Search results for “insect decline”:
In the latest study revealing the extent of declines in global insect populations, researchers working in Puerto Rico’s Luquillo rainforest have documented a “bottom-up trophic cascade” triggered by large declines in the biomass and abundance of arthropods, the family of animals that include insects and spiders. Populations of insectivorous predators like lizards, frogs, and birds […]
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A duo of research scientists from Australian universities have conducted an extensive review of global data on insect populations, with stark results. Their analysis of 73 historical reports was published this month in the journal Biological Conservation. It reveals “dramatic rates of decline that may lead to the extinction of 40% of the world’s insect species over the […]
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A consortium of environmental groups are urging EU policy makers to do more to protect declining insect populations as part of the European “Green Deal.” As ABC news has reported , the EU’s sweeping climate proposal seeks to make Europe “the first climate-neutral continent.” It calls for, among other things, several major ag and land […]
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Troubling and significant declines in monarch butterfly populations in Florida have occured over the last 30+years, according to a research team from the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, part of the Florida Museum of Natural History. A paper by the FLA team was published this summer in the Journal of Natural History, and reports […]
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It appears that scientists, and farmers too, are taking a closer look at the ubiquitous use of neonicotinoid seed treatments in US corn, soybean and other crops. Neonics are powerful insecticides used to coat the outside of a wide variety of seeds including grain and oilseed crops. The brightly-dyed layer of pesticide is designed to […]
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Monarch butterflies need milkweed to survive. Declining populations of this iconic butterfly have been driven by many factors, but until recently, one undisputed factor has received the most attention — the loss of milkweed in the wake of the near-universal adoption of Roundup Ready corn, soybean, cotton canola, alfalfa, and sugarbeets. And these are serious […]
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A Scientific American piece on neonicotinoid insecticides begins with a fascinating story about a wildlife rehab clinic in Montana. In the 1990s, a “bizarre trend” was noticed — an unusual number and diversity of birth defects in roadkill deer and other big game autopsied at the clinic. Scientists at the clinic pondered what could have […]
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Ever wonder about the impact of heavy, year-to-year applications of glyphosate-based herbicides on wildlife and ecosystem food chains? Environmental Health News provides some key, fresh insights in “What’s the world’s most widely used herbicide doing to tiny critters?” We already know that glyphosate and other pesticides have become ubiquitous in streams and groundwater, suggesting ecological impacts are likely […]
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The European sustainable development think-tank IDDRI has a 10 year plan to get the continent on a track towards sustainable agriculture, while producing ample food to provide a healthy diet to 530 million Europeans. Their fascinating new report is entitled “An agroecological Europe in 2050: multifunctional agriculture for healthy eating. Findings from the Ten Years […]
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Introduction Three Major Actions The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Glyphosate/Roundup Case Study The Lowdown on Roundup Changes Over Time Does Glyphosate/Roundup Cause Cancer IARC vs. EPA Genotoxicity Paper Introduction Pesticide regulators strive to prevent “unreasonable adverse effects on man and the environment,” the basic standard embedded in the FIFRA statute (the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, […]
