(Michigan Technological University) Three-quarters of those surveyed said a species deserves special protections if it had been driven to extinction from any more than 30 percent of its historic range. Not everyone was in perfect agreement. Some were more accepting of losses.
(2 Million Blossoms) “Our first issue has printed and shipped, but you can still get a copy… You can also download our PDF that includes the table of contents, guest editorial by Mark Winston, and the lovely piece by Craig Childs, along with the brief companion story on the original scientific research.”
(New York Times) Reframe your relationship with bugs. Cultivate a glorious mess. Take out your earbuds. Put your money where your values are. Vote.
(New York Times) One-third of Kangaroo Island, a government-declared bee sanctuary off South Australia, has been burned so far this fire season, threatening the “last remaining pure stock” of Ligurian honeybees in the world. Foreign honeybees have an advantage, because they can abscond with their queen in the face of threats. Native stingless bees can’t — their queens can’t fly.
(ABC) The Ligurian honey bees on Kangaroo Island are believed to be the last remaining pure stock of this insect found anywhere in the world. It’s possible that up to 500 hives could have succumbed to the flames. “That part of the island that was burnt was the main drawcard for keepers to put their hives.”
(The Guardian) The call to action by more than 70 scientists from across the planet advocates immediate “no-regret” actions on human stress factors to insects which include habitat loss and fragmentation, the climate crisis, pollution, over-harvesting and invasive species. The paper comes amid repeated warnings about the threat of human-driven insect extinction causing a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”, with more than 40 percent of insect species declining and a third endangered.
(Great Lakes Echo) Great Lakes researchers are seeking fundamental knowledge about pollinators like bumble bees and butterflies, hoping to reverse their decline. “Part of this project is to create a baseline for future comparison. We’ve been resampling places where pollinators were sampled 50 years or 100 years ago and trying to see how the populations have changed.”
(The Guardian) “We strongly believe artificial light at night – in combination with habitat loss, chemical pollution, invasive species, and climate change – is driving insect declines,” the scientists concluded after assessing more than 150 studies. However, unlike other drivers of decline, light pollution is relatively easy to prevent by switching off unnecessary lights and using proper shades.