Knowledge Base

Regional Bio-Bridge Roundtable for Asia Pacific, 16-19 October 2017, Incheon, Republic of Korea

Reference: SCBD/IMS/ET/LZ/86776 (2017-079)
To: CBD Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points and CHM Focal Points in the Asia Pacific Region

A record 448 flamingo chicks born in Abu Dhabi

A record number of 448 flamingo chicks hatched at the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi during these summer months, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) announced on Tuesday.

Ecologist Special Report: The Al Hima Revival

Throughout history, Islam has contributed innovative ideas that have helped advance world civilization. The al Hima initiative in Jordan is one such example. This ancient practice is currently being revived as a land management (natural resource management) strategy in pastoralist areas of the M ...

New study calls for better information on changes in wild animal populations

Key statistics about the world's animal and plant life could present a misleading picture about the natural world according to new research from the University of St Andrews.

Kochi chosen to implement biodiversity programme

Four-year conservation project supported by German environment ministry Kochi is among the three Indian cities selected for the implementation of a biodiversity conservation project supported by Germany.

Targeted forest regeneration: A blueprint for conserving tropical biological diversity?

Tropical forests contain more than one-half of all plant and animal species on Earth. Unfortunately, they are disappearing at the highest rate of any forests worldwide. Furthermore, many of the most threatened tropical species are restricted to 20 or so biodiversity hotspots, which are sites tha ...

New York's waterways are swimming in plastic microbeads

It's morning. Brush your teeth. A quick shower, shampoo. Going to the beach? Get on the sunscreen. OK, ready to roll. You've just sent countless microscopic plastic bits swirling down the drain, through the sewer system and into the nearest water body.

Looking for signs of life in B.C's rare glass sponge reefs

The first scientific exploration of two rare glass sponge reefs off British Columbia's coast has revealed one healthy reef and one mostly dead, ancient reef.

New plastic dump in Pacific Ocean

Researchers who travel the globe documenting the presence and impact of plastics on the world’s oceans and all their marine life have discovered a new ocean “garbage patch” in the South Pacific which they say covers millions of square kilometres.

How Microscopic Algae Kick-Started Life As We Know It

Some 650 million years ago, algae took over the seas, which may have been a needed spark in the formation of complex life. In our planet's infancy, life was pretty tiny. Simple, single-celled critters (mostly bacteria) dominated the seas. But from these microbes eventually evolved the many creat ...

Sea the possibilities: to fight climate change, put seaweed in the mix

The next stage of humanity’s fight to reduce greenhouse emissions may revolve around seaweed, according to tonight’s episode of ABC’s Catalyst, presented by Professor Tim Flannery, which asks the question “can seaweed save the world?”

GMO Crop Yields Uncertain in Warming Climates According to New Research

Scientists have been arguing for decades over how to best fill the world’s food basket.Transgenic food producers maintain that the world needs today’s technology to protect — and increase — its food production. Genetic modification has in some cases extended the life of perishable foods like tom ...

Climate change could shrink fish by as much as 30 percent, new study claims

Warmer waters as a result of climate change could shrink the size of fish by 20 to 30 percent, a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) has claimed.

Spectacular rebirth of Belize's coral reefs threatened by tourism and development

Report reveals improvement but also details danger posed by tourist-generated pollution, oil extraction and climate change.ust below the surface of the turquoise sea, coral flutters majestically amid schools of puffed up porcupinefish and fluorescent blue and yellow angelfish.

Identifying the world’s top biodiversity investment returns

When portions of a previously contiguous forest are carved away, so-called “fragmented forests” are created, and now-isolated species find it increasingly difficult to maintain a healthy and sustainable population. Species in fragmented forests start to head toward extinction within in less than ...

Discover the Richness of Microorganisms Found in the Polar Regions

Polar regions are the most isolated place on Earth, uninhabited due to their harsh climate conditions. The study of this regions’ unknown bioaerosols biodiversity can bring a lot of answers to better measure the impact of our urban civilization to these desert areas.

‘Understand, protect, share benefits of biodiversity’

‘Many species in our country were already extinct before I was born,” lamented Sophea Chhin, a young biodiversity information specialist from Cambodia. Nevertheless, he said, there’s always new species waiting to be discovered—protected and conserved.

How green roofs can help cities sponge away excess stormwater

Spring and summer 2017 have been among the wettest on record in eastern North America, including southern Ontario.Rainfall amounts in the spring broke records in places like Toronto, where 44.6 millimetres of rain fell in 24 hours.

Lic. MSc. Lucía Bartesaghi

Ing.Qco. Alejandro Nario

Lic.MSc. Ana Laura Mello

Biodiverseedy: Sewing Connections for Living Seeds

BiodiverSEEDy is a small international project that aims to reconnect seeds to the cultures that have passed them down through the generations. The work of thousands of years could be lost in just a few decades if the current trend towards monocultural cultivation, genetic modification and priva ...

Most countries lose out with forest-to-farm conversions

A new study by researchers from the National University of Singapore maps tropics where deforestation have the most and the least gains, and aims to guide policymakers to realise whether their deforestation strategies make economic sense.

Measuring global biodiversity change

A new article shows how Essential Biodiversity Variables can be produced to measure biodiversity change at a global scale.

TN deploying artificial reefs to save sinking islands

Sinking islands may become a reality with sea level rise and climate change in decades to come. Tamil Nadu has hit upon a novel idea to protect such islands on its coast – deployment of artificial reefs near vulnerable islands.