Environmental News Network

Native Wildflowers Bank on Seeds Underground to Endure Drought

Native wildflowers were surprisingly resilient during California’s most recent drought, even more so than exotic grasses. But signs of their resilience were not evident with showy blooms aboveground. Rather, they were found mostly underground, hidden in the seed bank, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

A Bird in the Bush Equals Money in the Hand

A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Foundations of Success (FOS) finds that an ecotourism strategy based on “direct payments,” where local people are compensated for the amount of wildlife seen by tourists, has resulted in a reduction in illegal hunting and an increase in wildlife sightings.

Researchers Create Tool to Manage Urban Cat Population Crisis

Accurate numbers are the cat’s pyjamas when it comes to solving the current cat population crisis. But measuring the feline population has been difficult, until now.

Nature Can Reduce Pesticide Use, Environment Impact

Farmers around the world are turning to nature to help them reduce pesticide use, environmental impact and, subsequently, and in some cases, increasing yields.

USGS and NASA Team Up to Help Scientists Study the Social Networks of Wildlife

In the future of wildlife tracking, sea otters have their own social network.

Whereas we might carry cell phones or tablets, each sea otter has a small, solar-powered tag clipped carefully to one of its flippers. When the sea otters gather to nap at the ocean’s surface, their tags boot up, and check in with one another. Who else did the sea otter interact with today, where, and when?