No-one doubts that life on Earth is undergoing a mass extinction. Estimates of species loss vary. Nonetheless, it is clear that human impacts are taking their toll. There are numerous examples of extinctions due to human activities, whether directly (e.g., hunting) or indirectly (e.g., introducing invasive species). Human activities may promote speciation We applaud the […]
Carbon storage vs. biodiversity conservation
Recent research has profound implications for conservation organizations who base their model on carbon storage and sequestration. Up to now, conservationists (and their donors) have assumed that conserving the maximum biodiversity also stores the most carbon. It’s supposedly a win-win. But two new studies turn this assumption its head. In a July 2015 paper in […]