Three out of four crops across the globe producing fruits, or seeds for use as human food depend, at least in part, on bees and other pollinators. PHOTO:Photo FAO/Greg Beals
Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.
Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity.
To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.
The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.
We all depend on pollinators and it is, therefore, crucial to monitor their decline and halt the loss of biodiversity.
Bee engaged: Celebrating the diversity of bees and beekeeping systems
We need only call to mind the first half of 2022 for an array of the extreme, energy-related global challenges we all face. Around the world, local versions of climate change effects—the temperatures, wildfires, droughts, storms, flooding—underscore how important it is for us to transition away from our overdependence on fossil fuels. And our energy sources don’t just have environmental implications but security ones as well. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the latest rendition of the resource curse. At the heart of it all, fossil fuels are what enabled and amplified the murderous narcissism we see in Vladimir Putin and created a country with an unbalanced and unhealthy domestic economy able to profoundly destabilize energy flows and prices around the world.
The South China Sea (SCS) brings together its own assortment of these complex challenges and factors. Competing security concerns, resource needs, and nationalisms shape the motivations of the claimants. Much of the attention and conflict has centred on the oil and gas in the seabed. Estimates of SCS hydrocarbon volumes vary; only some of these resources are proven reserves that have been confirmed and measured, and are actually recoverable. But even in more generous assessments, the SCS only provides us with a small percentage of the global total of oil and gas reserves, and even less of the overall energy mix if we include non-fossil-fuel energy sources.
Beyond hydrocarbons, in a two-way tie with the adjacent Coral Triangle, the SCS has the highest level of marine biodiversity in the world. SCS fisheries feed and employ millions of people in the region. It’s true that conflict over these living marine resources also drives the territorial disputes in the region, and a wide variety of human activity degrades the SCS ecosystem. Yet drilling for hydrocarbons in the SCS threatens this vulnerable marine habitat even more, while also clearly contributing to geopolitical and security tensions in the region—and to climate change.
Given how destabilizing oil and gas pursuits have been for the SCS since the 1970s, we might ask ourselves whether we want to keep drilling for fossil fuels there. Do the costs and risks outweigh the benefits?
Download this 21-page report (button above) from Dr. Tabitha Grace Mallory, an inaugural John H. McArthur Research Fellow, an initiative of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, and the Founder of China Ocean Institute and Affiliate Professor, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington.
Below, explore the rich marine biodiversity of the South China Sea, one of the most hotly-contested maritime jurisdictions on the planet, in this original map created by the author and APF Canada graphic designer Chloe Fenemore, based on historical and contemporary maps cited in the full report.
Tabitha Grace Mallory is the Founder of China Ocean Institute and Affiliate Professor, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington. Dr. Mallory specializes in Chinese foreign and environmental policy. She conducts research on China and global ocean governance and has published work on China’s fisheries and oceans policy.
Dr. Mallory is an inaugural John H. McArthur Research Fellow, an initiative of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada launched in 2021 to provide research opportunities for exceptional, mid-career scholars who are working on programs and research areas with direct relevance to Canada and Canada’s interests in Asia.
The world may be facing a devastating “hidden” collapse in insect species due to the twin threats of climate change and habitat loss.
UCL’s Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research has carried out one of the largest-ever assessments of insect declines around the world – assessing three-quarters of a million samples from around 6,000 sites.
The new study, published in Nature, finds that climate-stressed farmland possesses only half the number of insects, on average, and 25% fewer insect species than areas of natural habitat.
Insect declines are greatest in high-intensity farmland areas within tropical countries – where the combined effects of climate change and habitat loss are experienced most profoundly.
The majority of the world’s estimated 5.5 million species are thought to live in these regions – meaning the planet’s greatest abundances of insect life may be suffering collapses without us even realising.
Lowering the intensity of farming by using fewer chemicals, having a greater diversity of crops and preserving some natural habitat can mitigate the negative effects of habitat loss and climate change on insects.
Considering the choices we make as consumers – such as buying shade-grown coffee or cocoa – could also help protect insects and other creatures in the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions.
The Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, located in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, is one of the world’s largest areas of reforested mangroves.BY MICHAEL TATARSKI ON 21 APRIL 2020Mongabay Series: Global Forests
A majority of the flora in the area was killed by defoliants sprayed by the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War.
