Freshwater
Chinese fish delicacy behind threat to endangered Californian fish
A Chinese soup which is a delicacy at celebrations and special occasions and is also thought to help with fertility problems and circulation is behind a crisis that is threatening a species of fish found in California and has been listed as endangered since 1979. The fish are the totoaba macdonaldi and they look similar [...]
Researchers call for parasite to be monitored to protect UK freshwater fish
Researchers from Bournemouth University are calling on the Environment Agency to include the parasite Rosette Agent on the Novel and Category 2 lists. This will mean that when fish are moved around between fisheries and rivers the is a legal requirement for the parasite to be checked for. The Rosette Agent, Sphaerothecum destruens, is a [...]
World’s biggest aquarium opens in Singapore
The world’s largest freshwater aquarium has opened to the public at the nature themed River Safari park in Singapore. The aquarium seeks to highlight the wealth of species that live in the Amazon River of South America. Exhibits include manatees that have been moved to the aquarium from their previous home at Singapore Zoo. The [...]
Drugged up fish become greedy and bold
Modern medication is a god-send for many people who are suffering illness and disease. Prescription drug use is also booming across the world but not all drugs administered stays in the body. A large proportion goes through the body to end up in waste-water and some will pass through water treatment to end up in [...]
A beginner birdwatching scope for World Wetland Day
Today is World Wetland Day when we can celebrate the biodiversity of one of the most threatened habitats on the planet. In the last 100 years it is claimed that as much as half of the planets wetlands have been lost with a good portion of that in Europe. Wetland habitats cover a great range [...]
Did the wet year lead to the surge in winter vomiting bug?
2012 may have been the second wettest on record in the UK but did it do more than just make people feel frustrated and down in the dumps. A European research project is looking into waterborne diseases and the changing climate. As the weather gets wetter we could see people suffering more from bugs such [...]
Capturing electricity from wetlands
Wetlands and marshlands could soon be offering more than just flood prevention and water purification as part of their ecosystem services. A researcher in the Netherlands has been able to tap the electricity generated from plant soil interactions and the technology is soon to go global. Wageningen University researcher Marjolein Helder undertook the research as part of her Phd and she [...]
UNESCO names 4 new wildlife sites as World Heritage Sites
Today, Sunday 1st July 2012, the meeting of the World Heritage Committee has named 8 new World Heritage sites, 4 of them for their outstanding value for nature and wildlife. Two sites were named in Asia and another two in Africa. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided that the following nature sites were worthy of the [...]
Are leeches a new tool for conservationists?
It may sound like something out of a science fiction movie but it looks like the common leech could become a major new tool for wildlife researchers and conservationists. A new study by Copenhagen Zoo and the University of Copenhagen used blood that leeches sucked up to determine the biodiversity of a Vietnam forest. The results of the [...]
Tadpoles change shape in presence of herbicides
A team of ecologists from the University of Pittsburg have just published a paper in Ecological Applications that demonstrate that tadpoles will change shape when the herbicide Roundup is present in the water. It’s not some Frankenstein monster though but the chemical induces the same changes that predators induce – much longer tails. When predators of tadpoles are found [...]
England’s Green Dozen
England is set to get 12 new wildlife sites following an announcement today by the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The new nature reserves is set to cover hundreds of thousands of hectares of both rural and urban areas and cost up to £7.5 million. The new wildlife projects announced today by [...]
Restored wetlands are a shadow of their former self.
Wetlands have been involved in a losing battle ever since humans first started agriculture. Draining land for agriculture and development has gone on for hundreds of years but in recent times conservationists have been trying to turn things around with wetland restoration schemes. But it’s not just restoration of degraded wetlands that is now becoming common place. [...]
Dammed rivers lose up to 25% of fish biodiversity
A newly published study has demonstrated that rivers upstream of dams and weirs could have as much as a quarter of it’s biodiversity lost. The biggest losers tend to be the fish that live in fast water currents and those are also the fish species which tend to be endangered. Fish diversity drops 25% and invertebrate diversity [...]
Life flourishes in Chernobyls lakes
More research has been published which indicates that the wildlife of Chernobyl is thriving and recovering from the devastating nuclear accident. This study found that the aquatic life of the regions lakes are doing well. Life is not just doing well it’s flourishing.
British Waterways 2011 wildlife survey launched
This years wildlife survey of canals, rivers and reservoirs has been launched by British Waterways. Just as last years survey asked the public to keep a special eye out for kingfishers, this years target species are bats. It’s not just bats though, British Waterways wants details of all your wildlife sightings between now and September.
International court orders removal of troops from protected wetlands
There’s been a bit of conflict brewing in South America with a border conflict between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It centres around the protected wetlands of Isla Calero and Nicaragua’s current dredging of the San Juan River. The International Courts of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has ordered Nicaragua to remove it’s troops but refused [...]
Can you spot a pink peril in our rivers and lakes?
The winter months are moving behind us and there’s a definite feel of spring in the air. As we start to go about our outdoor activities again it’s worth remembering that in October 2010 an invasive species alert was issued over a freshwater shrimp.
Will your Valentines Day kill wildlife in Kenya?
Kenya is a fast growing flower supplier. One in three roses sold in the UK will come from Kenya. Over the last few days Virgin Atlantic has flown in 15 tonnes of roses from Kenya for Valentines Day on Monday. That is a 44% increase in numbers supplied last year. Unfortunately some of Kenya’s 5,000 [...]
Otter campaigner fails in wildlife centre bid
Philip Wayre, the man who many credit with turning around the fortunes of the British otter has failed in his bid to turn his Teeside otter sanctuary, Vale House Farm, into a wildlife study centre. Local councilors turned down the plans as he did not provide sufficient background details about the need to convert a [...]
River dolphins decline around the world
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) have released a report that highlight the threats to river dolphins across the world. Freshwater dolphin numbers across the world are continuing to decline for a number of reasons associated with the way human activities affect some of the worlds greatest rivers. The Amazon, Ganges, Indus and Yangtze [...]