Seabird-vessel interactions in industrial fisheries of Northwest Africa – The Applied Ecologist

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview Seabirds and fisheries almost inevitably meet at sea because we depend on the same marine resources. Interactions become direct when seabirds deliberately follow vessels to take advantage of what seems like an easy meal. We have long known this can pose a serious threat. A seabird […]

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Forming and managing a Farmer Cluster for improved farmland biodiversity in Europe – The Applied Ecologist

Shortlisted for the Chico Mendes Prize About the research Overview Farmer Clusters are groups of neighbouring farmers that come together to select their own biodiversity targets in a “bottom-up” approach and therefore offer an amazing opportunity to tackle agricultural biodiversity declines across the landscape. They allow farmers to take control of the conservation initiatives on […]

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How the climate transition will impact the EU’s labour market: re-skilling and training needed

A new study, commissioned by the Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) assesses the impact of the transition to climate neutrality on the labour market, focusing on skills and occupations and their impact on the economy. Impacts of the climate transition on skills in the labour market This report aims to examine the challenges and risks […]

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The transition to climate neutrality can go hand-in-hand with sustainable public finances

The transition to climate neutrality will significantly transform the EU economy but does not pose a threat to the sustainability of public finances, concludes a new study commissioned by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA). The study evaluates the direct impacts of the transition on revenues, expenditures and budget balances, while also taking […]

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Consequences of seven consecutive annual dry-season fires to the unburned Cerrado grass layer – The Applied Ecologist

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview Our paper explores the community, population, and functional aspects of tropical savanna grasses in response to an extreme, prolonged fire regime of seven consecutive annual dry season fires. We were interested in understanding how the repeated fires would affect community composition, species persistence, population turnover, functional […]

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Ammonium preference and microbial nitrification inhibition drive the expansion of a poisonous plant in alpine -meadows |

2025 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2025 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Jianguo Ma’s ‘Ammonium preference and microbial nitrification inhibition drive the expansion of a poisonous plant in alpine -meadows‘ is one of […]

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Herbivore prevalence poorly predicts yield in diverse cropping systems – The Applied Ecologist

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview Our study was part of my PhD thesis. I tried to understand how increasing diversity within cropping systems changes trophic interactions and crop damage, together with my knowledgeable promotors, Erik Poelman and Dirk van Apeldoorn; an analytical behemoth, Daan Mertens; and two diligent MSc thesis students, […]

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Habitat quality sets the limits of neighbourhood effects in epiphyte communities |

Theresa Möller, University of Hamburg in Germany, discusses her article: Effects of habitat quality and fine-scale spatial structure on epiphytic lichen and bryophyte communities Epiphytic lichens and bryophytes inhabit one of the most heterogeneous habitats in forest ecosystems: the bark of living trees. Different tree species provide distinct habitat conditions, leading to distinct epiphyte communities […]

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Commission holds a high-level policy dialogue on the future of the cement industry in Europe

The dialogue brought together industry representatives and key stakeholders. Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall also took part.  The exchange focused on how to accelerate the sector’s clean transition, with a strong emphasis on innovation, competitiveness and resilience.  Building on the Clean Industrial Deal and the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), the […]

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EU and Japan deepen climate cooperation at High-Level Dialogue

At the High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change between the European Union and Japan, in Brussels, senior officials agreed to deepen their bilateral co-operation, working together towards achieving climate neutrality and tackling shared economic and geopolitical challenges.  In the context of the current crisis in the Gulf region, both sides acknowledged the importance of the clean energy […]

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