biodiversity optimization News
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EPUK urges Defra to integrate local environmental quality into the nature of England
Responding to Defra's discussion paper on the natural environment, EPUK stress the need for integrated policies, calling on the Government to introduce the overarching theme of protecting Local Environmental Quality. EPUK welcomes the Government's intention to produce a White Paper and recognises this is just a starting point to the process. However, given that one of Defra's departmental ...
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Natural Environment White Paper must integrate policy on natural and built environment says EPUK
Today's white paper reassessing policy on how we manage our natural environment is welcomed by Environmental Protection UK (EPUK), who want to see integrated thinking in policy on the natural and built environment. Given that one of Defra's departmental priorities is to "help to enhance the environment and biodiversity to improve quality of life", and increasing Government emphasis on the role ...
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Biodiversity does not always improve resistance of forest ecosystems to drought
Due to climate change, parts of the world will face droughts that will affect forest health. Scientists from INRA, in collaboration with WSL1 (Switzerland) and European colleagues, studied the resistance of forests to drought according to the diversity of tree species. Contrary to what was commonly accepted by scientists, species diversity does not systematically improve tree resistance to ...
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EIB partners with Bancomext for EUR 50m environmental projects in Mexico
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided a EUR 50 million credit line to Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior (Bancomext) to finance small and medium-sized environmental projects implemented by private and public sector operators in Mexico. This is the first EIB intermediated loan in Mexico and the first operation with the Mexican public development bank Bancomext. Its purpose is to ...
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Game-changing Greenline plans revealed
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Greenline will deliver an uninterrupted journey from Birrarung Marr to the Bolte Bridge and become a premier destination for workers, tourists and residents to enjoy. "Greenline will create one of the largest networks of green spaces in Melbourne, creating a 6 metre wide promenade – roughly the width of two traffic lanes," the Lord Mayor said. ...
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Missouri American Water Wildlife Biodiversity Project Shows Signs of Success
A project designed to improve wildlife biodiversity on local property owned by Missouri American Water is showing the first signs of success. Red-Tail Hawk on Nesting Platform. (Photo: Portraits by Long in St. Joseph, MO) In July of 2009, Missouri American Water, in cooperation with Kansas City Power and Light and the Wathena Boy Scout Troop #144, dedicated an ...
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European Commission invests € 160.6 million in 96 new environment projects
The Commission has approved an investment package of €264.8 million to support Europe's environment, nature and green growth. The investment covers 96 new projects spanning to 21 Member States, funded under the LIFE programme for the Environment. The projects cover actions in the field of environment and resource efficiency, supporting the transition to a more circular and sustainable ...
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Communicating biodiversity to farmers: developing the right tools
Two metrics for informing farmers about the biodiversity on their land are presented in a recent Swiss study: average species richness and farm uniqueness’. These are both easy to understand and comparable between farms, the researchers say. Dialogue between farmers and scientists has been shown to be a promising way of improving farmland biodiversity. This study, partly conducted under ...
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Combating desertification could help tackle other global crises
While global attention is focused on crises ranging from energy to food security to climate change, a senior United Nations environmental expert highlighted the “silent” crisis of desertification or land degradation, which, if tackled properly, can actually help address these other issues. “The land can be… an opportunity to solve most of the ongoing global crises,” Luc Gnacadja, Executive ...
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€267 million for new environmental projects
The European Commission has launched its annual call for proposals to be funded under the LIFE+ programme, the European fund for the environment. Proposals are welcome under one of the programme’s three components: Nature and Biodiversity, Environment Policy and Governance, and Information and Communication. A total of €267 million is available, in the form of co-funding for grant ...
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Motorway verges can contribute to biodiversity
Motorway verges (strips of land running along the edge of the road) have been found to play a crucial role in maintaining the richness of biodiversity in intensive agricultural landscapes, according to recent research. A mixed area of both planted hedgerows and open grassland was found to provide the best habitat for encouraging biodiversity in both plants and spiders. New research studied 25 ...
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Biodiversity data gaps `need bridging` to meet global targets
Global biodiversity targets are in danger of being missed because of inadequate capacity and tools to gather and assess data, an international conference has heard. The information "is still not there", Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), told a session on scientific approaches to biodiversity at the CBD's 11th Conference of ...
By SciDev.Net
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Modifying urban rivers to increase biodiversity
Urban rivers are typically heavily-engineered and polluted with degraded habitats. They are therefore a priority for biodiversity restoration. Research suggests that relatively simple modifications to river walls may potentially encourage biodiversity by significantly improving habitats for plants and animals. The EU’s Water Framework Directive requires good ecological status in surface waters by ...
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Ecosystem-based adaptation provides promising approach
The advantages of soft ecosystem-based climate change adaptation over hard infrastructure-based approaches are becoming increasingly recognised. A new analysis highlights these advantages and calls for more effort to improve our understanding of ecosystem-based adaptation’s (EbA) effectiveness. The importance of adapting to climate change is an internationally recognised issue and this is ...
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Local governments get guidance on biodiversity data
Guidance to help local governments preserve and publish valuable biodiversity data has been provided in a new best practice guide. The guide — published last month (25 May) by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) — outlines the tools and infrastructure available to governments for publishing data, and the benefits of ...
By SciDev.Net
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Trade-offs in ecosystem services in Central and Eastern Europe
Researchers have developed a new approach for identifying regions that are most suitable for expanding ecosystem services. This could be used to help inform spatial planning decisions. By modelling ecosystem services’ opportunity costs in relation to agricultural revenue, the study provides a map of suitable areas of ecosystem service expansion in Eastern Europe. Understanding where ...
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Putting the `CSI` into CSIRO on world water day
Potentially applicable to coastal ecosystems around the world, the technique is based on a custom-made DNA microarray (gene chip), which contains DNA sequences from over 42,000 organisms found at the bottom of oceans and estuaries. A significant proportion of this genetic information was derived from samples taken around Sydney Harbour. Using the chip, scientists can investigate how many and ...
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Commission approves EUR 186m for 143 new LIFE+ projects
The European Commission has approved funding for 143 new projects under the first call for the LIFE+ programme (2007-2013), the European fund for the environment. The projects are from across the EU and cover actions in the fields of nature conservation, environmental policy, and information and communication. Overall, they represent a total investment of €367 million, of which the EU will ...
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Launch of the first online Global Freshwater Biodiversity Atlas
A new online Atlas of freshwater biodiversity presenting spatial information and species distribution patterns was launched today. The Atlas is an output of BioFresh, an EU-funded project supported by Wetlands International that is putting together the widely dispersed information about life in our rivers and lakes, to better understand, manage and protect our freshwaters for generations to come. ...
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Environment and Climate: European Commission provides €282.6 million for 225 new environment and climate projects
The European Commission has today approved funding for 225 new projects under the LIFE+ programme, the European Union's environment fund. The projects selected were submitted by beneficiaries in all 28 Member States and cover actions in the fields of nature conservation, climate change, environmental policy and information and communication on environmental issues across the EU. Overall, they ...
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