Science for Environment Policy - All News

Permanent grasslands in agricultural areas are important for biodiversity – especially pollinators. Researchers in Belgium found irregular, curved mowing patterns had positive effects on pollinators compared to conventional block cutting, and suggest promoting this approach.

Could leaving some structures behind when removing obsolete wind farms generate multiple benefits? This study engages with stakeholders at two Dutch wind farms to identify and analyse key criteria for decommissioning decisions.

Researchers have tested the biodegradation rates of 97 chemical compounds in 18 sections of freshwater rivers in five European countries and found that all but two compounds show significant variability across sites.

Issue 617: Water management models normally include land use data, but not the shape and distribution of land use patches. This study tests models against historical data to evaluate the importance of such metrics in obtaining accurate predictions.

Issue 617: A study of bacteria on microplastics in nine European rivers shows salinity to serve as a barrier stopping serious pathogens travelling large distances on plastic debris.

Protected wetland areas provide cultural ecosystem services which can be overlooked in management decisions. This study considers how combining both ecological and visitor-orientated goals can enhance management planning in a wetland reserve in Italy.

Long-term global cycles of atmospheric variation can be used to help water managers predict droughts more accurately, up to four years ahead, a new study has found.

A switch away from fossil fuels onto ammonia would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, but ammonia emissions would still be bad for air quality and public health unless negative effects were regulated.

Researchers estimate that invasive species cost more than US $644 billion (612 billion euros) globally between 1970 and 2020. A better understanding of such impacts would help improve management interventions and biosecurity policies.