Today, the replanted forest protects the city from storms, and stores huge amounts of carbon dioxide, though development plans and aquaculture pose threats to Can Gio’s continued health.
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — As the largest urban area in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is known for its kinetic pace of life, rivers of motorbike traffic, and relentless construction. With an official population of 9 million and a booming economy based on manufacturing, real estate and tourism, there is often little space for nature.
It may come as a surprise, even to many who live in Ho Chi Minh City, that one of the world’s great restored mangroves forests lies within the city’s borders.
Ground-mounted PV systems promote biodiversity according to a new study published in Germany. Scientists collected data from 75 MW of solar plants nationwide and found the areas they were located in showed greater diversity and more intact habitat structures and found panels provide a refuge for animals.
Rare plant and animal species settle below or next to ground-mounted solar plants.
The issue of vast fields of solar panels restricting other types of land use is still a controversial one for the PV industry but, as the head of Germany’s Federal Association of New Energy Industry Robert Busch said: “Germany is not a plains country but for the climate and energy targets the federal government needs a lot more renewable energy, unless it is … all just lip service.” Tiếp tục đọc “Solar farm is good for biodiversity”→
Recent advances in satellite-based forest monitoring technology have helped conservationists locate where deforestation may be happening. However, limitations in knowing the causes behind canopy loss have hindered efforts to stop it.
A new study released this week provides a step forward toward this goal, identifying the major drivers of tree cover loss around the world.
Overall, it finds 27 percent of all forest loss — 50,000 square kilometers per year — is caused by permanent commodity-driven deforestation. In other words, an area of forest a quarter of the size of India was felled to grow commodity crops over 15 years. The next-biggest driver of forest loss worldwide is forestry at 26 percent; wildfire and shifting agriculture amounting to 23 percent and 24 percent, respectively. The study finds less than 1 percent of global forest loss was attributable to urbanization.
The study’s authors found commodity-driven deforestation remained constant throughout their 15-year study period, which they say indicates corporate zero-deforestation agreements may not be working in many places. They hope their findings will help increase accountability and transparency in global supply chains.
Study based on ten years of research in subtropical forests
Date:August 1, 2018
Source:German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Summary:In addition to the diversity of tree species, the variety of animal and fungus species also has a decisive influence on the performance of forests. Forest performance comprises many facets besides timber production, such as carbon storage and climate regulation. The study is based on ten years of research in species-rich subtropical forests.
FULL STORY
Spiders and other animals are important for forest ecosystems.
Credit: Jula Zimmermann
A new study shows that, in addition to the diversity of tree species, the variety of animal and fungus species also has a decisive influence on the performance of forests. Forest performance comprises many facets besides timber production, such as carbon storage and climate regulation. The study is based on ten years of research in species-rich subtropical forests. A team of researchers led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg has published the results in the new issue of Nature Communications. They illustrate that biodiversity must be viewed as a whole in order to maintain the performance of forests.
Rich in wildlife, Southeast Asia includes at least six of the world’s 25 “biodiversity hotspots” – the areas of the world that contain an exceptional concentration of species, and are exceptionally endangered. The region contains 20% of the planet’s vertebrate and plant species and the world’s third-largest tropical forest.
Global comparisons are difficult but it seems the Mekong region has a higher rate of species discovery than other parts of the tropics, with hundreds of new species described annually.
European beaver (Castor fiber) in the middle of a French city, Orléans. Credit: Laurent Geslin
Humans dominate the animal world. Whether hunting or competing for limited space and resources, we are the planet’s superpredator. Other animals seem to understand this, avoiding people if they can help it. But as the human population expands, it is getting harder for other creatures to find somewhere to hide during the day. Now new findings indicate mammals around the world have come up with another strategy: They are becoming nocturnal. Exactly what this bizarre shift means for the future of individual species—and entire ecosystems—is unknown. Tiếp tục đọc “Humans Are Driving Other Mammals to Become More Nocturnal”→
Elephants and giant sequoias have no advantage over algae and bacteria
January 8, 2018 Source:SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestrySummary:There are more than 8 million species of living things on Earth, but none of them — from 100-foot blue whales to microscopic bacteria — has an advantage over the others in the universal struggle for existence.A trio of scientists report that regardless of vastly different body size, location and life history, most species are equally ‘fit’ in the struggle for existence.
