UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - Butterflies are vanishing in the western U.S.—but not for the reasons scientists thought

Title:

Butterflies are vanishing in the western U.S.—but not for the reasons scientists thought

 

Author:

Elizabeth Pennisi

 

Published:

Science, 4 March 2021

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/03/butterflies-are-vanishing-western-us-not-reasons-scientists-thought

 

From the article:

Recent studies have shown monarchs are in steep decline, and surveys of insects, in general, show shrinking numbers. Yet most data for these studies come from densely populated or intensively farmed areas.

But butterflies are at risk in open spaces, too. Art Shapiro, an insect ecologist at the University of California, Davis, and colleagues have shown that over the past 35 years, butterflies are disappearing even in pristine protected areas such as the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the western United States.

University of Bern / Universität Bern, Switzerland - Land management in forest and grasslands: how much can we intensify?

Title:

Land management in forest and grasslands: how much can we intensify?

 

Published:

University of Bern / Universität Bern, 26 October 2020

https://www.unibe.ch/news/media_news/media_relations_e/media_releases/2020/media_releases_2020/land_management_in_forest_and_grasslands_how_much_can_we_intensify/index_eng.html

From the article:

High land-use intensity reduces the beneficial effects of biodiversity on ecosystem services. This is the main result of a study conducted by an international team with participation of the University of Bern. The study assessed, for the first time, the effects of land management on the links between biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services. It identified thresholds of management intensity, where these relationships change dramatically, which species groups were most important in driving services, and the ecosystem services that are at risk when management is intensified.

World Health Organization (WHO) Report (June 2020): Guidance on Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Nutrition and Health

Title:
Guidance on Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Nutrition and Health

Published:
World Health Organization (WHO), 5 June 2020
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/guidance-mainstreaming-biodiversity-for-nutrition-and-health

From the overview:
This report aims to support countries in the necessary transition toward healthier, more sustainable diets by integrating biodiversity in food-based interventions to support nutrition and health.

This map shows where on Earth humans aren’t [National Geographic, 5 June 2020] & other related articles

Title:
This map shows where on Earth humans aren’t

Author:
Emma Marris

Published:
National Geographic, 5 June 2020
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/06/where-people-arent/

From the article:
A newly created map reveals the “wildest” places on Earth—places where humans have the lowest impact. The findings could be used to support the push to set aside half of Earth for nature, its authors say.

Blog owner's notes:
See also the following three articles:
 
* The Human Footprint [EarthData, last updated 7 February 2020] focusing on the increasing human population that "often leads to greater influence on the environment and sharper declines in species and ecosystems."

* How will the world's COVID-19 response impact the environment? [Phys.org, 12 May 2020]. Three professors from the Lehigh University - Benjamin Felzer, Sharon M. Friedman & Dork Sahagian - provide answers to this question.

* Easing our impact on biodiversity and nature [Population Matters, 5 June 2020]. "As the world is gradually but cautiously easing restrictions to prevent further infections and deaths from COVID-19, humans should similarly ease the impacts of their population size and rate or pattern of consumption on biodiversity, to prevent irreparable damage and allow nature space and time to heal."

The Conversation, 14 April 2020 - Nature’s comeback? No, the coronavirus pandemic threatens the world’s wildlife

Title:
Nature’s comeback? No, the coronavirus pandemic threatens the world’s wildlife

Author:
Charlie Gardner

Published:
The Conversation, 14 April 2020

From the article:
"Most of the world’s biodiversity is found in the low-income countries and emerging economies of the Global South, and in such places the economic impacts of the pandemic are likely to be devastating for the natural world."

&

"Exploiting natural resources is often the only option for the destitute."

To read this article:
https://theconversation.com/natures-comeback-no-the-coronavirus-pandemic-threatens-the-worlds-wildlife-136209