Hotspots in the Grid: Avian sensitivity and vulnerability to collision risk from energy infrastructure interactions In Europe and North Africa

A new paper, led by Jethro Gauld from the University of East Anglia and colleagues from across Europe, demonstrates how GPS tracking data can be a powerful tool for identifying areas where birds are most sensitive to new renewable energy development due to collision risks. The transition to zero carbon energy is essential to avoid runaway climate change. As nations strive to achieve their Net … Continue reading Hotspots in the Grid: Avian sensitivity and vulnerability to collision risk from energy infrastructure interactions In Europe and North Africa

Can ‘Citizen Scientists’ play a valid role in conservation management?

The emergence of citizen science in biodiversity monitoring has transformed the methods by which biodiversity surveys can be conducted. With the recent development of automatic visual identification tools, Pierre Bonnet and colleagues present two distinct case studies implementing citizen science and the use of Pl@ntNet, an automatic plant identification platform. This article is part of the BES cross-journal special feature on Citizen Science. Effective monitoring … Continue reading Can ‘Citizen Scientists’ play a valid role in conservation management?

Hedging against biodiversity loss

Research recently published in Journal of Applied Ecology shows how hedgerows and road verges can host more plant species than corresponding woodland and grassland. Lead author, Thomas Vanneste and Associate Editor, Pieter De Frenne highlight what this means for managers and policymakers. Hedgerows and road verges are important habitats across the globe. Road verges cover an estimated 270,000 km² (0.2 %) of the earth’s land … Continue reading Hedging against biodiversity loss

A novel view of salvage logging in Europe’s spruce forests

In their recently published research, Laura Dobor, Tomáš Hlásny and colleagues investigate how different levels of intensity in salvage logging affect both bark beetle outbreaks and  landscape-scale carbon storage. Salvage logging – the removal of trees killed by wind, insects and other agents – is one of the most frequently applied management responses to forest disturbances worldwide. In European Norway spruce forests, salvaging of windfelled … Continue reading A novel view of salvage logging in Europe’s spruce forests

Early career ecologists look to plot a safe course through the Brexit minefield

In the face of continuing uncertainty over Brexit and UK environmental policy, Andy Suggitt  from the British Ecological Society’s Conservation Ecology Group argues that now is the time for early career ecologists to engage and get involved in the process. We’ve all had that feeling about Brexit. It’s top of the newsfeed on our favourite social media site, it’s the first item on the evening … Continue reading Early career ecologists look to plot a safe course through the Brexit minefield

Identifying lurking garden invaders promoted by climate change

In our changing climates, some introduced ornamental plant species could establish themselves and become invasive. Emily Haeuser and colleagues present a new model for helping assess naturalization risk in their article, European ornamental garden flora as an invasion debt under climate change. Invasive species can cause significant ecological and economic damage worldwide. They can disrupt ecosystem services, and put threatened and endangered species at risk … Continue reading Identifying lurking garden invaders promoted by climate change

Prevendo as próximas espécies invasoras

By Associate Editor, Rafael Zenni  An English version of this post is available here. Milhares de espécies de plantas foram movidas para além das suas áreas de ocorrência nativas para fins ornamentais. As escolhas de espécies para jardins, ruas e parques urbanos são baseadas em grande parte em razões estéticas, culturais e utilitárias e não por sua adequação ecológica ou climática para uma região específica. … Continue reading Prevendo as próximas espécies invasoras

Predicting future invaders in Europe

As our climate warms non-native plant species, introduced for their aesthetic appeal, have the potential to naturalize. Associate Editor, Rafael Zenni discusses research by Emily Haeuser and colleagues that aims to manage this risk. European ornamental garden flora as an invasion debt under climate change is published in Journal of Applied Ecology. A Portuguese version of this post is available here. Thousands of plant species have been … Continue reading Predicting future invaders in Europe

Integrating fire management policies within conservation planning: ‘win-win’ solutions for bird conservation and wildfire prevention

Adrián Regos and colleagues highlight how their conservation planning objectives can lead to ‘win-win’ situations for bird conservation and wildfire prevention in fire-prone abandoned landscapes. This follows the recent publication of their article, Trade‐offs and synergies between bird conservation and wildfire suppression in the face of global change. Protected areas play a key role in safeguarding biodiversity worldwide. However, their role can be seriously compromised … Continue reading Integrating fire management policies within conservation planning: ‘win-win’ solutions for bird conservation and wildfire prevention

La integración de las políticas de gestión de incendios forestales en la planificación de la conservación puede proporcionar soluciones beneficiosas tanto para la conservación de las aves como la prevención de incendios

En el siguiente articulo, Trade‐offs and synergies between bird conservation and wildfire suppression in the face of global change, Adrián Regos y coautores muestran como la integración de las dinámicas fuego-vegetación, las políticas de incendios forestales y sus objetivos en la planificación de la conservación puede conducir a situaciones beneficiosas tanto en términos de conservación de la avifauna como de prevención de incendios en paisaje … Continue reading La integración de las políticas de gestión de incendios forestales en la planificación de la conservación puede proporcionar soluciones beneficiosas tanto para la conservación de las aves como la prevención de incendios