Author: kcd

This author has written 359 articles
Read more about the article Assessing the ecological risk of Nile tilapia in the Limpopo River basin
Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus from the Limpopo River, South Africa
2013 / News

Assessing the ecological risk of Nile tilapia in the Limpopo River basin

Ecological risk assessments are used to identify potential invasive species from the pool of introduced species in a given country or area, and to assess the seriousness of their impacts.  C·I·B researchers have developed a qualitative risk assessment method for determining the risk of establishment and spread of the invasive Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in the Limpopo River basin in northern South Africa.

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9 July 2013
Read more about the article Bumblebees, stay out!
The large earth bumblebee Bombus terretris pollinating the nodding thistle Cardus nutans in Argentina where it is invasive (Photo credit: Anton Pauw)
2013 / News

Bumblebees, stay out!

An article in Farmers weekly on the use of bumblebees for applying pesticide to flowers stimulated a response from several South African scientists, including C·I·B researchers Dave Richardson, Steven Johnson and C·I·B PhD graduate James Rodger. Although the pesticide has not been approved for use in South Africa, the article said, quite incorrectly, that nothing stops South African farmers from using bumblebees for pollination in the meantime.

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18 June 2013
Read more about the article Ecological Footprint and biocapacity: the misconception of unsustainable development
2013 / News

Ecological Footprint and biocapacity: the misconception of unsustainable development

Since the concept of sustainable development was put forward by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, it has become an ideal development approach and policy goal. Among the indicators of sustainable development is the ecological footprint methodology.

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4 June 2013
Read more about the article The impact of human activity on biodiversity may be greatly underestimated
Onosma helvetica ssp. austriaca is an Austrian endemic restricted to dry rocky grasslands in the Wachau region near Vienna. Formerly, it‘s habitats were extensively grazed, but after World War II this extensive land use has been abandoned. Since then, most of its former habitats have been lost due to succession, and currently only three populations are left. Thus, ongoing losses of populations have been triggered by land use changes occurring more than 60 years ago. © F. Essl
2013 / Highlighted papers

The impact of human activity on biodiversity may be greatly underestimated

The effects of environmental pressures on biological extinctions may not be evident for decades after the events, a study finds. Stefan Dullinger, Franz Essl (C·I·B Research Associate), Petr Pyšek (C·I·B Research Associate) and colleagues compared the current number of threatened species in 22 European countries, with contemporary and historic levels of human-caused environmental pressures on biodiversity.

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29 May 2013
Read more about the article Invasion patterns of an invasive agricultural weed
Flowers of wild radish, Raphanus raphanistrum
2013 / News

Invasion patterns of an invasive agricultural weed

The process of biological invasion involves the movement of propagules, be they individuals, seeds or pollen, from one area to another area. The success and rate of introduced species establishment and reproduction in the new area rest, among other factors, on existing landscape features and anthropogenic disturbance, for example, agricultural activities.

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21 May 2013