There are more than 8 million species of living things on Earth, but none of them — from 100-foot blue whales to microscopic bacteria — has an advantage over the others in the universal struggle for existence.
In a paper published Jan. 8 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, a trio of scientists from universities in the United States and the United Kingdom describe the dynamic that began with the origin of life on Earth 4 billion years ago. They report that regardless of vastly different body size, location and life history, most plant, animal and microbial species are equally “fit” in the struggle for existence. This is because each transmits approximately the same amount of energy over its lifetime to produce the next generation of its species. Tiếp tục đọc “What species is most fit for life? All have an equal chance, scientists say”→
Tens of millions of red crabs live on Christmas Island, a small Australian territory near Indonesia. Each year, in sync with the lunar phases, they migrate en masse from the forest to the sea. It’s stunning to watch.
Tourists go kayaking on Chày River in the Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park in Quảng Bình Province. — VNA/VNS Photo
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Instead of being wary about investors, tourism management authorities should collaborate with them in preserving the natural environment, says Dr Nguyễn Hoàng Trí, Secretary of the National Committee for UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) in Việt Nam.
With about 2.3 million hectares of special use forests (SUF), 31 national parks and 68 natural reserves, and dozens of other forests, Việt Nam is seen as a prime eco-tourism destination.
However, rapid and haphazard development of tourism infrastructure in natural reserves and SUFs in the last few years has raised concerns that development was taking place at the expense of the environment. Tiếp tục đọc “Eco-tourism should not destroy biodiversity: experts”→
The tropical margrove forest in Cà Mau Cape National Park. The World Environment Organisation recognised the national park as a Ramsar site of the world—the fifth in Việt Nam—in 2012. — VNA/VNS Photo An Hiếu
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI – Preserving biodiversity in Việt Nam was the main topic of discussion at a workshop yesterday in Hà Nội.
Nguyễn Quốc Dựng, from the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development emphasised the need for a strategic framework and action plan for the Core Environment Program (CEP)’s phase 3 (2018-2022), building a legal framework for biodiversity corridors in Việt Nam.
Marine protected areas and mangroves in Việt Nam are smaller than in other nations so biodiversity corridors will help develop biodiversity.
“It is necessary to set up detailed projects for coastal provinces in the context of Việt Nam being affected by climate change,” Dựng said.
“Forests have been planted in the country to cope with climate change, with 42 projects in coastal provinces. [But]we have no national-scale project for the restoration of coastal forests and biodiversity preservation, although Việt Nam has high biodiversity,” he said.
“Restoring and preserving biodiversity is very difficult and costly here.”
Problems and disagreements between agencies on biodiversity preservation hamper the work, harming scientific research and environmental protection projects.
Phạm Hùng Cường, from the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology, said developing ecosystems in remote areas owned by local people should be based on saving the native ecosystem.
“Biodiversity in traditional farming must be associated with natural landscape,” he said.
“Việt Nam should learn from developed countries like Japan to maintain and restore the traditional ecosystem.”
An expert from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said a shortage of financial resources for environmental protection, limited staff capacity, ineffective international co-operation and poor State management were issues they face when building legal documents on biodiversity corridors.
Sumit Pokhrel, deputy chairman of the Bangkok-based Environment Operation Centre, the unit responsible for co-ordinating the CEP in the region, detailed three main targets of CEP Strategic Framework and Action Plan : green growth and reducing carbon emissions, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management and biodiversity landscape and natural resources.
At the workshop, Pokhrel said a great challenge was building biodiversity in all six CEP nations.
CEP’s phase 3 will have four main tasks: facilitating regional collaboration and the management of natural resources; providing policy advice and technical support for member nations, supporting information management, and supplying financing and investment services.
Prof. Nguyễn Thế Chinh, director of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment said the Vietnamese Party and Government affirmed their commitment to addressing challenges of natural resources, the environment and climate change through promulgating many policies to ensure sustainable development.
The CEP, funded mainly by Asian Development Bank, has been implemented in the six nations of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (The GMS countries are Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Việt Nam), for ten years.– VNS
CVD 