Bee crisis could cost billions in lost agricultural production across Australia, Senate inquiry hears –‘No bees, no food’

By TORY SHEPHERD16 April 2014 (The Advertiser) – Feral bees have been all but wiped out in South Australia, putting the state’s agricultural industry at risk. The state now depends on about 60 beekeepers for domestic bees to pollinate crops after the feral population was hit hard by the Bangor and Ngarkat bushfires, among others. […]

The Onion: Progressive zoo houses animals in natural destroyed habitat

REDDING, CA, 11 April 2014 (The Onion) – Long considered among the nation’s premier zoos, northern California’s Redding Wildlife Park has continued to earn praise from visitors and industry observers alike for its progressive commitment to housing all of its animals in their natural destroyed habitats, sources reported this week. The cutting-edge zoological park, which […]

Voracious worm evolves to eat biotech corn engineered to kill it – ‘There needs to be a fundamental change in how the technology is used’

By Brandon Keim17 March 2014 (Wired) – One of agricultural biotechnology’s great success stories may become a cautionary tale of how short-sighted mismanagement can squander the benefits of genetic modification. After years of predicting it would happen — and after years of having their suggestions largely ignored by companies, farmers and regulators — scientists have […]

Plague of cicadas in Provence, caused by global warming, could destroy lavender fields in 20 years

By Kim Willsher25 November 2013 PARIS (theguardian.com) – Deep below the once purple but now wintering and dormant fields of Provençal lavender, something is rotten. It will not make itself known until spring and summer, when the cicadas – another symbol of this picturesque region of southern France – are ready to emerge from the […]

Photo gallery: Effects of Agrochemicals in Argentina

(Boston Globe) – Agrochemical spraying in Argentina has increased ninefold, from 9 million gallons in 1990 to 84 million gallons today. Yet the South American nation has a hodgepodge of widely ignored regulations that leave people dangerously exposed, and chemicals contaminate homes, classrooms, and drinking water. Doctors and scientists are warning that uncontrolled spraying could […]

Wild bird populations continue to decline in UK

By Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent 17 October 2013 (theguardian.com) – The number of wild birds in the UK is still falling, despite efforts to protect them by changing farming practices. Conservationists have urged the environment secretary, Owen Paterson, to use the money newly available from the EU’s common agricultural policy to step up protection measures. […]

In South Florida, a polluted bubble ready to burst – ‘These coastal estuaries cannot take this. This cannot continue to happen.’

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ8 September 2013 CLEWISTON, Florida (The New York Times) – On wind-whipped days when rain pounds this part of South Florida, people are quickly reminded that Lake Okeechobee, with its vulnerable dike and polluted waters, has become a giant environmental problem far beyond its banks. Beginning in May, huge downpours ushered in the […]

Climate change dries up India tea production – ‘Even the sheen of tealeaves is lost’

By Bijoyeta Das 9 Sep 2013 Guwahati, India (Al Jazeera) – He sniffs, slurps his tea, swirls and spits a jet of orangish liquid into the tumbler. “Malty, hard,” says Parag Hatibaruah, a professional tea-taster. “But not as strong, brisk and creamy as it was once,” he adds, shaking his head dismissively. Rows of teacups […]

Bee crisis: UK government launches ‘urgent’ review – ‘We can’t afford to gamble any longer with our food, countryside, and economy’

By Damian Carrington    28 June 2013 (The Guardian) – The government has launched an “urgent” review of the crisis facing bees and other pollinators in the UK and pledged to introduce a national pollinator strategy. “As we all recognise, pollinators play a vital role in the security of our food supply and the quality of […]

Graph of the Day: Decline of butterfly populations in Europe and EU, 1990-2011

22 July 2013 (EEA) – The European Grassland Butterfly Indicator has been updated both for Europe and the EU. In this chapter both indicators are presented. Figure 4.1 shows the European Grassland Butterfly Indicator, as well as the indicator for the Member States of the EU alone. The indicator is based on the supranational species […]

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