Search results
Found 43 matches for
Study finds that bees need food up to a month earlier than provided by recommended pollinator plants
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research
26 March 2024
New research from the Universities of Oxford and Exeter has revealed that plant species recommended as ‘pollinator friendly’ in Europe begin flowering up to a month too late in the spring to effectively contribute to wild bee conservation.
Researchers discover a coral superhighway in the Indian Ocean
Biology Earth sciences Food security & biodiversity Research
12 March 2024
Despite being scattered across more than a million square kilometres, new research has revealed that remote coral reefs across the Seychelles are closely related. A network of ocean currents scatter significant numbers of larvae between these distant islands, acting as a ‘coral superhighway.’
The world’s most prolific carbon-fixing enzyme is slowly getting better
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research
7 March 2024
New research led by the University of Oxford has found that rubisco – the enzyme that fuels all life on Earth – is not stuck in an evolutionary rut after all; it is improving all the time – just very, very slowly. These insights could potentially open up new routes to strengthen food security.
From The Conversation: Wild solitary bees offer a vital pollination service – but their nutritional needs aren’t understood
Biology Food security & biodiversity The Conversation
4 March 2024
Ellen Baker from the Department of Biology writes about the important role played by solitary bees and the need to ensure the right flower foods are available to them.
Unprecedented conservation triumph: Saiga antelope return from the red list
Biology Food security & biodiversity
12 December 2023
The antelope, which roamed the Eurasian Steppe alongside woolly mammoths, has been restored from near extinction by conservation efforts, including those of Professor E J Milner-Gulland in the Department of Biology.
End-of-the-world scare stories have the opposite effect: celebrated conservationist EJ Milner-Gulland accentuates the positive
Biology Climate Food security & biodiversity
22 November 2023
Professor Milner-Gulland, who leads three programmes at the Oxford Martin School, has been a conservationist for more than 30 years. But, she maintains, end-of-the-world scare stories will make people fear it is too late, there is nothing they can do, and they will bury their heads in the sand.
Nature-based solutions are essential for Brazil to meet its 2050 net zero pledge
Biology Climate Food security & biodiversity Research
1 November 2023
The study by researchers in the Department of Biology also concluded that halting deforestation is the single most important mitigation measure Brazil can take towards net zero emissions by 2050 while preventing biodiversity loss.
The outdoor lab on the doorstep of Oxford’s students
Biology Food security & biodiversity Teaching
1 November 2023
Professor Andy Hector (Department of Biology) describes a unique living resource, Wytham Woods, and how this contributes to the distinctive and immersive learning experience for students at Oxford.
Bumblebees make decisions ‘on the fly’ to maximise energy returns
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research
25 October 2023
A new study led by researchers in the Department of Biology has demonstrated that bumblebees make choices while foraging to maximize the rate of energy return, i.e. the amount of nectar sugar collected each minute.
Researchers issue urgent call to save the world’s largest flower - Rafflesia - from extinction
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research
21 September 2023
An international group of scientists, including botanists at the University of Oxford’s Botanic Garden, has issued an urgent call for coordinated action to save the iconic genus Rafflesia, which contains the world’s largest flowers. This follows a new study which found that most of the 42 species are severely threatened.
Lions on the brink – New analysis reveals the differing threats to African lion populations
Biology Food security & biodiversity
12 September 2023
New research co-led by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU, Department of Biology) has revealed alarming data about dwindling lion populations in Africa, but gives new insight into conservation strategies.
From The Conversation: China makes developers pay compensation for their ecological impacts – here’s how this unique scheme works
Biology Food security & biodiversity The Conversation
10 September 2023
Professor EJ Milner-Gulland and other researchers from the Department of Biology/Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science explore how the ecological compensation system in China works.
The race to save the world’s most trafficked wild species
Biology Food security & biodiversity
1 September 2023
A feature article on the work of Dr Tin (Henry) Hung (Department of Biology) to save Dalbergia, the rosewood tree, which is severely threatened across all countries in its distribution range.
More than 900 at-risk animal and plant species not covered by global trade protections, new research shows
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research
12 July 2023
A new study from the Department of Biology has revealed that two-fifths of species likely threatened by the international wildlife trade are not covered by the global agreement that regulates it.
Oxford biologists comment on new Genetic Technology Act
Biology Food security & biodiversity Sustainability & the environment
24 March 2023
Oxford biologists comment on new legislation that will unlock key technologies to improve UK food security, reduce pesticide use, and enhance climate-resilience in our crops.
From The Conversation: UN biodiversity conference: what does living in harmony with nature look like?
Biology Food security & biodiversity The Conversation
20 December 2022
Senior Research Fellow Dr Alexandra Zimmermann from the Department of Biology writes about the complexities of resolving human-wildlife conflict and achieving coexistence.
Oxford University delegation to champion nature at UN biodiversity conference
Biology Climate Food security & biodiversity
7 December 2022
Launching today, the United Nations Conference of the Parties for Biodiversity (COP15) will convene governments from nearly 200 countries to agree to a new set of goals to tackle the biodiversity crisis over the next decade.
Big egos, lack of staff training and policy enforcement are major barriers to island conservation
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research
6 December 2022
A new study led by the University of Oxford is the first to quantify the day-to-day barriers that conservation workers face as they try to conserve and manage island ecosystems around the world.
Most Asian countries are unlikely to meet future biodiversity targets for protected areas
Biology Climate Food security & biodiversity Sustainability & the environment
5 December 2022
Ahead of COP15, researchers make key recommendations for policymakers to support Asian countries to meet 2030 biodiversity targets.
Twelve new UK sites created or restored for globally endangered Large blue butterfly
Biology Food security & biodiversity
25 August 2022
The sites are being restored to flower-rich meadows suitable for Large blue butterflies. Professor Jeremy Thomas of the Department of Biology, and Chair of the Joint Committee for the Re-establishment of the Large Blue Butterfly, spearheaded the successful reintroduction in the UK.