ecosystem
A Pretty Stream in Belgium Is so Polluted Its Water Could Be Used as Pesticide
The idyllic stream that meanders through the Flemish countryside has been called the most polluted stream in Europe. When you think of a polluted waterway, what do you envision? For me, a dark, oil-slicked river studded with garbage comes to…
Wolves ‘Established’ in Netherlands for First Time in 140 Years
For the first time in 140 years, wolves have an official home in the Netherlands. Ecologists told BBC Radio 4 that a female wolf they had been tracking had stayed in the country for six months and could therefore be…
We Are Eating Large Wild Animals into Extinction
Much of the planet’s megafauna is being driven extinct because of the usual causes: habitat loss and rampant poaching for body parts like horns, bones and tusks. But there is another reason large vertebrates are going extinct: people keep on…
Microplastics Found in Every Marine Mammal Surveyed in UK Study
Microplastics are being widely ingested by Britain’s marine mammals, scientists say, with samples found in every animal examined in a study. The research on 50 stranded creatures including porpoises, dolphins, grey seals and a pygmy sperm whale is the most…
Prosecco Production Is Destroying Soil in Some Italian Vineyards
Sorry to burst your bubbly, prosecco lovers, but skyrocketing demand for the sparkling wine might be sapping northeastern Italy’s vineyards of precious soil — 400 million kilograms of it per year, researchers report in a study posted online January 10…
Hawaiian Island Important for Seals and Turtles Washed Away by Hurricane
A small Hawaiian island that was an important habitat for endangered species has entirely disappeared, The Huffington Post confirmed Tuesday. East Island in the French Frigate Shoals, an atoll around 550 miles northwest of Honolulu that formed part of the…
A Shortage of Beer and Fries? Climate Change Hits Europe Where It Hurts
Climate change has fueled raging wildfires around the world, bleached coral reefs and intensified hurricanes—and now it’s coming for Europe’s fries. A hot and dry summer has caused low potato yields in Belgium and across Europe, resulting in sad, stubby…