Written by West
A study published in the scientific journal Current Biology has shown some disturbing statistics on the decline of the orangutan population in Borneo.
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Written by West
The idea of using food waste to encourage plant growth is hardly a new one, people have been composting for years, but a recent study posted in Restoration Ecology shows the kind of dramatic results that bringing this idea to a bigger scale can create. Back in the 1990s ecologists Daniel Janzen and Winne Hallwachs worked at the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, a world heritage site and national park in Costa Rica. As part of an experiment, they made an agreement with orange juice manufacturer Del Oro that the company could dump their orange waste on an area of degraded land in the national park if Del Oro would donate some of their own land to the national park. A deal was struck, and after removing the oils and acids from the orange waste it was dumped in the area.
Written by Scarlet
What Is The Big Garden Birdwatch?
The Big Garden Birdwatch has been run by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) for the last 40 years with an estimated half a million people taking part. All they ask is for is people to take just one hour out of their weekend to count the birds visiting their garden.
For those taking part, it is very simple. All they need to is sit somewhere comfy where they can see their garden and record the maximum number of each species they spot. For those who don't have a garden, they ask people to go to a local park or green space. The results are then sent in, either by paper or online, even if the person sees no birds.
Written by Scarlet
The Beast Of Dean In The Past
Back in 1802 the people of Parkend, a small village in the forest of Dean, were troubled by a strange creature living in the woods. Reports of trees being knocked down, fences and bushes trampled and strange loud roars were coming from many people in the area. This went on for many years.
By 1807 the people of Parkend had had enough, and so a group of hunters went out to capture and kill whatever was causing the troubles. The creature they found was said to be similar to a wild boar only much larger, and much more dangerous. Although some stories say the beast was killed by the hunters, others say it escaped. This creature was known as the Beast Of Dean, or the Moose-pig.
Written by West
If you've spent some time in the countryside you've most likely come across a ghost pond without realising it. A damp patch of land in a dry field, or a spot where the crops never grow quite as well. They're usually made by farmers who filled ponds with chopped hedgerows and soil instead of draining them
Written by West
Concrete is one of the most common building materials used today. It has a high compressive strength, meaning it takes a lot of force to crush it, but a low tensile strength, meaning it can be pulled apart relatively easily. To combat this, a lot of concrete structures are reinforced with materials that have high tensile strength, often steel cages or bars.
Written by Scarlet
Green Sea Turtles have been found to be 99% female on Ingram Island, the largest Turtle breeding grounds in the world, horrifying scientists who now are having to question the species chances of survival.
Written by Scarlet
This cute little wildcat, the güiña, may not be in as much danger as previously believed.
Written by Scarlet
Researchers believe they have found the reason behind the mass die-off of Saiga antelope over two years ago.
Back in May 2015, over 200,000 Saiga antelope in Mongolia died suddenly in the space of just three weeks. These critically endangered creatures represented over 80 percent of the local population, which itself counts for around 60 percent of the world's population.
The illness was fast acting, with symptoms showing just hours before death. They were suffering from both blood poisoning and internal bleeding. To make matters worse the outbreak occurred during the Saiga's birthing season, leading to many unborn babies and orphaned kids. You may remember hearing about it if you watched Planet Earth II back in 2016. |