Author of the month blog: The Animal Trade, Clive Phillips
About four years ago, I started to get concerned that the full impact of expansion and intensification of the animal production industries worldwide was not understood, by those in power, by scientists and definitely not by the public. The relatively rapid introduction of intensive farming systems over the last fifty years, and their widespread adoption…
Tree–crop interactions: agroforestry in a changing climate
Twenty years after the first edition of the standard book on tree–crop interactions, edited by Peter Huxley and Chin Ong, we now have a second edition. The second edition has explicit attention to climate change, with chapters on microclimate effects and consequences for the various terms of the water balance. The primary strength of the…
Milk Quotas in European Union to Be Abolished after 31 Years
By Miroslav Djuric, DVM, Editor of Dairy Science Abstracts Milk quotas in the European Union (EU) will be abolished from the 1 April 2015, exactly 31 years after its introduction. The Dairy Produce Quota Regulations were introduced by the European Economic Community (EEC) on the 2 April 1984 and were originally due to run until…
CABI Author Focus – Melissa A. Austin
Welcome to the latest CABI Author Focus. This month Melissa A. Austin tells us how her 20 years of teaching experience has informed the recently published textbook, Genetic Epidemiology: Methods and Applications. Genetic Epidemiology: 20 Years On “Does your new book have 10 or 11 chapters?” a colleague of mine at the University of Washington…
What’s the big deal about Open Access?
Specifically, what’s in it for the people who get involved? How can publishers, government bodies, academic institutions, researchers, and even the general public reap the benefits? Copyright: ©Gideon Burton CC BY-SA 2.0 The aim of open access is to improve the communication of knowledge and encourage advancements in research by allowing information to be freely…
Attack of the 340 million propagule timebomb! Stories of Phytophthora
Latest CABI Author focus out now - Kurt Lamour tells how the deadly nature of Phytophthora has been devastating crops since the Potato famine!
A green future? 3 experts give their views on the future of the world’s forests
To mark International Day of Forests, we brought together three experts in the field to suggest their own thoughts on what lies ahead for forests. Below they offer their hopes, and fears, for these vital ecosystems in the years to come.
The value of National Parks
National Parks all around the world attract many millions of visitors, help to protect habitats and wildlife, and provide areas where urban dwellers can go for a break from their normal lives. The world's first national park is generally held to be Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872 in the USA. But while parks and…
Is ‘more efficient’ food production a threat to animal welfare?
Ahead of the upcoming Biodiversity Institute Conference, Marian Stamp Dawkins, Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Oxford, highlights the pioneering work of two women who spoke out about the negative effects on animals of greater efficiency in food production. ‘Greater efficiency’ may for some people be an obvious goal for producing sustainable food…
Cats versus dogs… and an insight for Oxford pet owners!
Idolised in Ancient Egypt, then vilified in Medieval Europe, the domestication of cats has taken them on an interesting route from uninvited guests chasing mice in our grain stores to the moggies we cuddle today. At John Bradshaw’s talk at Blackwell’s in Oxford last month, evidence of their interesting history was just around the corner…