|
|
|
|
|
Push for 'Great Green Wall of Africa'
- 17th June
|
|
African leaders are meeting
in Chad to push the idea of planting a tree belt across Africa from Senegal in
the west to Djibouti in the east.
|
|
The Great Green Wall project is backed by the
African Union and is aimed at halting the advancing Sahara Desert.
|
|
The belt would be 15km (nine miles) wide and 7,775km
(4,831 miles) long.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bee populations recover
- 11th June
|
|
Honeybees have emerged from the harshest winter in
30 years apparently none the worse for wear, according to the latest survey of
colonies by the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA).
|
|
Overall about 80% of colonies have survived this
year, in sharp contrast to previous years when up to 30% of honeybees died out,
leading to serious concerns for their welfare. There are, however, substantial
regional variations - the highest losses were recorded in the north of England,
where beekeepers lost about a quarter of their honeybees, while in the
south-west losses were less than half as bad at 12.8%.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Threat to English oaks
- 1st June
|
|
Scientists are warning that the English oak is under
threat from a new infection.
|
|
Little is yet known about Acute Oak Decline (AOD),
which was first identified 13 years ago. It causes mature oaks to start bleeding
dark fluid from cracks in the bark. The canopy then thins out noticeably and
entire branches start dying back. The disease is capable of killing a tree in
less than five years. Unlike the fungal disease Sudden
Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum)
the main cause of AOD is believed to be a bacterium recently isolated for the
first time by researchers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Infections link to bees decline
- 26th May
|
|
US researchers claim to have
identified a new potential cause for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in
honeybees. The disease is responsible for wiping out many beekeepers' entire
colonies over the past few years.
|
|
Scientists from the US Department of Agriculture say
the pathogens to blame are a fungus and a family of viruses. The results of the
study were presented at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for
Microbiology in San Diego, California.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Urban trees 'help migrating birds'
- 21st May
|
|
Even a small urban forest
can help migrating birds, a study has said. US researchers found that birds used
the patches of greenery to rest and refuel in the middle of their journey
between winter and breeding sites.
|
|
The scientists gathered the data by fitting tiny
tags to thrushes, which recorded the birds' movements. Writing in the journal
Landscape Ecology, they added the findings were important because the world was
becoming increasingly urbanised.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Waterlily saved from extinction
- 19th May
|
|
A scientist based at the
UK's Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has prevented the world's smallest waterlily
from becoming extinct. Carlos Magdalena now plans to repopulate the plant in its
native home in the hot springs of Rwanda.
|
|
The world's biggest species of waterlily can have
pads that grow to around 3m (10ft). By contrast the thermal lily is just a
centimetre wide - with tiny satin white flowers with a butter yellow centre.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forest to transform urban
wasteland
- 14th May
|
|
A large swathe of post-industrial north Manchester
could be transformed into a wooded haven for wildlife and local people under
proposals to turn a former landfill site into a community woodland.
|
|
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWRDA)
has promised £4.9 million in funding to back plans to develop Moston Brook,
which runs through 71 hectares (175 acres) of north Manchester and Oldham.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Director of Horticulture
- 13th May
|
|
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced
the appointment of Jim Gardiner as Director of Horticulture.
|
|
Jim will have overall responsibility for the policy
and management of horticultural standards, oversee the RHS plant committees and
the Society’s plant trials programme, and fulfil an ambassadorial role for the
organisation. Jim will retain his responsibilities as Chief Curator of the
Society.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Garden ponds unwittingly polluted by tap water
- 9th May
|
|
British garden ponds are unwittingly being polluted
by people topping them up with tap water, a survey has found.
|
|
Around half of 250 ponds examined are in
"poorer" condition, three in 10 are "good" and only one in
10 was rated as "excellent", said the organisers of the Big
Pond Dip, Pond Conservation.
|
|
Water boatmen, beetles, snails, alderflies and
damselfly larvae are among the pond life affected by the problem, which occurred
in more than half the garden ponds surveyed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tatton Park Flower Show to Host Eurofleurs
2010 -
3rd May
|
|
Bored of the Eurovision Song contest? Yawning at the
thought of the World Cup? Well, it’s all about the battle of the buds in 2010,
as Europe’s most talented florists compete to be named champion at the final
of Eurofleurs 2010 taking place at the RHS Show Tatton Park.
|
|
Eurofleurs is organised by FLORINT, the international organisation of florists, representing the national organisations of 20 European countries, created with the intention of bringing together the different nations as well as raising the profile of up and coming floristry talent.
|
|
|
|
|
