New research will help scientists predict where and when animals will move, a task which is becoming more urgent, given the current rapid pace of global change.  

On our planet, at any one moment, billions of animals are on the move.  From migratory birds, insects, marine mammals and sharks connecting distant continents and seas, to bees and other insects pollinating our crops, to grazing animals roaming across the plain.    The study of animal movement has grown fast in recent decades.  However, much of this work still focuses on describing and understanding current patterns, rather than predicting future movements. 

The problem is that using the past and present as a guide will be of limited use given how quickly environments are changing, due to new patterns of land use, climate change, and human population shifts.

This is where the new research comes in.  It sets out a framework that can help scientists provide more robust predictions in rapidly changing environmental conditions.    It can help to conserve species, but also to protect wider ecosystems and our environment and the many services these provide to human wellbeing.

As coral bleaching and deaths become more widespread globally, experts show that over a third of restoration projects fail and might never be scalable enough to have positive effects on reef ecosystems. The results show that major barriers to effective interventions include the small scale of restoration programs, high costs per hectare, and the tendency to restore already compromised reefs that are highly vulnerable to future heat stresses.

A paper published in National Science Review highlights the role of China's natural terrestrial ecosystems (NTEs) as significant sources and sinks of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), two potent greenhouse gases. The study, led by Dr. Tingting Li and her team, compiles a new CH₄ and N₂O inventory for China's NTEs from 1980 to 2020, revealing the complex interplay between climate change, land-use changes, and greenhouse gas emissions. The findings underscore the importance of NTEs in global greenhouse gas budgets and provide recommendations for enhancing carbon sequestration and reducing emissions.

Climate change in the Arctic is paving the way for the spread of infectious diseases with pandemic potential, warn scientists.

Based on data in the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and the life cycle approach, the Amalur EIS environmental information system, created by the Ekopol group of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), enables environmental impacts at national, regional and/or municipal level to be analysed. The researchers also analysed the results of data collected at industrial plants in the Basque Country between 2007-2022.

A research team led by Prof. SHI Long and Prof. ZHANG Heping from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) established the most comprehensive city-level fire incident database to date, covering 20.6% of the global population and quantified the intrinsic link between climate change and urban fire risks. The study was published in Nature Cities.