Vor wenigen Wochen erst sorgte eine Untersuchung über das Insektensterben in Deutschland auch über die Wissenschaftsseiten hinaus für einige Aufregung. Wenn es aber weniger Insekten gibt, dann müssen auch ihre Fressfeinde darunter leiden. Und genau das bestätigt nun eine Studie der Salzburger Herpetologen Martin Kyek, Peter Kaufmann und Robert Lindner (Haus der Natur in Salzburg).

In einem offenen Brief fordern 13 Organisationen Bundesrat Johann Schneider-Ammann auf, eine unabhängige Zulassungsstelle für Pestizide zu schaffen. Zu den 13 Organisationen, die den Brief mitverfasst haben, gehören unter anderem: Bio Suisse, Vision Landwirtschaft, Pro Natura, Greenpeace und WWF.

Fishing and other rural communities that have traditionally depended on Wular Lake are now struggling to earn a living from it, as shrinkage, siltation and ecological degradation take a toll on Kashmir’s largest flood basin. Wular, which was designated as a wetland of international importance under Ramsar Convention in 1990, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia and the largest flood basin of Kashmir.

Based on monitoring data for the period 2005-2010, we studied the trends in abundance and species richness of common breeding birds in Bulgaria before and after the country joined the EU in 2007. We analysed the trends in birds of farmland, woodland and “other” habitats, and additionally, we tested whether indices of the commonest birds are representative of wider changes in bird populations. At species level (n = 32), significant declines were detected in 11 species (34%), and increases in just two (6%); 19 species (60%) had uncertain trends.

This study determined the toxicity of imidacloprid and thiacloprid to five species of soil invertebrates: earthworms (Eisenia andrei), enchytraeids (Enchytraeus crypticus), Collembola (Folsomia candida), oribatid mites (Oppia nitens) and isopods (Porcellio scaber). Tests focused on survival and reproduction or growth, after 3–5 weeks exposure in natural LUFA 2.2 standard soil. Imidacloprid was more toxic than thiacloprid for all species tested. F. candida and E.

Um den Fischfang im Zürichsee steht es schlecht. Nebst den Fischern sind davon insbesondere die Restaurants betroffen, die auf den täglich frischen Fisch angewiesen sind. Gegenüber der «Zürichsee-Zeitung» sagten die Besitzer des Restaurants «Bad am See» in Schmerikon, dass sie besonders auf die Felchenfänge angewiesen seien, da ihre Speisekarte auf diesen Fisch ausgerichtet sei. Dieser Bestand habe schon immer geschwankt, aber so schwierig wie dieses Jahr sei es noch nie gewesen. Der Berufsfischer Adrian Gerny schätzt die Lage ebenfalls als dramatisch ein.

The Dutch food and product safety board (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit, or NVWA) has barred 180 poultry farms from sending their eggs to market because they may be contaminated with the pesticide fipronil. Additionally, the NVWA has warned consumers not to eat eggs with the code X-NL-40155XX, as these contain enough fipronil to present “an acute danger to public health.” The pesticide is used to control lice and fleas in poultry. In the Netherlands, it is banned in the poultry sector.

Grassland-nesting bird populations continue to decline in numbers in Vermont, according to recent surveys conducted by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bird species that nest in grasslands include vesper sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus), grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna), among others. The history of grassland bird nesting over the past two centuries follows closely with changes in agricultural practices in North America.

Iowa’s state tree is under stress. Visible damage to oak trees in recent years may be caused by farm chemicals, forestry experts say. Nearly a thousand Iowans have contacted the Iowa Department of Natural Resources this spring after noticing the leaves on their oaks appear to be eaten by insects nearly down to the veins, a problem exacerbated this year because of weather fluctuations. The good news: the trouble isn't with insects. The bad news: There's not much you can do about it, unless herbicide applied to corn and soybean fields is stopped, according to a DNR district forester.

Neonicotinoid seed dressings have caused concern world-wide. We use large field experiments to assess the effects of neonicotinoid-treated crops on three bee species across three countries (Hungary, Germany, and the United Kingdom). Winter-sown oilseed rape was grown commercially with either seed coatings containing neonicotinoids (clothianidin or thiamethoxam) or no seed treatment (control). For honey bees, we found both negative (Hungary and United Kingdom) and positive (Germany) effects during crop flowering.