Researchers used artificial nests to test two methods for reducing the nest predation of vulnerable and endangered ground-nesting birds. The study showed that red foxes can be more easily deceived into not eating bird eggs than raccoon dogs. The methods could be used alongside hunting and offer an alternative, non-lethal solution for creating protection for vulnerable prey.
While tropical forests remain threatened and their future is uncertain, the importance of understanding how well individual protected areas avoid deforestation increases. Researchers from the University of Turku and University of Helsinki, Finland, have investigated this question in a newly published study that focuses on the State of Acre in Brazilian Amazonia.
The Nature2100 fund (Luonto2100-rahasto) uses donated funds to acquire forest areas that will enhance positive development in biodiversity and the recreational use of forests. A particular aim is to expand and diversify existing conservation and hiking areas in southern Finland.
Finland's two-year term as the Chair of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group of the Arctic Council starts in May 2021. Docent in Environmental Ecology, PhD Mia Rönkä from the Biodiversity Unit at the University of Turku and Natural Resources Institute Finland will start as the Chair.
The article published by the researchers of the Biodiversity Unit at the University of Turku, Finland, highlights how amateur venom-extraction business is threatening scorpion species. Sustainably produced scorpion venoms are important, for example, in the pharmacological industry. However, in the recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people involved in the trade and vast numbers of scorpions are harvested from nature. This development is endangering the future of several scorpion species in a number of areas.