News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

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

New trustees elected to BES Board

BES members have voted in an online poll to elect new trustees to the Society’s Board.

The sky’s the limit: Using airborne DNA to monitor insect biodiversity

Scientists at Lund University have discovered for the first time that it is possible to detect insect DNA in the air. This offers scope for exploring a whole new way to monitor terrestrial biodiversity.

Indigenous communities hold a huge and unique source of ecological knowledge

Indigenous people in the rainforests of Gabon have knowledge of plant and fruit-eating animal interactions that exceeds that found in academic literature.

Solar parks could boost bumble bee numbers in a win-win for nature

Simple changes to how UK solar parks are managed could boost ground nesting bumble bee populations in the parks and surrounding areas.