#biodiversity loss

#biodiversity loss

Harj al-Raheb, or the Monk Forest, lies on the southern edge of Ayta ash-Shaab, a Lebanese village right on the border with Israel. Its 16 hectares (40 acres) are made up of two adjoining woodland areas, known locally as the Southern and Western Hima, that once enjoyed a degree of protection for their ecological richness and cultural value. In early October 2023, these slopes were still thick with oak, carob, terebinth, and bay trees.

An economist might celebrate a nation achieving record economic growth on one day, yet overlook a coral reef lying bleached and lifeless on another. This contradiction must be challenged, writes economist Partha Dasgupta in his elegant account of why the global economic system is exploiting, rather than sustaining, life on our planet. On Natural Capital recaps the roaring economic advances of the past 75 years, including improved life expectancies and education and fewer people living in poverty.

Britain is one of the least nature connected nations in the world, according to the first ever global study of how people relate to the natural world. Britain ranks 55th out of 61 countries in the study of 57,000 people, which looks at how attitudes towards nature are shaped by social, economic, geographical and cultural factors. The most nature-connected nation is Nepal, followed by Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh and Nigeria, according to the study, which is published in the journal Ambio.

Paving over gardens with impermeable surfaces has and will continue to undermine urban resilience, says Prof Alistair Griffiths, the director of science and collections at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Water can't get through concrete, asphalt and paving, which contributes to surface flooding and overwhelms the sewer system, leading to pollution runoff. Loss of vegetation also contributes to global heating. We've got these increased extremes of heat and if you lose green space, you lose that cooling effect, he adds.

Birds throughout the US have adopted a disturbing habit that could have devastating implications for human society if it continues. Researchers have found that birds are abandoning their usual migration patterns, with warmer temperatures in their winter habitats disrupting their annual flights While delaying their yearly flight south may not sound like a major problem, a visiting scientist at Cornell University, Andrew Farnsworth, warned that it could lead to many bird species dying out and drastically altering nature.

Europe is losing green space that once harboured wildlife, captured carbon and supplied food at the rate of 600 football pitches a day, an investigation by the Guardian and partners has revealed. Analysis of satellite imagery across the UK and mainland Europe over a five-year period shows the speed and scale with which green land is turning grey, consumed by tarmac for roads, bricks and mortar for luxury golf courses and housing developments.