Highlighting the use of evidence
I spotted this blog article on Friday morning and sent it on to one of my colleagues, and soon it was sent around all the blog team here at CABI. This whole topic of the use of an icon/logo to highlight the use of peer-reviewed evidence has caused a great deal of discussion and a…
What do you know about biodiversity?
(Fischer, A.; Young, J. C., 2007) What do you know about biodiversity? Would you like to be more involved in biodiversity management policies in your local area? Biodiversity is a hot topic in environmental sciences and policy, often linked with a growing awareness of the need for sustainability and conservation of a species-rich and diverse…
Consultation on proposed EU Soil Framework Directive
The EU proposed a Framework Directive for Soils in September 2006, after a consultation with member states discovered that only nine had legislation to protect against soil degradation. This directive lays down a framework within which Member States must introduce domestic law and policy to protect their soils from various threats and ensure remediation of…
Why should we? – India and China won’t
As well as blaming people for building/buying on floodplains (we all need somewhere to live and 10% of total land in England lies within areas of flood risk) people can reduce the impact of heavy rainfall by installing water butts to capture runoff and by providing plenty of permeable surfaces around their property. Built up…
Bamboo socks and bicycles
Is there no end to the usefulness of bamboo? They can now make bamboo socks that stop your feet smelling! The makers claim that they are softer and more durable than cotton and contain a natural odour-eating magic ingredient called “Bamboo-kin” – an anti-microbial agent that kills the organisms that create smelly feet. The cellulose…
Hug fat trees
The ancient tree hunt is on. I heard a story on the radio this morning about a tree, the Fortingall Yew (Taxus baccata) in Perthsire, which is guestimated to be 5000 years old. It was around when Stonehenge was built, had already been standing for 3000 years when the Romans invaded, and is thought to…
Changes in the veterinary profession.
Think of a veterinarian and, thanks in part to James Herriot, most people conjure up images of genial man in tweed jacket (except when he has his arm down the back of a cow). Most of his time spent trundling down country lanes from farm to farm treating livestock and dealing with farmers. When Alf…
Plants uproot and head North
Plants are moving northward to find cooler habitats, so it would seem that the blog I wrote earlier on human assisted migration might be moot – they’re doing it for themselves. Using DNA fingerprinting techniques, a study by Inger Greve Alsos and her colleagues has found that ‘long-distance colonization of a remote arctic archipelago, Svalbard,…
World Ocean Day and Chinese water news round-up
World Ocean Day is here and the G8 summit is on the go, what better time to highlight the marine and freshwater issues plaguing China than today? Here’s a summary of the news items I’ve been collecting recently; many of the issues they involve are covered in the CAB Abstracts database and I’ve included links…
Soil, a potential large scale carbon store
We have all heard in the news that to tackle climate change, greenhouse-gas emissions must be reduced on a global scale. Fossil fuel emissions still remain the largest contributor to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, therefore reducing their contribution to global energy is key1. However, as this is a process that can not be done overnight,…