Topic description and stories

Saving ‘Half-Earth’ for nature would affect over a billion people

18 Nov 2019

Plans to save biodiversity must take into account the social impacts of conservation if they are to succeed, say University of Cambridge researchers.

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Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough: "Our planet hangs in the balance"

18 Nov 2019

Forests burn, glaciers melt and one million species face extinction. Can we humans save the planet from ourselves? Here, Sir David Attenborough...

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Researchers obtain first ever underwater ultrasound scans of wild reef manta rays

30 Apr 2019

A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Manta Trust has successfully scanned a pregnant wild reef manta ray underwater to...

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Future-proofing a forest

27 Mar 2019

Faced with shifting demands on landscapes and a changing climate, how do you plan for a forest’s future?

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Galapagos finch specimens from Museum of Zoology, collected on the second voyage of HMS Beagle that carried Darwin to the Islands. Researchers say these famously diverse finches are an iconic example of rapid speciation in the tropics.

Species ‘hotspots’ created by immigrant influx or evolutionary speed depending on climate

06 Feb 2019

New research reveals that biodiversity ‘hotspots’ in the tropics produced new species at faster rates over the last 25 million years, but those in...

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New ‘Rising Path’ opens at Cambridge University Botanic Garden

20 Sep 2018

A new Rising Path, designed to offer a fresh perspective on Cambridge University Botanic Garden’s historic Systematic Beds, will open to the public...

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Commercial honeybee hives in the Teide National Park, Tenerife, Spain.

Think of honeybees as ‘livestock’ not wildlife, argue experts

25 Jan 2018

Contrary to public perception, die-offs in honeybee colonies are an agricultural not a conservation issue, argue Cambridge researchers, who say that...

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Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), a waterbird with habitats ranging from the Russian far-east to Europe, Africa, and Australasia.

Political instability and weak governance lead to loss of species, study finds

20 Dec 2017

Big data study of global biodiversity shows ineffective national governance is a better indicator of species decline than any other measure of “...

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Golden Lion Tamarin, an endangered species that has grown from 200 to more than 3,200 individuals in three decades.

#EarthOptimism: Recovering species must be celebrated or we risk reversing progress

20 Apr 2017

Cambridge conservationists will unite with colleagues across the globe on Earth Day this Saturday to lionise environmental victories and show there...

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Biodiversity should be focus of businesses’ efforts to mitigate their environmental impact, says new report

14 Jul 2016

Biodiversity, the variety of plant and animal life in the world, is a fundamental component of ‘natural capital’ that businesses are dependent upon...

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Minecraft tree “probably” the tallest tree in the Tropics

08 Jun 2016

A tree the height of 20 London double-decker buses has been discovered in Malaysia by conservation scientists monitoring the impact of human activity...

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Light microscope image of the five tentacle temnocephalan Temnosewellia c.f rouxi from cultured redclaw crayfish

A 100 million-year partnership on the brink of extinction

25 May 2016

A symbiotic relationship that has existed since the time of the dinosaurs is at risk of ending, as habitat loss and environmental change mean that a...

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