biodiversity

Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This weekly newsletter is part of a CBC News initiative entitled "Our Changing Planet" to show and explain the effects of climate change. Keep up with the latest news on our Climate and Environment page.Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox every Thursday.This week: From fashion to burials: How fungi can help fight climate change 2024 has barely started and is already threatening to set temperature records World's globetrotting animals at risk due to habitat…

With ecosystems ranging from Andean highlands to vast plains to the Amazon rain forest, Colombia—perched at the juncture of Central and South America—is home to nearly 10 percent of the world’s biodiversity. Its iconic species include dozens in the genus Espeletia: Seussian-looking plants commonly called frailejones, or “big monks.” Their rosettes of succulent, hairy leaves top off thick and spongy trunks that trap fog drifting in over the Andes’ unique and delicate high-altitude wetlands, called paramos.Among the world’s…

A new kind of death is coming to Antarctica, scientists fear. The harsh environment is full of everyday heartbreak: predation, starvation, chicks that are lost at sea when their icy shoreline melts away. Now a novel pathogen threatens to rip through colonies of marine mammals and birds, potentially including penguins. If the very worst happens, it could make ghosts of entire species—and scientists can’t do much more than wait.A deadly strain of H5N1 avian influenza has been blazing through poultry farms and flocks of wild…

As It Happens6:05Spider webs catch more than prey. They're also jam-packed with animal DNAJosh Newton probably isn't very popular with spiders. After all, the Australian scientist has a tendency to go around undoing their hard work. "I liken it to when Princess Fiona in Shrek makes some cotton candy for Shrek from spider webs, where she collects a stick and just wraps around the spider web for him. But I do it with a clean, sterile stick," Newton, a PhD candidate in life sciences at Curtin University, told As It Happens…

A groundbreaking study reveals that human activities have led to the extinction of around 1,400 bird species, highlighting the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect remaining avian diversity and prevent further losses.Scientists report that the loss of species is twice the current estimate, with 1 in 9 species having been lost.A new study reveals that human activities have led to the extinction of approximately 1,400 bird species, a figure that is double the earlier estimates. This has significant consequences…

An elephant, Loxodonta africana, throws dirt into the air in the tall grass of the savanna. Credit: Jeffrey T. KerbyA new meta-analysis across six continents establishes that large wild herbivores affect ecosystems in numerous important ways, from soils to vegetation to smaller animals, and promote ecosystem variability.For millions of years, a variety of large herbivores, or megafauna, influenced terrestrial ecosystems. Among many others, these included elephants in Europe, giant wombats in Australia, and ground sloths…

Water is life. That’s why we need to take care of it. Even plentiful water supplies are moot if they are undrinkable. Climate change, pollution and growing populations only add to the urgency of maintaining adequate water supplies and water quality for humanity.After doing archaeology for 35 years in Belize, focusing on the ancestral Maya, I have learned a great deal about living sustainably with water. I've learned that they lived in better harmony with the environment and kept water clean naturally. We can learn from…

John Slapcinsky, manager of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s invertebrate zoology collection, named nine new species of carnivorous land snails found in Papua New Guinea. Credit: Florida Museum photo by Jeff GageNine recently discovered species of meat-eating land snails have been identified in the secluded forests of Papua New Guinea, known for its rich variety of species. A recent research paper details these tiny creatures, each so small that all nine could collectively rest on a U.S. nickel. These snails offer…

An invasive species of crayfish that reproduces by cloning itself was discovered last summer in a Burlington, Ont., park — the first time the marbled crayfish has been identified in the wild in North America.Since then, a group of experts has been working to stop the species from spreading. The crayfish are in City View park, on Burlington's southwest border with Hamilton.Brook Schryer, a member of the working group responding to the detection, told CBC Hamilton that it seems the population was contained after the pond…

A new study suggests a more efficient ocean protection strategy, using a cross-sectoral approach to marine protection areas (MPAs). This method reduces the spatial and economic impact on fishing, shipping, and mining sectors, achieving conservation targets more effectively and aligning with the United Nations High Seas Treaty’s objectives. Credit: The University of QueenslandNew research indicates that protecting the world’s oceans from escalating harm due to human activities might be more cost-effective and require less…