Did you know Singapore has a trash island made from ash? The country has managed to create a 350-hectare land area that has transformed into an ecological haven where migratory birds reside and corals thrive. The idea stems from a problem unique to the nation, it does not have much land to spare.A city-state located…
Mexico has brought American bison back to parts of the Chihuahuan Desert after the animals disappeared from much of their historical range in northern Mexico during the 19th century. In 2009, 23 bison from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota were moved to Rancho El Uno in Chihuahua as part of a binational conservation…
Human activities can look very different through the senses of a wild animal. A pioneering project in Somerset invited 18 volunteers to see the landscape from the perspective of red deer, otters, earthworms, kestrels and Atlantic salmon. Over six months, they spent time around the River Tone near Taunton, exploring the risks these animals may…
PossumsRepresentative image In 1837, New Zealand introduced Australian brushtail possums in the hope of building a profitable fur industry. The animals were expected to provide valuable pelts and help create a new rural economy, but the experiment had consequences that stretched far beyond anyone’s expectations. Nearly two centuries later, possums have become one of the…
Wetland in South Australia. Image Credit: Department for Environment and Water (South Australian Government) Australia’s Green Triangle became a major plantation forestry region after large areas of land were converted to commercial forests. Decades later, the Lower South East of South Australia is facing growing pressure on its groundwater system. Assessments show that plantations can…
Acropora muricata, Heron Island, Australia. (Photo Credit: Claire Lager, Smithsonian) A rare coral species found nowhere else on Earth except Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii has been successfully returned to its natural habitat after completely disappearing from the wild. The recovery project was led by the Hawaii Coral Restoration Nursery, a facility run by the state…
Thirteen native animal species that had become locally extinct in New South Wales have returned and started breeding again across three major conservation reserves. The recovery comes a decade after state authorities built large predator-proof fences to keep out feral cats and foxes. The results come from a 10-year conservation partnership involving the NSW National…
In the high-elevation lakes of California’s Sierra Nevada, trout introduced into mountain lakes are affecting more than the water itself. Researchers studied 39 lakes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, comparing bird abundance with aquatic insects emerging from the water. A study published in Ecosphere titled ‘Crossing boundaries: Introduced trout alter the bird community…
Spider webs may hold a surprising record of the animals living nearby. A study found that genetic traces from terrestrial vertebrates can be collected directly from spider webs, turning the structures into passive filters for environmental DNA. Researchers tested 49 webs from an Australian wildlife sanctuary and Perth Zoo and detected vertebrate DNA in every…
The facial tumour had severely affected devil populations in many parts of Tasmania In 2012, 28 Tasmanian devils were brought to Maria Island off Tasmania’s east coast as an “insurance population” when facial tumour disease was severely affecting the species. The devils have since thrived, with their numbers reaching up to 90. But their success…
