ecology

Book Review – The Hidden World of the Fox – by Adele Brand

The fox is one of those charismatic species that attracts strong opinions, especially in the countryside, but as they are also increasingly, if not more, visible in urban areas, from people in towns and cities as well. Ecologist Adele Brand, the author of this enjoyable and very readable book, clearly has a great intrigue withContinue reading “Book Review – The Hidden World of the Fox – by Adele Brand”

The Most Exciting Technologies in Ecology

Measuring, recording and tracking our environment and wildlife has become standardised in many ways, with widely used software. However, in the last few years technology itself has changed the way ecological consultancy works on a day-to-day basis – from site surveys to endangered species monitoring, and here are just a few advances that are excitingContinue reading “The Most Exciting Technologies in Ecology”

One Fifth of China’s Soil Contaminated

The title of this post says it all. China’s Environmental Protection Ministry has released a report of an official study conducted between 2005 and 2013, which showed that 16.1% of China’s soil and 19.4% of its arable land are contaminated, principally with excessive levels of cadmium, nickel and arsenic. It is well known that China’sContinue reading “One Fifth of China’s Soil Contaminated”

Sheepwrecked – Environmentalists v Farmers

Over the last week I have been helping out on a farm in the Scottish Borders in the lambing shed (hello to you all at Overlangshaw!) and while I was there I began reading Alan Butler’s book ‘sheep’, a work that sets out an argument for sheep being some of the most important historical actors ofContinue reading “Sheepwrecked – Environmentalists v Farmers”

Climate Change and Global Change

I am writing this post in response to a couple of articles I have been reading this evening; articles that I came across through links on twitter. The first is from the Guardian and is regarding Nigel Lawson’s climate change sceptic (or as I prefer to see them, denier) group the ‘Global Warming Policy Foundation’ (GWPF).Continue reading “Climate Change and Global Change”