(Natural News) When it comes to bringing back plants and wildlife to the barren wasteland of strip mines throughout Central Appalachia, conservationists have recently tried out a different approach. They built their environmental restoration program around Rocky Mountain elk that recently returned to their old stomping grounds. Large populations of elk used to live in […]

(Natural News) The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) may be the fastest bird on the planet, but it isn’t fast enough to outrun the toxic heavy metal named after the Roman god of communication and travel. The feathers of peregrines across the United States have displayed signs of mercury contamination. In Nevada, a researcher with the […]

(Natural News) In the movies, sharks threaten humans, especially if they rode tornadoes inland. In real life, however, it’s the other way around: Human commercial fishing threatens to drive sharks and their relatives, rays, into extinction. A U.K. team counted the number of sharks and rays accidentally caught by small-scale fisheries in the South West […]

(Natural News) There is a reason why residents of Ontario haven’t seen many American bumblebees (Bombus pensylvanicus) in recent years. Canadian researchers warned that the once-common and vital pollinators are teetering on the brink of extinction. A recent study discovered that the Canadian population of the bumblebee species has reached the point of imminent local extinction. […]

(Natural News) Most termites don’t deserve the bad reputation meant for the few species that are actual pests. An international study found that the insects actually help preserve tropical rainforests during periods of drought. Termites thrive in tropical regions with plenty of cellulose-rich plants that they can digest. The “sheeting” structures they construct above ground let them travel through the rainforest in safety even […]

(Natural News) Conservation agriculture (CA) practices are adaptable and can be customized to the requirements of crops and local conditions. While this farming system considers soil health and the impact it has on the ecosystem, it is not without its disadvantages. The early days of CA implementation may present various problems, such as nitrogen immobilization and […]

(Natural News) Plastic waste is one of the leading causes of environmental problems today. While everyone’s looking for ways to solve this looming crisis, researchers from Yale University suggest using a mushroom that feasts on plastic. In their study, which appeared in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, the team said that Pestalotiopsis microspora can not only live off polyurethane – a compound […]

(Natural News) Single-use plastics cause plastic pollution, a problem that affects rivers, lakes, and oceans. To address this concern, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a recycling process that turns various materials made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into other useful products that will last longer. NREL’s research was published in the journal Joule. […]

(Natural News) A three-day underwater exploration by Greenpeace South East Asia documented large amounts of plastic pollution that threatened marine life in the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines. Single-use plastics pollute one of the most biodiverse waters in the world In 2006, the Verde Island Passage in Batangas City was crowned the “Center of […]

(Natural News) Beekeepers are not the only ones who benefit from making bees more welcome in the garden or yard. By cultivating the appropriate types of flowering plants during each season, people will help support the populations of wild bees that live in urban and suburban areas. Both natural and agricultural ecosystems depend on the […]