a community effort to restore the Solent’s seagrass – The Applied Ecologist

In the ‘Restoring Landscapes’ blog series, we are promoting knowledge exchange from restoration projects around the world. As part of Solent Seascape Project, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Project Seagrass are partnering to restore a combined total of seven hectares of seagrass beds. Seagrass meadows are internationally important habitats, serving as […]

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Can tree species diversity make our forest more resilient to climate change?

Eugénie Mas, from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (@MasPlantphys) discusses her article: Drought effects in Mediterranean forests are not alleviated by diversity-driven water source partitioning Forest are unique ecosystems where each species of animal, plant, and microorganism interact together to provide many services, called ecosystem services. These services can benefit humans directly through wood production, […]

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Purpose, Engagement and Connection: The Building Blocks of Success

by Gael O’Brien Ideally, purpose is a force, fueling engagement and connection — the triumvirate. They impact productivity, create meaning in work, and reflect how employees and teams see their company. When strength weakens one or more of the three, what’s possible diminishes. An example is the data from the 2024 Gallup’s State of the […]

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Commission publishes Recommendations on the draft National Energy and Climate Plan from Austria

The Commission has today published its assessment of the draft updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) of Austria, with recommendations on where Austria should raise its ambitions in line with the agreed EU objectives for 2030. This follows the individual assessments and recommendations on draft updated NECPs previously published for all 26 other EU countries.  NECPs are […]

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Tree species richness suppresses red imported fire ant invasion in a subtropical plantation forest – The Applied Ecologist

Chengjin Chu and co-authors discuss their latest research which presents a cross-trophic interaction study between the red imported fire ant and plants. The red imported fire ant (RIFA) is one of the most invasive insects in the world. Many pest management methods have been used to control the spread and damage of RIFA, like quarantine […]

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Black History Month 2024: Dr. Sharon Kahara

For Black History Month 2024, the British Ecological Society (BES) journals are celebrating the work of Black ecologists around the world and sharing their stories. In this blog, Dr. Sharon Kahara shares her story and journey in academia. Name: Dr. Sharon Kahara Affiliation: University of New Haven, USA Ecology Interests: Wetlands, wildlife, carbon dynamics How did you get […]

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Commission adopts rules on the inclusion of offshore ships in the emissions monitoring system

As part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package, the MRV Maritime Regulation was revised in 2023 to include greenhouse gas emissions from offshore ships in its scope as of 1 January 2025. This should apply to all offshore ships of 400 gross tonnage and above. Following that revision, the European Commission has adopted a delegated […]

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Estimating Marine Bird Abundances Outside the Breeding Season – The Applied Ecologist

Ruth Dunn shares insights on her latest study where, alongside her colleagues, she investigated the number of marine birds, outside of their breeding seasons, that may be undetectable when underwater during at-sea surveys. Investing in renewable energy developments, as opposed to burning fossil fuels, has been hailed as a route through which humans might be […]

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Commission secures ambitious EU negotiating mandate for COPs

On Monday at the Environment Council in Luxembourg, the Commission secured ambitious negotiating mandates for the upcoming COP29 Climate Conference, the COP16 Biodiversity Conference, and the COP16 Desertification Conference. EU environment ministers also exchanged views in preparation for the final fifth negotiating session for an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty. Climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification, land degradation, and […]

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Seagrass-oyster facilitation at risk under future ocean conditions

Fiona Ralph, from Bowdoin College, discusses her article: Shifting seagrass-oyster interactions alter species response to ocean warming and acidification The Why: Eelgrass and oysters are ecosystem building species that both have economic, ecological, and cultural importance in Maine. Eelgrass populates much of the soft-sediment coastal subtidal in the Northern Hemisphere, which is also where most of […]

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