News about Biodiversity

CMEC Research Retreat 2022

CMEC left the usual surroundings behind to go on the annual Research Retreat. This year, the destination was set for Spain for a week of dedicated focus on research themes, projects, and social networking.

Living Planet Report released with contributions by CMEC researchers

Based on analyses by international researchers, including Jonas Geldmann and Neil Burgess from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (CMEC), the newly released Living Planet Report from WWF shows how…

By leaving garden waste alone, we could store 600,000 tons of CO2 per year

We Danes shuttle nearly a million tons of garden waste from our gardens every year. But we would be doing the climate a great service if we just left it alone, according to the calculations of University of Copenhagen…

By leaving garden waste alone, we could store 600,000 tons of CO2 per year

We Danes shuttle nearly a million tons of garden waste from our gardens every year. But we would be doing the climate a great service if we just left it alone, according to the calculations of University of Copenhagen…

Framework predicts genetic diversity loss

New study published in Science with CMEC co-authorship resolves a 100 year old challenge for predicting global genetic diversity loss.

Genetic diversity loss in the Anthropocene

In Science by Exposito-Alonso, M., Nogués-Bravo, D., Zess, E., et al. (2022)

New field expedition to Ecuador

A new expedition to Ecuador from the Villum Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity aims at enhancing the understanding of biodiversity hotspots by collecting data from birds.

Listening is survival

ROCS postdoc Angela Rawlings is co-curator of SPHERE Festival which opens 2 September in Canada.

Biodiversity cradles and museums: New study on speciation-extinction dynamics

The distribution of old and young species brings new insight into the speciation-extinction dynamics operating in global hotspots of biodiversity.

Biodiversity cradles and museums segregating within hotspots of endemism

In Proceedings of The Royal Society B by Sonne, J., Dalsgaard, B., Rahbek, C. et al. (2022)

Process-explicit models reveal the structure and dynamics of biodiversity patterns

In Science Advances by Pilowsky, J.A., Colwell, R.K., Rahbek, C., and Fordham, D.A. (2022)

New biodiversity report: The value of nature should be included in Danish economic decision making

Denmark is miles away from meeting its agreed targets for nature and biodiversity. To remedy the Danish and global biodiversity crisis effectively, we need to improve how the value of nature is measured to allow…

450 people attended the Biodiversity Symposium

The Danish Biodiversity Symposium (Biodiversitetssymposiet) took place on the 23-24 June attracting close to 450 participants, including researchers, experts and other professionals from both Denmark and abroad.

Physical meeting in Copenhagen

FutureArcticLives held its first physical meeting and workshop in Copenhagen hosted by the Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO).

Insect wingbeats will help quantify biodiversity

Insect populations are plummeting worldwide, with major consequences for our ecosystems and without us quite knowing why. A new AI method from the University of Copenhagen is set to help monitor and catalogue insect…

Years later, restored wetlands remain a shadow of their old selves

A study of restored wetlands on the Danish island of Funen reveals that plant species richness remains extremely poor many years after wetlands restoration. It is widely assumed that restored wetlands will increase loca…

Researchers puncture explanation for largest increase of biodiversity in Earth's history

The greatest increase in marine biodiversity on Earth was not due to the explosion of an asteroid, as previously believed. In fact, the explosion caused the development of new animal species to stagnate for a period of…

This is how much Danes are willing to pay to protect nature and prevent noise from motorways

Danes are quite willing to pay to prevent noise pollution, protect unique natural areas and avoid animal collisions when it comes to the construction of new motorways. This is the conclusion of a new report by…

Differences between leopards are greater than between brown bears and polar bears

New research demonstrates that African and Asian leopards are more genetically differentiated from one another than polar bears and brown bears. Indeed, leopards are so different that they ought to be treated as two…

New invention can reduce agricultural pesticide use: Distinguishes harmful insects from helpful ones

A researcher from the University of Copenhagen has developed an algorithm that, in tandem with a sensor, makes it possible to distinguish crop-harming insects from helpful ones that pollinate and contribute to plant…

Letting nature manage itself may lead to the least costs —but EU subsidies remain an obstacle

Nature management through rewilding can be significantly more cost-effective than by traditional conservation measures. However, EU agricultural subsidies distort competition. This is the conclusion of an economic…

New documentation: Old-growth forest carbon sinks overestimated

The claim that old-growth forests play a significant role in climate mitigation, based upon the argument that even the oldest forests keep sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere, is being refuted by researchers at the…