Can invasive species become necessary for their new ecosystems?
Invasive species are, in most cases quite rightly, generally seen as a "bad thing". Often free from native predators in their new environment, they can become much more aggressive than in their native habitats where they are in balance with the rest of the ecosystem and held in check by natural enemies, predators and diseases.…
Countdown to seven billion: does the world have enough water to produce food for us all?
As the world counts down to the landmark of seven billion people on the planet (a scary number predicted to happen – perhaps a little too conveniently? – on the scary day of Halloween, 31 October) we are seeing an increasing number of stories and statistics on whether the Earth's resources can cope with a…
Land sparing vs. land sharing: how best to reconcile food production and biodiversity?
In a world of climate instability and ever-growing population, global food security is becoming an increasing concern. How do we feed a population of some seven billion (set to reach 9 billion by 2050) without losing even more of our precious biodiversity by diverting ecosystems such as forests and grasslands to cropland? Do we squeeze…
One year from the Olympics: Will home advantage favour Team GB?
It is now exactly a year until the 2012 Olympics open in London, and events to mark the occasion are being held throughout the capital. Like a number of my colleagues I've been fortunate enough to get tickets for at least some events next year, although having missed out on athletics and cycling while getting…
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It was Bhutan which first famously came up with the concept of Gross National Happiness. Back in 1972, the then-King Jigme Singye Wangchuck asked why countries were obsessed with GDP. "Why are we so obsessed and focused with gross domestic product?" he asked a journalist inquiring about the country's economy. "Why don't we care more…
Climate to exacerbate food insecurity in tropics: report
Areas where food supplies could be worst hit by climate change have been identified in a report from the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). The report matches future climate change "hotspots" with regions already suffering chronic food problems to identify highly-vulnerable populations, chiefly in Africa and South Asia, but…
Rising food prices could press the poor into hunger, warns Oxfam
This year, hardly a week seems to have gone by without the release of another report on global food systems and food security. Each has a different focus: earlier in May I reported on an FAO report highlighting the problem of food waste, while earlier in the year we published blog articles on reports arguing…
Food prices soaring, but a third is still lost or wasted: what can be done?
Food prices, along with the cost of energy, are one of the main current drivers of inflation around the world. Bloomberg reported last week that world food prices reached near-record levels in April, with corn prices almost doubling in the last 12 months and wheat prices going up by 57% in the same period. With…
Are all-inclusive resorts “the devil’s work”?
A decision announced earlier in April by British tour operator First Choice to sell only all-inclusive holidays from next year has triggered a debate about the pros and cons of all-inclusive resorts. Leading travel writer Simon Calder is quoted by the BBC News website as calling all-inclusives "the devil's work", while industry bodies and pressure…
Aid donors join forces to fight wheat rust
Emerging strains of stem rust disease of wheat, such as Ug99, are spreading out of East Africa and threatening the world's wheat supply. But the fight against this disease received a boost this week from a collaboration between the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The organisations have…