/newsroom/taxonomy/term/174/all en /newsroom/channels/news/uncertainty-measuring-biodiversity-change-could-hinder-progress-towards-global-targets-nature-355491 <p>More than ever before, there is a growing interest in dedicating resources to stop the loss of biodiversity, as recently exemplified by the <a href="//Users/../../../../../../../Users/andy/Downloads/The%2520GBF%2520focuses%2520on%2520understanding%2520why%2520biodiversity%2520is%2520declining%2520and%2520what%2520actions%2520are%2520needed%2520to%2520reverse%2520this%2520trend.%2520However,%2520implementing%2520the%2520plan%2520is%2520challenging%2520because%2520information%2520about%2520biodiversity%2520changes%2520is%2520not%2520evenly%2520available%2520everywhere,%2520meaning%2520that%25</body></html>"></a></p> Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:41:59 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 307802 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/expert-weather-extremes-influence-rise-and-fall-insect-populations-351592 <p>Insect populations are widely influenced by weather anomalies, with decreasing numbers observed during unfavorable conditions and a spike in normal periods, according to a new study. The study published in <i>Nature</i> tries to resolve a debated topic: Are insect populations declining? Several studies have reported a decline in insect populations and diversity while others have questioned this. (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06402-z">Nature</a>)</p> <p>Here is an expert from Ŕ¦°óSMÉçÇř who can provide comment on this issue:</p> Tue, 03 Oct 2023 16:25:15 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 307375 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/global-observatory-monitor-earths-biodiversity-350068 <p>At a time of unparalleled rates of biodiversity loss, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-02171-0">a new interconnected system to monitor biodiversity</a> around the world is needed to guide action quickly enough to target conservation efforts to where they are most needed.</p> Thu, 24 Aug 2023 20:25:03 +0000 claire.loewen@mcgill.ca 307314 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/towards-reducing-biodiversity-loss-fragmented-habitats-346809 <p><!-- x-tinymce/html --></p> <p>When natural habitats are cleared to make way for cities, roads and agriculture, this often leaves behind “islands” of fragmented habitat that can place species at risk of extinction. Species are at risk when they find it hard to move among habitat patches to find resources and reproduce.</p> Fri, 10 Mar 2023 15:55:48 +0000 claire.loewen@mcgill.ca 295395 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/freshwater-ecosystems-risk-due-glyphosate-use-333104 <p><em>One of the few species that was found to be resistant to severe glyphosate contamination was Scapholeberis mucronata, a freshwater zooplankter commonly found in QuĂ©bec and elsewhere in North America. CREDIT: Marie-Pier HĂ©bert</em></p> Fri, 03 Sep 2021 21:22:00 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 274167 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/experts-international-day-biological-diversity-may-22-331100 <p>As the global community is called to re-examine our relationship to the natural world, one thing is certain: despite all our technological advances, humans are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter, and energy, just to name a few. The 2021 theme, “We’re part of the solution”, was chosen to be a continuation of the momentum generated last year under the over-arching theme, “Our solutions are in nature”, which served as a reminder that biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges.</p> Mon, 17 May 2021 18:22:25 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 265915 at /newsroom /newsroom/andrew-gonzalez Wed, 23 Dec 2020 20:51:46 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 254373 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/new-canadian-headquarters-global-biodiversity-research-network-323136 <p>The Group on Earth Observations - Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), a global research network and community of practice dedicated to improved monitoring of Earth’s biodiversity, announces the relocation of its headquarters from Leipzig, Germany, to Montreal, Canada.</p> <p>GEO BON responds to the urgent need for the best possible data and knowledge to support decisions to avoid unsustainable biodiversity loss. The information it provides will support international and national actions to meet biodiversity targets and Sustainable Development Goals.</p> Mon, 06 Jul 2020 13:12:37 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 221775 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/newsweek-glyphosate-herbicide-roundup-triggers-loss-biodiversity-among-freshwater-algae-320983 <p>The glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup has been found to trigger the loss of biodiversity among phytoplankton communities in freshwater ponds. In their experiments, scientists found that while some populations developed resistance to the herbicide and were able to survive exposure at high levels, this came at a cost, with a 40 percent loss in biodiversity.</p> <p><br /> "The ubiquitous presence of glyphosate in the environment has sparked concerns over its potential health and ecotoxicological effects," <strong>Andrew Gonzalez</strong>, from Canada's Ŕ¦°óSMÉçÇř, said. </p> Wed, 04 Mar 2020 14:20:47 +0000 amelia.souffrant@mail.mcgill.ca 200730 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/widely-used-weed-killer-harming-biodiversity-320906 <p>One of the world’s most widely used glyphosate-based herbicides, Roundup, can trigger loss of biodiversity, making ecosystems more vulnerable to pollution and climate change, say <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-1134-5">researchers from Ŕ¦°óSMÉçÇř</a>.</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2020 15:29:15 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 200011 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/radio-canada-protection-des-ecosystemes-urbains-284487 <p>Partout au monde, l’extension des villes transforme le paysage et fragmente les Ă©cosystèmes. Selon l’écologue montrĂ©alais Andrew Gonzalez, 70% des forĂŞts de la planète sont Ă  moins d’un kilomètre d’activitĂ© humaine, elles sont donc interrompues par des routes, ou des villes. Ce scientifique cherche Ă  prĂ©sent le meilleur moyen pour reconnecter les forĂŞts urbaines.</p> <p><a href="http://ici.radio-canada.ca/tele/decouverte/site/segments/reportage/57378/ecosysteme-urbain">Radio-Canada</a></p> Mon, 05 Feb 2018 17:52:08 +0000 nathan.menezes@mail.mcgill.ca 32934 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/were-brink-mass-extinction-theres-still-time-pull-back-268427 <p> Tue, 30 May 2017 20:18:46 +0000 cynthia.lee@mcgill.ca 31110 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/protecting-lifes-tangled-ecological-webs-268045 <p>Ecosystems are a complex web of interactions. These ecological networks are being reorganized by extinctions and colonization events caused by human impacts, such as climate change and habitat destruction. In a paper published this week in <em>Nature Ecology & Evolution</em>, researchers from Ŕ¦°óSMÉçÇř and University of British Columbia have developed a new theory to understand how complex ecological networks will reorganize in the future.</p> Tue, 09 May 2017 13:31:04 +0000 christopher.chipello@mcgill.ca 28600 at /newsroom