General

Kiebitze und Unken verschwinden im Rhein-Main-Gebiet

Als besonders bedrohlich erweist sich die immer intensivere Landwirtschaft. „Auf den Äckern und Wiesen stellen wir einen massiven Artenrückgang fest“, sagt NABU-Mitarbeiter Mark Harthun. Acker-Bodenbrüter wie Feldlerche (Alauda arvensis) und Kiebitz (Vanellus vanellus) gebe es in Hessen immer seltener. Auf den Äckern nisten die Tiere nicht, weil Jahr für Jahr in riesigen Mengen Pestizide gesprüht werden. Nicht nur wegen der Giftstoffe selbst, sondern auch weil die Getreide- und Grashalme durch das Düngen immer dichter wachsen, brüten dort kein Vögel mehr, wie es heißt.

Amphibians in continued global decline

A new study led by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey confirms the ongoing decline of amphibians around the world. While every part of the United States continues to experience a decline in amphibian populations, the major threats vary from region to region. The negative effects of pesticide use are especially pronounced east of the Colorado River, while human development and disease are driving the decline east of the Mississippi River. The latest analysis suggests amphibian populations are declining at a rate of 3.79 percent per year.

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring sounded the alarm. The problem hasn't gone away, it's only intensified

Despite a steady rise in the manufacture and release of synthetic chemicals, research on the ecological effects of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals is severely lacking. This blind spot undermines efforts to address global change and achieve sustainability goals. So reports a new study in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Emma J. Rosi , a freshwater ecologist at the Cary Institute and a co-author on the paper, explains, "To date, global change assessments have ignored synthetic chemical pollution.

Farmers must use an alternative to pesticides to save amphibians from complete extinction

A study published in SAPIENS revealed that out of 15,589 species threatened with extinction, 12% of them are bird species, 23% are mammal species are threatened, and 32% are amphibians. The first amphibian decline was documented in the 1960s. At present, the research revealed the average amphibian population decline has reached 3.79 % per year. As amphibian crisis persists across the United States, scientists are working continuously to come up with an emergency response to reverse their decline. Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers from the U.S.

NABU bangt um Weiterführung der Bildungswerkstatt Natur

Eine erschreckende Bilanz hat unlängst NRW-Landesumweltminister Johannes Remmel vorgelegt: Rund 44 Prozent unserer heimischen Tier- und Pflanzenarten sind mittlerweile in ihrem Bestand gefährdet und haben somit einen unrühmlichen Platz auf der Roten Liste ergattert. Und am Niederrhein? Leider ist auch hier das Ergebnis katastrophal. Selbst in den meisten Schutzgebieten geht der Artenschwund signifikant weiter. Insbesondere auf landwirtschaftlich genutzten Flächen ist die Artenvielfalt in den letzten Jahren rapide zurückgegangen.

Reciprocal effects of pesticides and pathogens on amphibian hosts

Ecological communities are increasingly exposed to natural and anthropogenic stressors. While the effects of individual stressors have been broadly investigated, there is growing evidence that multiple stressors are frequently encountered underscoring the need to examine interactive effects. Pesticides and infectious diseases are two common stressors that regularly occur together in nature. Given the documented lethal and sublethal effects of each stressor on individuals, there is the potential for interactive effects that alter disease outcomes and pesticide toxicity.

De knoflookpad wordt sterk bedreigd door milieuverontreiniging met imidacloprid

De knoflookpad (Pelobates fuscus) is een plompe pad met opvallend uitpuilende ogen met verticale pupillen. Zijn leefgebied bestaat uit rivierduinen en kleinschalig agrarisch landschap met bos in de nabijheid. De knoflookpad is gebonden aan de stroomdalen van beken en rivieren in het oosten en zuidoosten van Nederland. De knoflookpad is op dit moment één van de meest bedreigde amfibieën in Nederland. Sinds 1990 zijn er in Nederland nog maar 38 leefgebieden van de knoflookpad bekend, daarvoor was hij bekend van meer dan 100 leefgebieden.

Salamanders of the highlands of Mexico are closer to extinction than any other on Earth

Researchers report three new species of the world’s smallest salamander from the remote mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. They also warn that the rare creatures are already in danger of dying out. The three new species are from the enigmatic genus Thorius, the adults of which are smaller than a matchstick. They are, in fact, the smallest four-legged tailed organism on Earth, and their miniaturized bodies are highly unusual for vertebrates, with structures for feeding being among the most prominent.

Silent spring in the rainforest: amphibians face extinction in biodiversity hotspot Costa Rica

Bryan Pijanowski, professor of landscape ecology in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University and director of the Discovery Park Center for Global Soundscapes, is the focus of an in-depth story now posted on the CNN website. John Sutter, a columnist for CNN Opinion focusing on climate change and social justice, accompanied Pijanowski and a team of researchers to the Costa Rican rainforest, where they recorded the sounds of amphibians in danger of extinction as part of the Center for Global Soundscapes’ Vanishing Soundscapes initiative.

Hundreds of thousands of toads have been lost from the UK countryside in the past 30 years

The common toad is in decline across much of the UK and needs better protection, say conservationists. Data from toad patrols - volunteers who move toads across busy roads - shows the toad population has fallen by more than two-thirds since the 1980s. Once common in the British countryside, the amphibian is now on the brink of qualifying for protection as a vulnerable species, a study suggests. Silviu Petrovan, from the UK charity Froglife, said the information came from Toads on Roads - volunteer patrols established in the early 1970s to move toads over busy roads.