plantations, are likely to negatively impact red squirrels.

Urban gardens are a dependable food source for pollinators through the year, study suggests

Gardens in cities provide a long and continuous supply of energy-rich nectar from March to October.

Solid waste management needs to improve

Solid waste disposal represents a huge problem for most human societies around the world.

Why researches should be using local traditional knowledge to estimate biodiversity

How indigenous knowledge is valuable to estimate biodiversity.

Preventing pandemics: what can be done from an ecological standpoint?

People are calling for an end of ‘trading wildlife for consumption’ in order to prevent pandemics. They are wrong, here’s why.

The hidden effects of plastic ingestion

The detrimental effects of plastic on our ecosystem.

Your Guide to the COPs - What happened at COP26?

Couldn't keep up with the flurry of COP26 coverage and analysis? See all the key outputs here!

City allotments match farming productivity per square metre

Urban growers in Brighton and Hove were able to harvest 1kg of insect-pollinated fruit and vegetables per one metre square, which is within the range of conventional farming.

New BES President launches future of ecology project

Yadvinder Malhi introduces a project to define the grand challenges for ecology as he becomes BES President