News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

Dolphin and bear studies have paved the way to improved population forecasting

A new article challenges the validity of current methods for forecasting the persistence of slow-growing species for conservation purposes.

Listening in: Acoustic monitoring devices detect illegal hunting and logging

Newly developed acoustic loggers are able to record sounds of shotguns and chainsaws, shedding light on the frequency and patterns of illegal exploitation

Using drones to estimate crop damage by wild boar

A new drone-based method allows estimating crop damage in a fast, standardised and objective manner.

How fires are changing the tundra’s face

Two young ecologists from the University of Münster are studying the serious consequences fires can have for vegetation, soils and some endangered bird species.

Citizen scientists help capture wild mammals on camera

At the ‘Ecology Across Borders’ conference in Ghent, Belgium this week, researchers will share their experience of working with members of the public to create a network of motion-sensing camera traps for wildlife monitoring.

Show me your leaves - Health check for urban trees

This week at the ‘Ecology Across Borders’ conference in Ghent, Belgium researchers from KU Leuven will present a fast, cost-efficient and objective method to map, evaluate and monitor the health of urban trees.

Making ‘green Brexit’ work for agriculture and the environment

Post-Brexit policy should carry out a root-and-branch reform to better address the specific needs of the UK’s farming and food sectors whilst protecting the countryside.

Physical contact may be good for your health, according to new research

Red-bellied lemurs maintain gut health through touching and ‘huddling’ each other, a new study published in Journal of Animal Ecology shows.

Capturing Ecology - Winners of British Ecological Society photography competition announced

The BES has revealed the winners of its annual photography competition ‘Capturing Ecology’.

Higher plant species richness may not be enough to protect ecosystems from the worst impacts of climate extremes

Higher plant species richness is not always sufficient to reduce ecosystem vulnerability to climate extremes.

Study finds ways to avoid hidden dangers of accumulated stresses on seagrass

A new study has found ways to detect hidden dangers of repeated stresses on seagrass using statistical modelling.

It takes a microclimate to raise a pinyon tree

With all the discussion about global climate change effects, new research shows that another kind of climate is an important factor in regional pinyon pine tree recovery after drought events – the microclimate.

2017 book prize awarded to behavioural ecologist Professor Tim Clutton-Brock

Our annual Marsh Book of the Year Award has been given to Professor Tim Clutton-Brock from Cambridge’s Zoology Department, recognising his book Mammal Societies for its influence on the science and application of ecology.

Animation meets biology - Shedding new light on animal behaviour

For the first time, digital animation has been used as a research tool to examine how the effectiveness of a lizard’s territorial display varies across ecological environments and conditions.

Protecting 'high carbon' rainforest also protects threatened wildlife

Conservation efforts focused on protecting forests using carbon-based policies also benefit mammal diversity, new research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology has found.