#species-recolonization

#species-recolonization

The transformation of Pacheco Marsh from a scarred dumping ground into a pristine wetland represents a significant achievement in environmental restoration, showcasing the potential for nature to reclaim industrial sites.

"The responders weren't just FEMA, it was people taking up direct collections for food, for clothing; it was a community response."

The sound of rain spurs rice seeds to sprout up to 40 percent faster than they would otherwise, according to a study published today in Scientific Reports.

"It was so emotional and meaningful for everybody. [There] was like an excitement. But it was also super sorrowful at the same time," said Best.

Recovery from the Hermit's Peak-Calf Canyon Fire has been daunting, with residents waiting for disaster relief payments while floods contaminate drinking water downstream.

"We started Wild Cities because urban nature must be restored for people, for wildlife, and for the future. A coalition model lets us work at the scale the challenge demands, celebrating communities and helping people and ecosystems become more connected and resilient."

Fungi are some of the most important things in the world. They feed 90% of terrestrial plants. Without them, there is no life on the Earth.

During major floods, thousands of tiny fish convene at Luvilombo Falls in the upper Congo River Basin to undertake a peculiar vertical migration, described for the first time today in Scientific Reports.

While Natural England dithers and reviews processes, irreplaceable wildlife sites are being trashed, damaged, and even built over. That is not a technical failure, it's a dereliction of duty.

The Wasteland Nomad is built from biochar and seeds of indigenous plants, which are both biodegradable materials. Biochar works like a sponge inside the soil, as it holds water, gives microbes a surface to live on, and locks carbon into the ground instead of letting it escape into the air.

Researchers have known since at least 2008 that wildfires can create chromium-6, but a new study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology in November, is the first to report details such as how long it might persist in groundwater.

Around a third of UK gardeners use pesticides, and our studies found that house sparrow numbers, for example, were nearly 40% lower in gardens where the pesticide metaldehyde was used. By reducing pesticide use, you can actively encourage birds back into your outdoor spaces, as they rely on invertebrates such as slugs and snails as natural prey.

Peat bogs provide huge value to humans and the environment. When healthy, they store twice as much carbon as all the world's forests, reducing global emissions.

Less than a year ago, United States company Colossal Biosciences announced it had "resurrected" the dire wolf, a megafauna-hunting wolf species that had been extinct for 10,000 years. Within two days of Colossal's announcement, the Interior Secretary of the US, Doug Burgum, used the idea of resurrection to justify weakening environmental protection laws: "pick your favourite species and call up Colossal". His reasoning appeared to confirm critics' fears about de-extinction technology. If we can bring any species back, why protect them to begin with?

Waterways across Contra Costa County are increasingly threatened by invasive plant species that engulf canals and drains, decreasing biodiversity and reducing safe habitats for wildlife. In an effort to address and restore the environment, the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District is working to reverse that trend. The district hosted its recent 12th annual Giving Natives a Chance event at the Clayton Valley Drain near Concord's Hillcrest Community Park, inviting volunteers from across the county to plant native species around waterways and drains.

Conservationists have now persuaded landowners to cut hedges in a more gentle rotation, with sections left uncut for up to three years, to enable more eggs to survive over winter. The caterpillars emerge with the foliage in spring and hatch into adult butterflies in July. The brown hairstreak is difficult to spot as a butterfly but every winter volunteers assess its populations by counting its minuscule cream-coloured eggs, which with careful searching are visible on the bare branches of blackthorn.

When Storm Dennis hit the UK in 2020, a wall of dirty, frigid water from a tributary of the Taff threw Paul Thomas against the front of his house in the south Wales village of Ynysybwl. He managed to swim back into his home before the storm surge changed direction, almost carrying him out of the smashed-in front door. I was holding on to downpipes to stop myself being dragged out again.